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Just found this over in the news section at XFM's site:
While the media gets into a list heavy lather over the 50th anniversary of the singles chart, its reported that singles sales in the UK have actually slumped to their lowest point for nearly 10 years.
A spate of recently published ‘all time greatest’ lists have been informing us what the biggest selling single was (Elton John’s ‘Candle In The Wind’) what the critics favourite single’ is ('Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division according to the Nme) even what the ‘best’ number 2 single was (The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’).
What has only just been announced is that the singles market is in serious decline. According to trade body The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) just over 12 million singles were sold between July and September this year - the lowest total for that period since quarterly figures were first collated in 1976.
Although 53.8 million singles were bought over the last year, that’s still 9 million less than 2001, and 16.9 million less than the year before. Big recent sales from pop acts Kylie Minogue and Gareth Bloody Gates (who had the biggest-selling single of the last three months) have not been enough to bolster the waning market.
However, thanks to (Xfm-esque) acts like Oasis and Coldplay, album sales continue to rise annually and are up almost 2% in the last year. QED, we rock.
- - - - - - - -
It seems to me that maybe people are starting to get fed up with all the manufactured rubbish out there. But no doubt the record companies will blame all the people who swap files over the internet.
Thoughts?
While the media gets into a list heavy lather over the 50th anniversary of the singles chart, its reported that singles sales in the UK have actually slumped to their lowest point for nearly 10 years.
A spate of recently published ‘all time greatest’ lists have been informing us what the biggest selling single was (Elton John’s ‘Candle In The Wind’) what the critics favourite single’ is ('Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division according to the Nme) even what the ‘best’ number 2 single was (The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’).
What has only just been announced is that the singles market is in serious decline. According to trade body The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) just over 12 million singles were sold between July and September this year - the lowest total for that period since quarterly figures were first collated in 1976.
Although 53.8 million singles were bought over the last year, that’s still 9 million less than 2001, and 16.9 million less than the year before. Big recent sales from pop acts Kylie Minogue and Gareth Bloody Gates (who had the biggest-selling single of the last three months) have not been enough to bolster the waning market.
However, thanks to (Xfm-esque) acts like Oasis and Coldplay, album sales continue to rise annually and are up almost 2% in the last year. QED, we rock.
- - - - - - - -
It seems to me that maybe people are starting to get fed up with all the manufactured rubbish out there. But no doubt the record companies will blame all the people who swap files over the internet.
Thoughts?
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Blimey! so many issues here!
people who say that file sharing does not distract from sales is just being naieve(sp). Of course they do. Yeah, people use it to find out about new music, but then for every person that does this, there is another that does it to get the album without paying.
Evidence? www.cdcovers.com. Why else would you have a site that holds scans of album artwork other than to make a copy of a disc and then print off the artwork so it looks nice in their collection.
I'm not one of them personally. I sometimes find stuff i like on file sharing, but i dont really use it much as i dont have access to kazaa and the like. I do get rare stuff of the net like live/acoustic/cover tracks and stick them on minidisc though, but then I buy a crate load of music on cd.
I've managed to pick up 5 albums and 7 singles in the last 2 weeks, and have got my eye on another 2 albums from someone sending me mp3s of them.
File sharing is a great tool, but it's so easy to be abused, and it is abused, which is why the record companies are slating it.
people who say that file sharing does not distract from sales is just being naieve(sp). Of course they do. Yeah, people use it to find out about new music, but then for every person that does this, there is another that does it to get the album without paying.
Evidence? www.cdcovers.com. Why else would you have a site that holds scans of album artwork other than to make a copy of a disc and then print off the artwork so it looks nice in their collection.
I'm not one of them personally. I sometimes find stuff i like on file sharing, but i dont really use it much as i dont have access to kazaa and the like. I do get rare stuff of the net like live/acoustic/cover tracks and stick them on minidisc though, but then I buy a crate load of music on cd.
I've managed to pick up 5 albums and 7 singles in the last 2 weeks, and have got my eye on another 2 albums from someone sending me mp3s of them.
File sharing is a great tool, but it's so easy to be abused, and it is abused, which is why the record companies are slating it.
Sibs wrote:
> OPS2...?
>
> Games magazines know as much about music as music magazines know about
> games... maybe... How did they manage to get onto the subject of
> blazin squad in OPS2 mag anyhoo...? Went off on a stupidly wild
> tangent...?
They review some DVD's and Music CDs in the back pages of each issue, anyway it doesn't matter how much they know about music because it was an interview...
Nice one SmokedKipper ;)
~~Belldandy~~
> OPS2...?
>
> Games magazines know as much about music as music magazines know about
> games... maybe... How did they manage to get onto the subject of
> blazin squad in OPS2 mag anyhoo...? Went off on a stupidly wild
> tangent...?
They review some DVD's and Music CDs in the back pages of each issue, anyway it doesn't matter how much they know about music because it was an interview...
Nice one SmokedKipper ;)
~~Belldandy~~
SmokedKipper wrote:
> Oh I don't know, inexplicably popular carbon copy products seems quite
> a suitable subject for a PlayStation Magazine ;)
>
> Sorry, couldn't resist the dig
Classic!
> Oh I don't know, inexplicably popular carbon copy products seems quite
> a suitable subject for a PlayStation Magazine ;)
>
> Sorry, couldn't resist the dig
Classic!
