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rock is dead
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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