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RIAA Loss Report Contradicts Nielsen Sales Record

DerekAtLC writes "In a not-so-surprising twist of the tables, RIAA reporting of 'losses' is a little bit off. An interesting blurb at Ars Technica referencing a Kensei News article points out that Nielsen's Soundscan (Which tracks retail point-of-sale numbers for the music industry) shows a 10% increase in sales from Q1 2003 to Q1 2004. The RIAA has recently reported drops in revenue from last year, citing online piracy as the main problem. The crux of the issue? The RIAA hasn't been talking about sales or revenue in terms of sales to consumers or money generated via those sales. The RIAA talks about losses in terms of number of units shipped to retail outlets. The article points out plenty of problems with this (and reasons why we are seeing the trend), but it is fairly obvious that the RIAA is not reporting the most 'useful' numbers to the public."

4 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Funny numbers?!?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    All statistics are made up anyways, 3 out of 4 people know that.

    Brownie points to the person who can identify that quote.

  2. In related news... by k4_pacific · · Score: 5, Funny

    The US census is now counting every possible sperm-egg combination as a "potential" citizen.

    --
    Unknown host pong.
    1. Re:In related news... by ThatsNotFunny · · Score: 5, Funny

      In that case, my left hand is guilty of mass murder...

      --
      "Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine No Posessions?'" -- Elvis Costello
    2. Re:In related news... by sik0fewl · · Score: 5, Funny

      ... not to mention mass turbation.

      --
      I remember when legal used to mean lawful, now it means some kind of loophole. - Leo Kessler