Excerpt: In 1999, the last time music sales increased, there was an increase from 33,100 new releases in 1998 to 38,900 new releases in 1999. More new releases, more purchasing. Seems a simple explanation. But, something you DON’T usually hear the RIAA mention. In 2000, the number of new releases dropped to 27,000, and that number was mirrored in 2001. Which means, industry wide, there were 11,000 LESS releases. They cut their total inventory shipped by almost 25% and their total sales dropped only by SIX percent.
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