Digital music sales decrease, vinyl continues to grow

[Lasonic TRC-920]

It was inevitable: After years of highs and then a plateau, digital music sales saw their first decrease in 2013. Last year, digital song purchases dropped almost six percent according to a Billboard report, while digital album sales dropped 0.1 percent. Compact discs continued their downward spiral as well, and took a 14.5 percent loss. On the flip side, pure analog music (read: vinyl) showed an increase of 31.9 percent -- representing a full two percent of music sales. Until Nielsen's SoundScan report for streaming hits, however, we won't know how much of an impact the likes of Spotify or Rdio are having on purchases. We have a hunch it'll be rather telling.


http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/04/first-digital-music-sales-drop/

 

[oldskool69]

It's no surprise. Digital music while being hailed as perfect, never was. And then there was the loudness wars. This has always happened since the fifties so that certain groups being pushed were louder than others over the air. But with digital it was outrageous.

Not only that, when CD's first hit the market, the equipment wasn't ready leading to lot's of distortion and "harshness" that persists today. This lead to easily being "worn out" while listening to music. The harsh nature didn't have the warmth or "smooth curve" that comes with analog.

Before digital, and sampling, the studios could only get to a certain threshold when recording. With sampling, and subsequent oversampling...digital was taken from a means to elminate the flaws of vinyl (crackling, popping, wearing of needles, etc.) and cassettes (head adjustments, noise floors, tape flaws, etc.) to a means to overemphasize lows and highs.

With the resurgence of true bands and instrumented music, digital recordings would simply trash the sounds destroying the natural ambiance of the music. Because of this, many artist have reverted back to analog formats. And thank goodness. And think of this...why if wearing headphones are cans so resurgent? Why are manufacturers scrambling to create the perfect DAC to emulate anaolog?

I say about damn time.

Not only that, there was a downturn in actual musical talent (i.e. actaully know notes and play instruments) toward faces and remixing of voices to compensate. I mean think about it. Christopher Cross would have a face made for radio at best today. Britteny Spears and many others may never have made it between the 50's to at least mid 80's because there was no real substance to the talent. (My opinion, I'm sure others will disagree. And that is not to say that there weren't other groups beforehand created for a buck. I offer Menudo...)

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

I totally agree with you on everything you said!

The band Nirvana taught a generation of musicians how to SUCK! The kids that are coming up today are once again, learning how to play their instruments.

Obviously I can't speak for the youth of today that might be purchasing this new music on vinyl, but it has to sound new and amazing to them,

And the people walking around with full on "Cans" on their head are obviously trying to block out their surroundings and actually HEAR the music. Ear buds aren't going to do that.

It's exciting to see this happening!

 

[Terry]

haha 2%.

Streaming is the future, Half a cent per play for a high rotation hit song on Spotify. Rdio or iTunes trumps a one time CD or vinyl sale any time, any day.

Good news for the artist!

All this says to me is Vinyl is a niche market. As an artist you can be a superstar or you can be a nobody. Putting out music in a niche market format says your a niche artist.

The average cloth-eared listening idiot doesn't care (about quality), it's about convenience.

and that's why streaming is winning.

 

[oldskool69]

haha 2%.

Streaming is the future, Half a cent per play for a high rotation hit song on Spotify. Rdio or iTunes trumps a one time CD or vinyl sale any time, any day.

Good news for the artist!

All this says to me is Vinyl is a niche market. As an artist you can be a superstar or you can be a nobody. Putting out music in a niche market format says your a niche artist.

The average cloth-eared listening idiot doesn't care (about quality), it's about convenience.

and that's why streaming is winning.

I agree with you for the most part. However, regardless of convenience, you don't get an inlay or album art with an mp3 and that is part of the comeback. Plus, with all of the DRM and tightening ever looming with cooperation between web hosts, suppliers and equipment manufacturers, there will always be room for the direct purchase. And with that, room for vinyl. Think about this for a second...

What guarantee do you have that the mp3 you are getting is a first off original copy not disturbed? You don't. All you get is the promise that it should work. What about packet loss during the transmission? 0010010101101's...That's what your quality depends on and the files are manipulated to address just such matters.

You go and get an original vinyl or tape, new, or even a CD...there is a manufacturing standard.

I'll be the first to admit I have plenty of mp3's and yes they are easy and convenient when I just want to slap something on in the background. But there is no way I am sitting for a long LISTENING session...the difference is LISTENING. (Not being a smartass, just emphasizing the point.) Kids thankfully, and those fresh parents a generation below us are discovering the true beauty in music.