Sibs wrote:
> OPS2...?
>
> Games magazines know as much about music as music magazines know about
> games... maybe... How did they manage to get onto the subject of
> blazin squad in OPS2 mag anyhoo...? Went off on a stupidly wild
> tangent...?
Oh I don't know, inexplicably popular carbon copy products seems quite a suitable subject for a PlayStation Magazine ;)
Sorry, couldn't resist the dig
> OPS2...?
>
> Games magazines know as much about music as music magazines know about
> games... maybe... How did they manage to get onto the subject of
> blazin squad in OPS2 mag anyhoo...? Went off on a stupidly wild
> tangent...?
Oh I don't know, inexplicably popular carbon copy products seems quite a suitable subject for a PlayStation Magazine ;)
Sorry, couldn't resist the dig
OPS2...?
Games magazines know as much about music as music magazines know about games... maybe... How did they manage to get onto the subject of blazin squad in OPS2 mag anyhoo...? Went off on a stupidly wild tangent...?
Games magazines know as much about music as music magazines know about games... maybe... How did they manage to get onto the subject of blazin squad in OPS2 mag anyhoo...? Went off on a stupidly wild tangent...?
I buy mostly pop music, but I only buy singles for certain artists, and all the rest it's always albums. Like someone has said, why pay £3.99 for a single, often full of rubbish remixes might I add, when you can get an album for £9.99 ? Price is the problem, not the music or the copying.
I don't think the internet has helped people listen to what they want, I think anyone who wanted to already did this anyway, in most cases its just meant slight slaes boosts for the ever discriminated against, or so it claims often, Indie market. Which is mostly simply pop dressed more moodily.
Though I do agree that all Pop Idol inspired songs/artists/groups are about as talented as a twig. In fact I'd bet if, by some miracle of science, a twig could win Pop Idol, then it'd still sell and go to number 1. Maybe.
But also it's not just pop music clogging the charts with rubbish, how about all the garage/rap type music ? Plenty of that in there and no one mentions it, or is it just pop music dressed up ? There was something on Blazin Squad in OPS2 mag a month back, and they reckoned they weren't a boy band....plllleeeasssseeee, they so are.
~~Belldandy~~
I don't think the internet has helped people listen to what they want, I think anyone who wanted to already did this anyway, in most cases its just meant slight slaes boosts for the ever discriminated against, or so it claims often, Indie market. Which is mostly simply pop dressed more moodily.
Though I do agree that all Pop Idol inspired songs/artists/groups are about as talented as a twig. In fact I'd bet if, by some miracle of science, a twig could win Pop Idol, then it'd still sell and go to number 1. Maybe.
But also it's not just pop music clogging the charts with rubbish, how about all the garage/rap type music ? Plenty of that in there and no one mentions it, or is it just pop music dressed up ? There was something on Blazin Squad in OPS2 mag a month back, and they reckoned they weren't a boy band....plllleeeasssseeee, they so are.
~~Belldandy~~
"The British Phonographic Industry"
Guess what I mis-read that as?
Anyway, singles suck. Fair enough if you buy the first single, then get the album, but you get stupid teenage girls who buy all of the singles released, even though they already have them on the album. Maybe they're wising up, and that's why singles sales are going down...
As long as album sales aren't going down at such a rate, then I see no cause for concern
Guess what I mis-read that as?
Anyway, singles suck. Fair enough if you buy the first single, then get the album, but you get stupid teenage girls who buy all of the singles released, even though they already have them on the album. Maybe they're wising up, and that's why singles sales are going down...
As long as album sales aren't going down at such a rate, then I see no cause for concern
Popular rock/indie band etc release a new single after being away for a while
Top 10 position
Fans buy single for new song and B-sides to see what new sound is like
Then they buy album
Future singles fall places in chart as only 'hardcore' fans buy them.
Yep
Top 10 position
Fans buy single for new song and B-sides to see what new sound is like
Then they buy album
Future singles fall places in chart as only 'hardcore' fans buy them.
Yep
I think the unit cost plays a big factor. I buy new albums from places like Comet for £9.99 so why should I bother buying a CD single for £3.99?
It was only a few years ago that the vast majority of singles were half the price they are now.
HMV are evil (I know some may say it's a bit unfair but I'd like to suggest that they are held responsible for every single injustice in the modern world). There are others to blame, obviously, but I have a long standing loathing of this particular retail chain.
It was only a few years ago that the vast majority of singles were half the price they are now.
HMV are evil (I know some may say it's a bit unfair but I'd like to suggest that they are held responsible for every single injustice in the modern world). There are others to blame, obviously, but I have a long standing loathing of this particular retail chain.
Let's put it like this, I know a couple of people who fileshare, and don't go out to buy the album once they've "sampled" a coupled of tracks.
However, I know loads of people who buy CD's, take them home to copy them, then take them back to the shop and say "I bought it for a mate for their birthday, but they've already got it. Can I have my money back?"
Knowing full well that they'll get a refund, and get to keep the music.
However, I know loads of people who buy CD's, take them home to copy them, then take them back to the shop and say "I bought it for a mate for their birthday, but they've already got it. Can I have my money back?"
Knowing full well that they'll get a refund, and get to keep the music.
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