exiges Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16465170 Troubled retailer HMV has reported a sharp fall in sales for the Christmas period but noted a slowing in the decline of its music and film business. Like-for-like sales, which strip out the effect of shop closures, fell 8.1% in the five weeks to the end of the December. Total sales were down 16.6%. The group reiterated concerns about its ability to trade in its current form. Separately, research suggests 2011 saw a big jump in the number of retailers going into administration. According to consultancy firm Deloitte, 183 retailers went into administration in England and Wales last year, 11% more than in 2010. Edited January 9, 2012 by exiges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exiges Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 that's a big hit,whichever way you look at it. I know it's been said many times before, but with online downloads I can't see high street video / music sales continuing. Virgin got out while they could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repetitive bleats Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Although it is obvious that selling physical version of digital products is doomed to failure, i'm surprised at those figures. HMV was absolutely rammed when i went in there on xmas eve - i was in a queue that went right around the store with about 30-40 people in front of me. The same when i stuck my head around the door a few days after xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exiges Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 HMV was absolutely rammed when i went in there on xmas eve - i was in a queue that went right around the store with about 30-40 people in front of me. But that's because you can't (easily) give someone a DVD/CD download as a present.. Now Christmas is over, it'll be as busy as this place (for those that don't know, it's the "Christmas Shop", in Stratford-u-Avon) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erat_forte Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 But that's because you can't (easily) give someone a DVD/CD download as a present.. Now Christmas is over, it'll be as busy as this place (for those that don't know, it's the "Christmas Shop", in Stratford-u-Avon) I saw plenty of itunes gift vouchers in high street shops before Xmas. Anyone have any year-on-year sales data for CDs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exiges Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 I saw plenty of itunes gift vouchers in high street shops before Xmas. Anyone have any year-on-year sales data for CDs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuggets Mahoney Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) i remember a friend paying £14 for a pogues CD back in 95.those days of pricing power are gone mainly down to the interweb. Those were the days Looking forward to a time when the music industry as we know it is 6ft under I suppose there's always the risk that human beings will never sing again after that happens Not very likely though Edited January 9, 2012 by Charlton Peston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCountOfNowhere Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Government policy coming home to roost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) wow "peak vinyl" was around 1977. Look how CD's made sales boom. Edited January 9, 2012 by "Steed" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 there's an awful lot of free stuff around now eg spotify- i remember a friend paying £14 for a pogues CD back in 95.those days of pricing power are gone mainly down to the interweb. I don't mind paying for my music, mostly amazon. What I don't understand is why others only by the download and not the physical copy (cd) for 50p more (or sometimes less). MP3s are more compressed too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuggets Mahoney Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 wow "peak vinyl" was around 1977. curiously enough, "peak vinyl" also correlates loosely with "peak music" / gets coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 People of a certain generation don't like to admit the reality that, perhaps, 'pop music' has had its day. Certainly, the age of the big record companies dominating the music industry - and hence deciding who becomes famous/rich/successful and who does not - is over. People thought that Vaudeville would always dominate also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starla Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 curiously enough, "peak vinyl" also correlates loosely with "peak music" / gets coat Keep your coat, great observation. I've pared down my vinyl from 700LPs to the 300 I can't bear to part with. Gatefold sleeves, genuis artwork, music you feel part of. CD's I never gave a toss about and gave all mine away to charity. The day I discovered Spotify was like finding God. £9.99pm to rent (nearly) all the music in the world. HMV is the sort of place I go to when I'm killing time waiting for someone or it's raining. Not bought anything there in the last 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuggets Mahoney Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Certainly, the age of the big record companies dominating the music industry - and hence deciding who becomes famous/rich/successful and who does not - is over. Decent artists should still be able to make a living from live performances, same as it was for most of human history The days of singing into a can, then sitting back and counting the royalties look numbered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuggets Mahoney Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Keep your coat, great observation. I've pared down my vinyl from 700LPs to the 300 I can't bear to part with. Gatefold sleeves, genuis artwork, music you feel part of. CD's I never gave a toss about and gave all mine away to charity. The day I discovered Spotify was like finding God. £9.99pm to rent (nearly) all the music in the world. HMV is the sort of place I go to when I'm killing time waiting for someone or it's raining. Not bought anything there in the last 10 years. Yup, digitized my CDs before giving them away. Tapes got binned without being copied. Still got all my old vinyl I always thought the copyright issue was quite fuzzy in certain areas. If, for example, I bought a tape that's now so distorted and squeaky it's only good for scaring children can I now legally acquire a 'free' digital copy by fair means of foul? I suspect the answer is probably yes(ish) but where would the music industry be without having obliged its customers to pay for the same tracks two or three times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 wow "peak vinyl" was around 1977. Look how CD's made sales boom. right in with a debt boom, is there anything that didn't boom in these years!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Bart' Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 The day I discovered Spotify was like finding God. £9.99pm to rent (nearly) all the music in the world. Groove Shark. Same music. For free. (No adverts.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@contradevian Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Keep your coat, great observation. The day I discovered Spotify was like finding God. £9.99pm to rent (nearly) all the music in the world. Damn Rentiers get in everywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Music is dreadful nowadays, no wonder it isn't selling but its a good thing too because it makes older music sound absolutely stunning. Secondly why is every download the same price, surely some of it was produced more cheaply than others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erat_forte Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) Thanks, nice chart. Just googled for more recent stats and found this, just released 2011 data: http://gloriousnoise.com/2012/12-years-of-album-sales-2011-year-end-soundscan-data However this is US and Canada sales, not worldwide. Not yet found similar info for the UK market. Edited January 9, 2012 by erat_forte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCasaSuCasa Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) Music is dreadful nowadays, no wonder it isn't selling but its a good thing too because it makes older music sound absolutely stunning. Secondly why is every download the same price, surely some of it was produced more cheaply than others? Wouldn't happen to be a baby boomer would you? You should get on The Internet mate. There's an ocean of great new music out there - you just have to go fishing for it! Edit: Saw this recently and thought it was funny and appropriate (skip to watch 0:45 - 1:00) Community - Baby Boomer Santa Edited January 9, 2012 by MiCasaSuCasa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.steve Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Music is dreadful nowadays, no wonder it isn't selling but its a good thing too because it makes older music sound absolutely stunning. You've succumb to a fallacy... Throughout history, older music has - on average - been "better" than newer music... the reason for this is that the breadth and diversity of music is constantly expanding (at an increasing rate). Old music is better as a result of survival bias... old pap from the past is lost to the dustbin of forgotten memories. The truth is that there is more good music from each year than any previous - however it's harder to find as it's not undergone the same level of popular appraisal as popular tracks from the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Wouldn't happen to be a baby boomer would you? You should get on The Internet mate. There's an ocean of great new music out there - you just have to go fishing for it! The amount of times I've heard that old chestnut. A great piss in the ocean maybe. I listen to a ton of new music but often find it too similar, occasionally something good triggers a response but honestly you cannot be serious that anything new is breaking any new boundaries. Name something worth listening out for and I'll give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thombleached Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 It's all this new fangled tween wave wot dunnit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.steve Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 The amount of times I've heard that old chestnut. A great piss in the ocean maybe. I listen to a ton of new music but often find it too similar, occasionally something good triggers a response but honestly you cannot be serious that anything new is breaking any new boundaries. Name something worth listening out for and I'll give it a go. Good modern music is more sophisticated than in bygone times... You need to look for something more specific that "new music everyone likes"... in the past there was so little music than one size had to fit all - today, there's so much diversity, you need to put effort into selection... and the music you choose is something to be compared with 'found art' - a-la Duchamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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