Declining CD sales can't be blamed on file-sharing networks alone, according to a new report. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said Monday that digital music piracy is a problem, but other factors--such as the rise in the number of entertainment sources--are more likely to have had a significant impact on music sales.
"It is very difficult to establish a basis to prove a causal relationship between the size of the drop in music sales and the rise of file sharing. Sales of CDs, as well as the success of licensed online music services are likely to have been affected to some degree by a variety of other factors, for example physical piracy and CD burning, competition from other, newer entertainment products and faltering consumer spending in some markets," the report said.
While the report found a "pronounced" fall in overall global CD sales of 20 percent between 1999 and 2003, and a particularly large drop in CD sales in the U.S., some countries, including France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, are actually experiencing steady or growing CD sales.
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An interesting comment from a credible impartial source!
Absolute garbage! Anyone with half a brain knows that downloading harms CD sales.
Whilst there is plenty of reason to suggest that some people who download music then go and buy it afterwards thus increasing sales; these increases are dwarfed by the number of people who don’t buy CD’s anymore due to the fact they can simply download the whole album off P2P for free.
How do I know? Well I am one of them, ever since Napster I haven’t bought a single album or single and nor have any of my friends; we are not the ‘technical elite’ just ordinary broadband users, multiply this by the millions of other ordinary users like us, who ‘would rather not pay for stuff, than pay for it’, its obvious the reason for declining CD sales are due to downloading.
Do I care? Well no!, I know full well that it harms not only the multi-millionaire artists, but also the income of much poorer artists. Sounds cruel and it is; but then does smoking marijuana (that is directly responsible for people being killed and harmed for it to be supplied to the public through it distribution channel), stop millions of people smoking it, NO!
We all now that morally it isn’t right, but if we can we away with it, we all do it, there is no reason to deny this.
"...and a particularly large drop in CD sales in the U.S...."
Suing customers could be a major factor here eh.
Interesting how this article omitted mentioning this fact. Also it omitted the fact that CDs just aren't worth the price for what you get. I mean most CDs have at most a couple of good tracks and the rest is crap. Who wants to pay $17 - $25 for 2 songs.
@jona100: Yeah, I partly agree with you, but I would have continued to buy CDs I liked if the RIAA hadn't shut down napster. And most of my friends feel the same way. I won't get into the morality issue except I sure don't feel any guilt downloading all I want. I mean, after all, these punks are suing their own customers man. (besides, here in Canada we pay extra 'tax' for CD & DVD blanks which goes to the entertainment industry.)
I am the raven, and I stole the light.
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