Album Sales in U.S. Dropped 14% in 2008

I am long out of the demographic for buying recorded music. Still I remember doing it, and what influenced me. I tell you I think it has a good deal to do with packaging. There were times when I went into a record store and bought a record because I liked the album cover. I've long suggested to my friends that are recording artists that they put out CDs in album covers of the old style 33 RPM size, with good art, and liner notes as used to be the standard. Consider all the great album covers for those old vinyl records. Steely Dan, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Cream, Bob Dylan's that came with that poster. You bought the art that defined the artists, the times, and was something to hold, read, look at or put on the wall. CD packaging sucks in general. Certainly certain artists like Tom Waits have made attempts at making "books", but overall, the CD sized packaging and art is simply too small, and of course CDs are on the way out too as I Pods take over. I suggest to those involved in selling recorded music that they give up on selling CDs, and simply sell access codes packaged in the sort of art we used to buy to define ourselves. There is a trend towards that, though it is skewed by the retro cool of vinyl, that simply weighs too much to compete in a world of small spaces and effective technologies such as the Ipod. So then I say, sell art, and access to the music and the artists replicating what succeeded in the past, and turning the packaging into a ticket to the "concert". P.S. I hope it is okay with CR4 for me in this case to mention I can be found through them, and am in need of a job if you happen to actually be in the business. Frankly this is an odd subject for the site, don't you think?

Transcendian

I suppose you are a musician your self, going by the Strat in your pic. I have not bought music in years and prefer life music. I hardly listen to music at all but if I find the time I still play with great satisfaction.

My hope is, that the performer will count for more in the future. At least here, there is quiet a movement of youngsters that get a real kick out of it. Even though the are not polished musicians, they are still having fun. Their set up is just like it was 40 years ago, well, they do have some gimmicks that we didn't have but that's evolution for you.

CD's are dead and all the other tools or listening devices are just that, dead. Plastic trying to transfer emotion. I hope that "normal" music instruments will become more attractive in the future and that a true exchange of spirit can occur. The time of the big Record companies is over. Thank "God". They have a lot to answer for and had it too good for far to long. They had it coming for a long time and thought they were bullet proof. Arrogant bastards!

Hope I didn't shoot down your job application here. I don't mean to offend the original poster either. It's just that I have been there and done that. I would not wish it on any body.

Your points about the involvement of graphic arts is well made. Because size matters in some way, a CD is not a good area to place it. The old LP was more fitting to pic up some image or what ever. Remember the Beatles White album? It would have not been the same on a CD and I don't mean the embossing.

Spending a few weeks in a studio does not represent musician ship in my eyes. Breathing or "killing" an audience is what it should be about. I can remember every concert I ever went to or played at but not every CD,LP or DVD I have been sucked into. Maybe I'm to old for all this stuff.

BTW could you tell me how I can put those little pictures under the avatar? I have not figured out how to do it. I'm maybe to old for that too!

All the best from here, Ky.

Agree, CDs are dead. The only time I buy a CD anymore is if I can't find it digitally and then I usually rip it to V0 and won't use the CD again.

ky, As for the pics under your name, you get them by joining one of the User Groups.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/browse/allusergroups

Thanks for the tip Kaplin. The first band I played in was from NY. 1969/70. They were called 'Tracks of Time'. Wonder what happened to the band leader Peter Glass. With a bit of luck you might have heard of him. It's a small world. Ky.

Could it be...

http://www.mp3.com/artist/peter-glass/summary/

I am in agreement that CDs are on the way out. Hence my suggestion you just sell the art with an access code for either the recorded music, or as a ticket to a concert. When advising my younger friends who are musicians, I recommend that they work at getting on the College Circuit, as opposed to playing bars, for I remember what we paid for bands to perform when I was a member of the Student Activities Program Board. (Video Committee Chairman, MCC, Rochester,NY.) As far as sound quality is concerned, I feel that CDs and the technicians that put them together have done a lot to overcome initial thinness of the sound. Still day in an day out whatever you find Steely Dan on CD, old vinyl, out of an IPod, its sound is unexcelled. I was once worked in a studio where Stevei Wonder recorded, and they used Videotape to record on. Another guy I knew used 2 inch tape with a midi interface to digital to achieve depth. Still, in the end Content is everything, and we gottah remember that back in the day there was something to say. Now adays what really is there clear? I'm not rich? You're Butt is Big? Nothing much there to really keep me going, or swell my heart. And of course now I'm getting old and it is a special thing for me to rock the house. Isn't Chuck Berry still touring? The guys I know who are even good, bought homes and have stable relationships and don't even want groupies, so there you have it. - Record sales are going to be rational.

Stevie Wonder "The secret life of plants". What an album cover!! not to mention the inspirational music.

Still, in the end Content is everything

Times, they are changing. Not only in music and the money making involved but the whole bloody lot. I wish you were here.

And the list goes on.Ky.

I don't suppose the quality of the musicianship (lyrics you can understand and sing, melodies you can hum), or rather the dismal lack thereof might have anything to do with it, would it? Just a thought...

I really didn't want to go there, but ..............

Having gone from 78s and 45s, reel-to-reel, LPs, cassettes and CDs to the MP3 craze of today, I haven't bought any CDs in some years either and it isn't so much what's on it in my case (although that is a factor, if nobody wants to hear it, it won't sell!). For me, it is the price, what used to go for less than $12, is now $18 and up! That, in my opinion, is not competitive today nor fair value. A lot of the content stinks as well. Actually, at $ .99 per song, you're not really getting your money's worth either, you're paying for convenience, if you figure an equivalent CD load of titles on it, it is costing you more but that also comes down to the factor of what's on the CD, the recording company has probably put a bunch of junk on there along with a very few good titles so consumers don't want the CD, i.e. they'll pay more for the individual titles just to keep from buying the junk....intentional?

While MP3 has brought convenience and a fair amount of free downloads with it, I find that its lack of fidelity is only good for background music or on-the-go music. If I'm busy and want some background music, it's good enough but if I'm sitting down and wanting to do some serious listening, forget it! MP3 is a lossy format, by design, for compression in small files. My kids like it, they download tons of music, pictures and video for their players, which is fine. However, I believe they are losing any feel for truly good sounding music. We used to call that high fidelity, which it isn't any more.

Actually, I think MP3 is a pretty good format for archiving very old recordings that had limited fidelity in the first place, those can still sound quite good on MP3.

Another major impact on music sales has been the all consuming battle of the RIAA and supposed rampant pirating of music. I think this has also hurt sales a lot. Instead of embracing new technologies, they have fought tooth and nail against it, trying to block it and suing everybody they can think of in the process. This is folly of the first order and they seem to be reaping the bounty of their actions. Instead of going after the true pirates, they're attacking their customer base, if effect, shooting themselves in both feet.

If you haven't noticed, similar battles are being fought over video and control of content even after you've paid for it. We're headed down a bumpy road and it isn't pretty for the consumer.