iTunes prices cause digital sales decline
p2pnet view Music:- Digital song sales have dropped for the first time since 2003 in the first quarter of 2010, says Digital Media Newswire.
And it’s all Apple’s fault.
Citing Nielsen SoundScan sales data and Billboard, “Track sales in the quarter were down nearly 1%, to 312.4 million from 315.4 million in the same period a year ago”, says the story, going on, “Even when figuring in a calendar adjustment, track sales were down .09% in the first quarter.
“Billboard said industry executives blamed the decline in digital song sales to the price hike from 99 cents to $1.29 at Apple’s iTunes Store that the major labels had long pressed for.”
In other words, the entire corporate music industry depends on sales from Apple iTunes, the iPod online loading app financially supported by gullible Macolytes.
No wonder they’re in dire straits.
In the real world of online music where P2P sharing rules, it’s no business as usual for the Big 4 organised music gang, Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, who failed to sue people into becoming compliant consumers of corporate crap.
No need to stay tuned.
..… and identi.ca
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Digital Media Newswire – U.S. Digital Song Sales Dip for First Time Since 2003, April 9, 2010
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April 10th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I haven’t purchased a song from iTunes since late 2008. Ever since the rip-off price of $1.29 was implemented and lossless quality music was available elsewhere for free, I abandoned the iTunes Store.
April 10th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
@ RIAA Hater:
.99 cents is just as much of a rip off
Cheers!
April 10th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
They are pissing and moaning about not enough music sales, then they jack up the price, in a long running sour economy no less. Of course they will never blame themselves, it will be all the pirates fault, which the media will parrot faithfully.
April 10th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
While the number of downloads might have dropped due to the price hike, the fact is revenue is way up, and in the end that’s all that matters.
April 11th, 2010 at 9:36 am
” the fact is revenue is way up, and in the end that’s all that matters. ”
This is true.
Considering that is a fact, why are they still claiming ‘Devastation’ due to P2P ?
April 11th, 2010 at 10:18 am
“why are they still claiming ‘Devastation’ due to P2P ?”
Probably the same way the MPAA could get away with making the ridiculous claim that “the VCR is to the American film producer as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone” and the RIAA’s claim that “home taping is killing music”
To offset the complaints of its price hike of current and hit songs, Itunes promised to lower the prices of its old catalog to $0.69. It appears that has not happened and may never happen. Even material that is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN, such as Enrico Caruso’s entire body of recordings, is still priced at $0.99 at iTunes. (or does the simple act of slapping a ‘watermark’ on a public domain download automatically turn it into copyrighted material?)
April 12th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
At what point does Steve Jobs from the 80’s come back and bitch-slap the music industry the way they deserve it? Now they are attempting to blame Apple for their own mistakes? Come on Steve, come back, come back and kick butt! Take a bite out of them! You have the power, do it! (you’ll sell more products by standing up to the BullShit Artists of the 20th/21st centuries).