It IS reversible, but only if a few things happen: no new single-disc releases are sold for more than £8.99, no new double-discs or CD/DVD editions for more than £11.99, and all digital albums for a maximum of £5.99.

 

What I think iTunes and other digital outlets need to do is make it so that tracks can't be bought individually until at least after the second single of an album campaign has charted; for example P!nk would release So What to iTunes, and then the album, and then a Sober single, and then once Sober had peaked, the album would be available as individual songs.

Discussing the albums/tour thing, I can't imagine any reason why anyone wouldn't rather go to the gig than buy the album. The fact is, people can't afford to do both. Say a Britney ticket costs 50 quid ... that's fine, except she's only doing London dates and one Manchester .... so anyone outside London has to take the afternoon off've work to get the London, and probably the next morning to get home again, plus a central London hotel plus travel (train or petrol) ... a ticket which orignally cost 50 quid and an evening, can suddeny become 200 quid and nearly 2 days of lost work. If people are able to get time off work, if not they're going to have to fight for a Saturday show, of which there are two.

 

But the whole point is, people presumably don't mind going through all that and paying that much money, since her shows are between 97-100% sold out ... but they can't be expected to then go out and spend even more money on albums. You could get 20 albums for the price of a weekend in London and seeing the Britney concert, but I know which I'd rather spend my money on. People have to make their choice, and albums are just too expensive and not worth the money they cost to make(especially when we know how little they cost to produce, it's just a slap in the face).

one way to stop cherry picking is to make album tracks Album Only therefore to get the album tracks the want they either have to wait until it may or may not be a single or buy the album.

 

There is no way illegal downloads will ever stop you just have to try and prise them away and make them buy it.

Funny, looking at the sales of the past 10 years, it seems whenever singles are at their peak, album sales are at their lowest, and vice-versa

I'm sorry to argue with you, but that's totally not true. Artists don't make much money out of albums anymore. They earn a lot more with live gigs, performances, promotions, adverts and also with gifts (like t-shirt etc). You're laughing on this now but there are pretty big demand for this. Just look at those smoving shops at the concerts. They sell lots of gifts not just albums.

 

And as for new artists: they have pretty big opportunities now with the internet: Myspace, YouTube etc to make themselves get to know with people. BTW the new artists don't want to have profit on their music at first. They play just for fun. youngsters don't create bands to make money with it. Never heard of anyone who created a band just to make money tbh :blink:

 

as i've said b4 merchandise is for established mainstream acts not for new indie acts or dance acts or others!!!

or else where can i find my Ladyhawke T-Shirt or my Tinchy Stryder perfume!!!! It's just nonsense... :arrr:

and 99% of new acts CANNOT do live gigs because there is no genuine interest YET!!! Only established acts can do live shows and get away with it!!!!

 

You are also saying people are making music for fun :o and don't care about money!!! IT's completly UNTRUE since most music acts make a living out of music, they're not dentists by day, rock bands by night.... :blink:

so what you're saying doesn't make any sense... Album sales is where the money is for at least 90% of the music acts today, and saying otherwise is just untrue and unrealistic!!!

Discussing the albums/tour thing, I can't imagine any reason why anyone wouldn't rather go to the gig than buy the album. The fact is, people can't afford to do both. Say a Britney ticket costs 50 quid ... that's fine, except she's only doing London dates and one Manchester .... so anyone outside London has to take the afternoon off've work to get the London, and probably the next morning to get home again, plus a central London hotel plus travel (train or petrol) ... a ticket which orignally cost 50 quid and an evening, can suddeny become 200 quid and nearly 2 days of lost work. If people are able to get time off work, if not they're going to have to fight for a Saturday show, of which there are two.

 

But the whole point is, people presumably don't mind going through all that and paying that much money, since her shows are between 97-100% sold out ... but they can't be expected to then go out and spend even more money on albums. You could get 20 albums for the price of a weekend in London and seeing the Britney concert, but I know which I'd rather spend my money on. People have to make their choice, and albums are just too expensive and not worth the money they cost to make(especially when we know how little they cost to produce, it's just a slap in the face).

 

if u can pay 400 quid to see a concert i don't think paying 7 quid to buy an album will break you!!!!

and how many artists actually do live gigs??? Not many!!!

as i've said b4 merchandise is for established mainstream acts not for new indie acts or dance acts or others!!!

or else where can i find my Ladyhawke T-Shirt or my Tinchy Stryder perfume!!!! It's just nonsense... :arrr:

and 99% of new acts CANNOT do live gigs because there is no genuine interest YET!!! Only established acts can do live shows and get away with it!!!!

