Earlier this week, ZeroPaid reported that a Nielson Soundscan report suggests that physical music sales were down 21% in the Christmas of 2007.Just north of the forty ninth parallel, Canada has much more relaxed copyright laws. If the copyright laws in the US are strict and music sales are down, would that suggest that a country with relaxed copyright laws is going to be abysmal? Not so according to Nielson Soundscan. CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association) has posted claims that unauthorized download is destroying the music industry. CRIA further claims that in 2006, music sales were down in Canada, blaming file-sharing and counterfeit CDs and DVDs as the principle factors in the claimed decline. It is suggested that Canada should simply adopt copyright laws similar to that of the US to save the music industry. Are the numbers really believable? Nielson Soundscan has posted a study on the music industry in Canada - and they have presented some very interesting numbers. According to the study, physical sales between 2006 and 2007 went down by 6.9%. This is where the bad news ends. In the same period, digital music track sales went up by an astounding 73%. Even more interesting was the fact that digital music album sales went up by 93%. If one looks at the statistic in the United States, compares it to the numbers in Canada, wouldn't that suggest that restrictive copyright laws aren’t exactly necessary in ensuring a future for the music industry? Only one statistic isn't enough to prove much, but it may be a hint at the very least. Internet law professor Michael Geist comments, "Today's data further counters CRIAs claims, confirming that Canada has grown faster than the U.S. in key music sales areas for two consecutive years." He also notes, "Canadian music is backed overwhelmingly by non-CRIA members." Are these figures enough to tell CRIA that the music industry in Canada is, in fact, booming? Apparently not. "[U]nabated illegal Internet music file-sharing continues to harm artists and the organizations and people behind them," said CRIA President Graham Henderson. "They also underscore the need for updated copyright laws, mirroring those of our major trading partners, to help bring unauthorized downloading under control in Canada." Graham Henderson then says, "In this market, it's harder to develop, market and sell artists and their music than ever before, so per-unit costs such as marketing continue to skyrocket, leaving less on the table for everyone." So, in other words, more, and in this case, a lot, sales mean less money being made? Strange. |
 
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