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Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

wsj.com

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Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#41

Post by aikah »

themoonbus wrote: post #18
joeblau wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the only people that are really angry about Spotify are the artists. It seems like the way their payments are calculated, they get the short end of the stick.

Not that this excuses Spotify, but artists got the short end of the stick in the traditional system too.

that's not true , compared to Spotify, that's a total lie.

Artists don't get a 10% cut each time a song is played on Spotify. The only people getting rich with Spotify is Spotify and the label that grants the content rights. The artists do get almost nothing.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#42

Post by ghaff »

An interesting aspect of this is that, to my surprise, paying for a Spotify subscription apparently costs more than people historically paid for music:

http://recode.net/2014/03/18/the-price-of-music/

I'm not sure if this is the right way of looking at it and I paid more during my peak music purchasing years but it's thought provoking.

I confess that owning my favorite music, at least digitally, is something I feel fairly strongly about. But I can't really unravel my feelings from just the fact that I always have.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#43

Post by mynegation »

diminoten wrote: post #29
iamben wrote: post #27

You can't put the genie back in the bottle. The way we consume changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and with change, it means where, how and who profits changes. I'm all for competition but I feel it's going to end up ruining it for those that consume, and ultimately those who create - in both music and movies. Spotify is as close to 'perfect' as I think we've seen a streaming service so far. Most, if not all…

Spotify is not as good as Google Music. Why does everyone forget Google Music? And you can't leave Google Music to boot -- not without leaving YouTube too!

No, Spotify is better than Google Music, at least for me. When I went to Spotify's mobile site they did not require cc number before I even seen anything, Google music did. Spotify gave me tens of not hundreds pre-canned playlists, Google Music iOS app presented me the blank slate and nothing else.

If you think Google music is better, it would be interesting why you think it is.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#44

Post by PhantomGremlin » 

   Straight outta Compton,
   crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube
   From the gang called Niggas Wit Attitudes
A number of years ago I purchased the music video to the above song from iTunes. I paid $2, because I enjoy the song and I think it's "culturally significant".

But today? NO. Not for sale from iTunes at any price? Why not? Does it offend too many sensitivities?

Countless other examples like that. Do you want to buy the music video of the song that won the 1986 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance? Can't buy that anymore either. Is it because of the words "See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup"?

Why can't I pay someone US dollars to legally "buy" non-DRMed music videos? Everyone in the business complains constantly, but they won't take my money???

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#45

Post by orbitingpluto »

mynegation wrote: post #43
diminoten wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spotify is not as good as Google Music. Why does everyone forget Google Music? And you can't leave Google Music to boot -- not without leaving YouTube too!

No, Spotify is better than Google Music, at least for me. When I went to Spotify's mobile site they did not require cc number before I even seen anything, Google music did. Spotify gave me tens of not hundreds pre-canned playlists, Google Music iOS app presented me the blank slate and nothing else. If you think Google music is better, it would be interesting why you think it is.

I noticed that Google Play plays at 320kbps while Spotify plays at 128kbps (or lower). I don't splurge on $200+ headphones so I don't notice a quality difference, but I suppose some people can.

Google Play can be murderous to a data plan, but they also allow you to upload your own music. I don't think Taylor Swift is on a Google Play subscription either, but you can upload your mp3 and then have it available to you.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#46

Post by jleyank »

Judging from the tenor of comments here, the typical user doesn't have to worry about bandwidth limits on their smart device, never drives where the connection's spotty, never flies and stays within one country. Or, I guess, just has a slug of money to pay whatever fees for internet connection arise.

I tend to do a number of these things, so having music "in my hand" is advantageous. I also like to listen to both the hits and non-hits for the artists I like and had a largish legacy CD collection. Most of the CD's I purchase now are mementos of concert trips, especially for the bands that sign what they sell. Ripping the CD's, I get the music that the bands laid down, without the compression artifacts and pitch changes I get from radio. Do the internet services do the same, or are their offerings pristine?

Different strokes and all that, but be careful to add up the cost of continued rental vs. purchase or other forms of acquisition.

Edit: I also prefer to support the artists I listen to rather than middlemen.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#47

Post by mynegation »

orbitingpluto wrote: post #45
mynegation wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Spotify is better than Google Music, at least for me. When I went to Spotify's mobile site they did not require cc number before I even seen anything, Google music did. Spotify gave me tens of not hundreds pre-canned playlists, Google Music iOS app presented me the blank slate and nothing else. If you think Google music is better, it would be interesting why you think it is.

I noticed that Google Play plays at 320kbps while Spotify plays at 128kbps (or lower). I don't splurge on $200+ headphones so I don't notice a quality difference, but I suppose some people can. Google Play can be murderous to a data plan, but they also allow you to upload your own music. I don't think Taylor Swift is on a Google Play subscription either, but you can upload your mp3 and then have it available to you.

Thank you, this is the kind of answer I would expect in defence of Google Play. I do notice the difference between 128 and 320 kbps on some musical pieces. I am not Spotify Premium now and they stream 320 to premium users.

The point about uploading your music is very valid one, it is just that I personally do not want Google to have it and manage it between devices myself.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#48

Post by api »

michaelpinto wrote: post #9

Something to keep in mind is that music "ownership" may be a generational thing. My parents were members of the silent generation (born in the 30s) and they owned very few physical records. And it's not to say they didn't love music, they did -- but the way they enjoyed music was listening to the radio. So if you had a love of opera and classical music you'd listen to WQXR 24/7 (here in NYC) which isn't too different…

Might be true, but I can't help but be nostalgic for it. I get the sense that for millennials and younger music is just another kind of light entertainment, take it or leave it. Music for many gen-Xers including myself was practically religion. You loved it so much you built a chunk of your identity around it. You were moved by it. I guess I can't really be sure, but I don't get the feeling people care about music like that anymore.

Of course it might have nothing to do with packaging. I routinely look for new music and I do find gems that move me the way the music of my youth did, but they seem really few and far between. So much of what I hear is so spineless and trite. Of course there is always a temporal selection effect in that only the best stuff of the past is remembered, but it does feel like I really have to dig hard for anything good these days.

At the worst I wonder if the golden age of music as a popular art form is behind us. How many people follow sculpture or painting? There's plenty of work being done, but only aficionados of those forms follow it. Is that where music is headed?

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#49

Post by radley »

iamben wrote: post #27

You can't put the genie back in the bottle. The way we consume changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and with change, it means where, how and who profits changes. I'm all for competition but I feel it's going to end up ruining it for those that consume, and ultimately those who create - in both music and movies. Spotify is as close to 'perfect' as I think we've seen a streaming service so far. Most, if not all…

That's unlikely. Music has historically been fractured:

- radio stations only playing certain genres

- stores only carrying certain labels, hits

- releases only on vinyl or cassette, but not CD

- available on CD, but not digital download

- available for digital download, but not streaming

and so on...

Music flows through channels.

Re: Apple iTunes Sees Big Drop in Music Sales

#50

Post by api »

iamben wrote: post #27

You can't put the genie back in the bottle. The way we consume changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and with change, it means where, how and who profits changes. I'm all for competition but I feel it's going to end up ruining it for those that consume, and ultimately those who create - in both music and movies. Spotify is as close to 'perfect' as I think we've seen a streaming service so far. Most, if not all…

Maybe not, but I am afraid one consequence might be less really great music and less people pursuing it as a dedicated career. Not that it was ever easy, but it's only getting harder.
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