 

You are also saying people are making music for fun :o and don't care about money!!! IT's completly UNTRUE since most music acts make a living out of music, they're not dentists by day, rock bands by night.... :blink:

so what you're saying doesn't make any sense... Album sales is where the money is for at least 90% of the music acts today, and saying otherwise is just untrue and unrealistic!!!

Sorry, but you're definitely wrong. The vast majority of acts make money out of touring, not out of record sales.

 

99% of acts not being able to tour is about of the biggest load of rubbish I've read in ages. No, they don't make much because of little interest, but where does the interest come from? It's not as if they're selling records are they!

 

New artists perform a hell of a lot of live gigs, they send out demos and put tracks on the internet and there's a bit of demand to see them live which they might make a bit of money from. They build up a following over a number of months/years which allows there to be enough demand/hype for single and album releases. They release the album which they don't make much money from because there are so many costs invoved and so many people involved. If I pay £10 to see an artist live and £10 on the same artists album they'll almost definitely see more of the £10 I paid to see them live.

 

More money might, I stress might, be made from record sales, I don't know, but the actual artist will not see anything like as much as they do from tours because of the huge slices the record companies take!

Edited April 27, 200916 yr by RabbitFurCoat

I think acts do make money from albums, but a very little and it takes ages before they get it. ;)

I agree with Rabbitfurcoat. You can call me stupid, Big Mistake, but what you're saying shows that either you're not really an expert of trade and business or just too enthusiastic about your opinion without thinking behind it. Of course you can have your opinion, but where are the calculations, that can prove you're right?

 

Live gigs are not just about big concerts/tours: don't forget the festivals, contests, small gigs in pubs, clubs etc. There are several opportunities. Do you really think that established acts like Radiohead, Madonna, Britney, Bon Jovi etc do gigs in pubs and smaller clubs?

BTW the majority of new artists have a job before they can earn some money with music.

 

And don't go to the extreme's by saying "where can i find my Ladyhawke T-Shirt or my Tinchy Stryder perfume!!!! It's just nonsense" The nonsense is what you're saying.

 

Of course you can believe what you want to believe in, but life doesn't work like that always.

 

Just on a quick note to reply, that artists do music for money. I said new bands create a band because they are artists, and people don't become artists because of money that's it. Of course in the end they live from the money they make of their music, but initially I will not create a band just because I want to make money (obviously there are exceptions)

 

The problem is, you're not open to the opinions of others, you are just saying the same thing on and on. Whatever. :)

I used to always buy a few albums a month, 2004/2005/2006 I bought alot! now I don't buy nearly as many, and that doesn't mean I download them ellegaly either (what a pointless thing to do <_< ) theres just not much out there being released that I want! Is it just me?? or is there just a lack of decent releases nowdays?? they seem to all come at xmas!

I used to always buy a few albums a month, 2004/2005/2006 I bought alot! now I don't buy nearly as many, and that doesn't mean I download them ellegaly either (what a pointless thing to do <_< ) theres just not much out there being released that I want! Is it just me?? or is there just a lack of decent releases nowdays?? they seem to all come at xmas!

I think more the lack of decent releases tbh, although I would love to get the Pet Shop Boys - Yes... and I still haven't bought Sash - Best Of :wub:

 

In Hungary it has no sense to buy an album. They are too expensive, I'd rather order it from the UK or Germany.

Re: the live vs. albums being an earner, it was in the papers over here in the last couple of years that artists now make more from shows and merchandise than music sales, as albums are falling off but the demand for live shows is ever increasing, more consumers want that experience. Many of the artists are moving to that as they get a far bigger cut of the profits. Madonna is perfect example. Her tours earn her record breaking amounts, but when her last album only went 1x platinum most places it hasn't made her half as much for sure. Also there's that new artists coalition or whatever with Robbie and Annie Lennox etc in it as artists themselves are getting fed up with this sit and are trying to take their profits back :wacko:

just look at the album sales the past month....a lot of major new releases and still the album sales are in huge decline....

what will happen next??? a top 10 album with 5.000 copies sales????

I dont think albums are over. We are in the midst of a recession when people have got less spending money and illegal downloading doesnt help matters. I think albums could be cheaper but they have actually come down in price and now you can buy albums more cheapily online and in supermarkets.