Apple Holding Back the Music Business?

conq writes "With average weekly download as of Nov. 27 sales down 0.44% vs. the third quart, BusinessWeek speculates that Apple might in fact be holding back the music industry." From the article: "As has been true since the start, iPod owners mostly fill up their players from their own CD collections or swipe tunes from file-sharing sites. Now legal downloads may be losing their luster. According to Nielsen SoundScan, average weekly download sales as of Nov. 27 fell 0.44% vs. the third quarter. Says independent media analyst Richard Greenfield: 'We're not seeing the kind of dramatic growth we should given the surge in sales of iPods and other MP3 players.'"

Comments

You're kidding, right?

[daeley]

The second "critic" expert they decided to ask said this:

"The villain in the story is the iPod. You have this device consumers love, but they're being restricted from buying anything other than downloads from Apple. People are bored with that."

Who was this expert?

None other than Chris Gorog, CEO of Napster Inc.

Yeah, Chris, people are *real* bored. And by people, you mean you and your cronies, and by bored, you mean not making enough money for your tastes.

I would expect more out of BusinessWeek.

Re:You're kidding, right?

[Phanatic1a]

What fucking lock-in scheme?

iPod plays mp3s. Anyone who's willing to sell me an mp3, or something I can turn into an mp3, can provide me with a product that plays on my iPod. Where's the lock-in?

Re:You're kidding, right?

[Morgalyn]

I suspect you are being sarcastic, what with your 'known fact' statement, but I feel like clarifying for some of the less astute around here. I wish arguing was truly like math, since coming up with one exception to your statement would completely disprove it. But anyway, try this one on for size:

1. Purchase songs from iTMS in dreaded DRM'd AAC format
2. Burn to music CD
3. Use in any CD player that can read your burned discs (I would say 'any CD player' except I've encountered a few in my days that didn't like this or that brand etc. etc. of CD-R's)

Thus, you are listening to 'songs for the iPod' on 'other hardware'.

If you're particularly technically inclined, you can even rip your music cd into a non-DRM'd format.. although it takes a little more effort.

Re:Absolutely Correct

[Chyeburashka]

nobody's re-buying the old Pink Floyd albums they already own in another format

I don't know how many years it's been since my last copy of "Dark Side of the Moon" was either liberated by a roommate or just otherwise lost, but I bought that album from the ITMS just last night, along with some vintage Elvis. Before that, I bought some Miles Davis, Van Cliburn's Rachmaninoff Preludes, and the Fleetwood Mac Rumours album for what must be the seventh or eighth time in the past 30 years.

I owned my 30G iPod Photo for about six months, loading my 200 CD's onto it first before tapping the local public library's collection.

I only recently began buying from the ITMS, and I've probably spent $200 so far, buying old familiar but long lost albums, along with some new stuff.

My elderly father really likes the Dragnet episodes, which are quite unintentionally funny. And my daughter loves the Pixar Shorts. You've really got to take a look at the Birds and the one with the dancing lamb. Those are easily worth the $1.99.

So, if my buying habits are reflected by very many folks, Apple is in no way holding back anything.

Re:Too Expensive

[ben0207]

Actually you've handed some Russian dude $400, not the music industry. You really think the artists get a cut from something like AllOfMP3?

You would have done more good for everyone involved* if you'd just given $400 to charity and pirated that music.

*Except the aforementioned Russian dude.

Re:What?

[Anonymous Coward]

I kepp my iPod full, and I have never bought anything from iTunes. I buy CDs online and at B&M stores and import them into iTunes.

It is easy enough, I expect even you could do it.

Re:Entitlements

[notthepainter]

o if I own a lot of LP records, and want to listen to them in the car (car turntables are not very stable unless you drive really carefully) they cry "No Fair!" and get a tax put on casset tapes.

Chrysler had the http://www.imperialclub.com.nyud.net:8090/Repair/A ccessories/HiWay/invent.htm Highway Hi-Fi in 1956. The link implies that it even played on bumpy roads! It was a commercial failure not because it skipped, but because of a poorly marketed format change! The article is a good read, good geek late night mods...

Re:Absolutely Correct

[Anonymous Coward]

It is legal if you make a direct copy, making a copy of the unencrypted content, as you stated, is illegal.

Incorrect

[Prien715]

That's why the statistic is quarter over quarter. Every sales statistic in existance uses quarter over quarter sales to account for the routine seasonal fluctuation, since after all, it was almost Christmas this time last year as well.