rock is dead

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

Heard this rumor going around lately?  Here interesting demographic 
info (and miscellaneous quotes) from the local paper showing just 
which ones of us are habituated to buying.  

Isn't this where we discussed whether music should be "free" a little 
while back?  Seems like that philosophy is catching on.  Implications? 
 So where should The Who sell their ah, upcoming Lifehouse album?

keets

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True of false?  Young people love to buy music, they crave rock 'n' 
roll, and record stores are their favorite places to shop for sounds.

True, said 16-year-old Paige, who loves to shop.  She and her friends 
hear of a new CD on MTV or the Internet and rush out to buy it--if 
they have the money.

False, said her 18-year-old sister Megan.

A consumer profile of music buyers issued by the Recording Industry 
Association of America offers insights into a business buffeted by 
change from several directions.

People ages 15 to 29--the bedrock of a youth-obsessed industry--are 
buying less music, the survey found.  This age group accounted for 39 
percent of music purchased in 1998, down from 42 percent the year 
before.  

"In many ways, music is much more ubiquitous for young people," said 
Hilary Rosen, RIAA president and chief executive.  "You can get it on 
the radio, get it on MTV, get it on the Internet.  There are many more 
choices out there to get music for free."

That's the survey's spin.  But music retailers in this county aren't 
seeing that trend.  

"They're coming in left and right," said Amy, who's a manager in the 
music department at Best Buy.  "We haven't seen any decline."

Paige said her friends probably buy more music because of the 
influence of MTV and the Internet. "They see on MTV or the Internet 
when a CD is coming out and they'll all count down to the day, if it's 
one of their favorites," she said.

The Shop carries some top-40 hits, but mainly features industrial and 
gothic music "And you're not going to find that on radio or MTV," said 
manager Chuck.  So, sales haven't been affected. But Chuck won't be 
surprised to find that in the top-40 category, people will look for 
different ways to get their music.

The Groove Tube has had higher music sales than a year ago, music 
buyer David said. "There's something about going out and picking up a 
CD and looking at the cover and holding it in your hand," he said.  
"Going to a music store is a social thing.  I don't think the Internet 
ever will replace a music store.  I don't think it'll ever replace or 
put a real hurtin' on the shopping experience."

Though the MP3 technology, computer users are able to sell or trade 
copies of songs through the Internet, an activity that's causing major 
headaches now for the music industry.

Rosen said Internet distribution is a small factor int he trend.  Bit 
Siddiq Bello, publisher of industry newsletter "The MP3 Impact," 
recently suggested the availability of music in cyberspace is 
responsible for a real dent in sales, particularly among people 15 to 
24.

Consumers 30 and older bought half the music sold last year, compared 
with 34 percent a decade ago.  

The size of the young age group is shrinking, Rosen said.  The 
industry also has heard from many young people who didn't like much of 
the new music put out last year, RIAA spokeswoman Alexandra Walsh 
said.

Rock 'n' roll still is the most popular category of music, but it's 
slip is showing.  Rock accounted for just less than 26 percent of the 
music sold last year, down from 33 percent in 1997 and 42 percent in 
1989.  

Some of the biggest rock stars of the past decade, such as REM, Pearl 
Jam and U2, have discovered their influence on music buyers is 
dropping dramatically.  

Rock sales are highly dependent on radio airplay, and more stations 
are playing oldies instead of new music, Rosen said.  It's also a 
genre dominated by white males.  Interestingly, women bought more 
music than men in 1998 for the second straight year.  

Rock also is losing its dominant status to rap and rhythm 'n' blues.  
Rap's stake in the marketplace has doubled over the past decade.  Rap 
and R&B together accounted for 23 percent of sales last year, up from 
16 percent in 1989.

Latin music also is booming.  It's sales went up 25 percent last year, 
in large part because record companies have begun courting this 
demographic, Rosen said.

The dominance of record stores as the most popular shopping 
destination also is fading, although more slowly in the past few 
year.  Fifty-one percent of consumers bought music in record stores 
last year, down from 72 percent in 1989.

Cost-cutting retailers such as Wal-mart and Best Buy are taking up a 
larger share of the marketplace.  Just more than 1 percent of 
consumers bought music through the Internet last year, a category the 
industry only started counting in 1996.  

The consumer profile is based on 3051 telephone and Internet 
interviews conducted by Chilton Research Services.

                             END

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