Heck, even my collection is a reflection of packing some of the highest end pieces you can to get the best sound out of a small package. And why I own vintage audio equipment.

 

[oldskool69]

I totally agree with you on everything you said!

The band Nirvana taught a generation of musicians how to SUCK! The kids that are coming up today are once again, learning how to play their instruments.

Obviously I can't speak for the youth of today that might be purchasing this new music on vinyl, but it has to sound new and amazing to them,

And the people walking around with full on "Cans" on their head are obviously trying to block out their surroundings and actually HEAR the music. Ear buds aren't going to do that.

It's exciting to see this happening!

You hit a big point on earbuds. The technology is limited. You can only reproduce so much frequency out of a package so small. And then there are the issues of strain, pain and infection from leaving them in for long periods of time. (Can you believe kids actually swapped buds to check out songs swapping ear wax? Bleccchhh!!! ) Cans are the best way to go.

The problem early on was that the good cans could not be driven properly with the meager amps installed in Walkmans, and eventually, iPods and such. So you had the cheap headphones followed by buds. Now they (cans) are more efficient but a good set of cans will still require a good headphone amp. The horror story of today is that with the resurgence, you have trash like "Beats by Dr. Dre'". First, he's no engineer. A talented producer good at creating electronic beats and sampling, yes, but no PhD. What the hell does he know about headphones to lend his name on them except for the fact that he gets a royalty? He doesn't care that they sound terrible, he makes his money. And don't get me started on Skullcandy and the like.

For everyday listening I use Sennheiser HD360 Pros. When I want to sit back I use vintage Sansui SS-20's. Those are cans you can appreciate.

 

[gsbadbmr]

Rap and R&B were apparently the ONLY genres that saw an increase in digital music sales last year.
As reported by Billboard 2013 was the first year that saw a decrease in overall digital music sales since the iTunes store opened in the U.S. in 2001. According to Nielsen Soundscan, track sales fell 5.7% from 1.34 to 1.26 billion units, while album sales fell 0.1% from 117.7 to 117.6 million units, equalling an overall 8.4% decline from 316 million units in 2012 to 289.4 million units in 2013. At the moment, the drop is being attributed to a growing demand for streaming services.
Despite this, digital sales in Rap and R&B grew by 1.2% in 2013, from 50.1 to 50.7 million total units sold, which is encouraging.
For those still functioning in the physical realm, the Compact Disc has continued to decline, falling 14.5% from 193.4 to 165.4 million units (down from 193.4 million in 2012). One the other hand, vinyl sales only continue to grow, selling 6 million units in 2013 as compared to 2012's 4.55 million.

Vinyl is still my favorite!

 

[Terry]

I agree with you for the most part. However, regardless of convenience, you don't get an inlay or album art with an mp3 and that is part of the comeback. Plus, with all of the DRM and tightening ever looming with cooperation between web hosts, suppliers and equipment manufacturers, there will always be room for the direct purchase. And with that, room for vinyl. Think about this for a second...

What guarantee do you have that the mp3 you are getting is a first off original copy not disturbed? You don't. All you get is the promise that it should work. What about packet loss during the transmission? 0010010101101's...That's what your quality depends on and the files are manipulated to address just such matters.

You go and get an original vinyl or tape, new, or even a CD...there is a manufacturing standard.

I'll be the first to admit I have plenty of mp3's and yes they are easy and convenient when I just want to slap something on in the background. But there is no way I am sitting for a long LISTENING session...the difference is LISTENING. (Not being a smartass, just emphasizing the point.) Kids thankfully, and those fresh parents a generation below us are discovering the true beauty in music.

Heck, even my collection is a reflection of packing some of the highest end pieces you can to get the best sound out of a small package. And why I own vintage audio equipment.

Nope, mp3 will be dead in 10 years too, streaming will kill it.Streaming will kill Cd sales, just like CD killed vinyl.

Here's why, only the real fans want the physical item. The majority of numpties just want to hear the tune on their phone with beats by dre strapped to their head.

Now we can lament the artwork disappearing, and we can lament the vinyl disappearing, we can even lament the quality of musicianship, but the people that control this, the record companies and the media companies go where the demand is, and right now the demand is on the phone, on the mobile device, hell who wants to go home if you wanna hear your favorite band?

You, as a hi-end music consumer, with your obsolete vintage formats, and your desire to have album art and CD slicks, will always be a niche market to them.

And the artists and companies that don't recognize this, will disappear from the radar, because it's not about sales figures any more, it's about play numbers on the stream, sure mp3 will be around for a while, and figures will go up and down, but the question is which is the most convenient and cheapest format for the consumer? A Mp3/CD/Record you have to buy, or free streaming of your own hand selected playlist on your phone?

Nope, the days of Mp3 and CD's are well and truly numbered.

 

[DKVII]

I can say that without a doubt, music sounds much better and warmer on vinyl, tape, or any analog format for that matter, plus the overall experience one gets with a physical copy (artwork, liner notes, etc). I've been into vinyl since I was just eleven years old when my father introduced me to his old records in the summer of 2008. Now I have my own record collection and the same exact model turntable (Technics SL-D303) he has owned since 1981. Mine is equipped with an Audio-Technica AT120E cartridge and that suits me perfectly.

I always try to buy the original pressings, but when I'm in a "reissue mood", I like to get the ones from Friday Music. They are awesome.

 

[oldskool69]

I can say that without a doubt, music sounds much better and warmer on vinyl, tape, or any analog format for that matter, plus the overall experience one gets with a physical copy (artwork, liner notes, etc). I've been into vinyl since I was just eleven years old when my father introduced me to his old records in the summer of 2008. Now I have my own record collection and the same exact model turntable (Technics SL-D303) he has owned since 1981. Mine is equipped with an Audio-Technica AT120E cartridge and that suits me perfectly.

I always try to buy the original pressings, but when I'm in a "reissue mood", I like to get the ones from Friday Music. They are awesome.

And it's your generation my young freind that's in at the embryonic stage of a reverse in trends...trust me on that.

 

[DKVII]

And it's your generation my young freind that's in at the embryonic stage of a reverse in trends...trust me on that.

I sure hope so. I've always had the dream of bringing back the classic stuff in my lifetime.

 

[AE_Stereo]

No comments on the sound quality between CD and Vinyl.

But there is no substitute for me to the pleasure of seeing the vinyl disc rotating with Tone Arm tracking along the grooves.
Added joy to it is the crackle sound from the disc.

No artificial vinyl crackle plug-in or visual can match the real thing.

But only worry is that with each playing the needle as well as the disc wear a little .
I have 3 players and in less than a year collected more than 25 discs, few new and some rare old.

 

[jimmyjimmy19702010]

Remember they days guys when you'd go down to your local record shop, pick up the latest LP, pick up a good quality chrome/metal blank tape and sprint home to make a fresh recording?! I've still got all my original LPs and most have only had a few plays as tapes were my 'mobile' listening format.

I remember buying a super high quality blank TDK metal tape that had an alloy tape chassis. It was so heavy, after inserting it into my dads brand new in-car tape deck, we couldn't eject the tape as the motor inside the deck wasn't strong enough to lift and eject the tape!

The old man was not happy! :annoyed:

James...

 

[jaetee]

I still have 3000 or so records. Maybe 2000 are house music from DJ'ing years, and 1000 or so 70's, 80's & 90's pop/soul/funk/rock that I bought back in the day or from flea markets/thrift stores to fill in back catalog.... They take up quite a bit of space... but I love my collection. So happy to have them.

I'll be 90 years old and still mixin' records as the resident DJ in the retirement community. LOL!

 

[Fatdog]

But only worry is that with each playing the needle as well as the disc wear a little .

There are a few things that one can do to help extend the life of vinyl records. Probably most important to some people is a good quality stylus. Spin 'em if you got 'em!

 

[DKVII]

I only have 120 vinyl records, but I've only been collecting them since May 2011. I even have an inventory on my computer of all the records I have. It's in table format and includes the date I acquired them and any special attributes they may have, like who I got them from, whether they're record club versions, etc. This might be going too far, lol, but I do not mind.

 

[Fatdog]

I even have an inventory on my computer of all the records I have. It's in table format and includes the date I acquired them and any special attributes they may have, like who I got them from, whether they're record club versions, etc. This might be going too far, lol, but I do not mind.

I would love to catalog all of my collection one day.

 

[Ken]

I would love to catalog all of my collection one day.

Someday (sigh.)

 

[ford93]

Lets get that leather recliner ready.

Turn on the sound system.

Place a nice vinyl on the turntable.

Start appreciating the sounds that are coming out from that system.

Now lets escape to another world which some don't understand.

The meaning of MUSIC!

"Ride the Rhythm".

 

[blu_fuz]

Can you buy new music (lady gaga) on a LP?


EDIT: holy **** you can!


I honestly never thought about buying a NEW artists music on NEW vinyl! I looked up the group "MUSE" and they too have LPs.


I didn't grow up with albums nor did I know anyone who played them with any kind of high quality record player. Is the sound of a LP on a high end record player really that good???? This has sort of peaked an interest to me....