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iTunes Sales 'Collapsing'
Alien54 writes to tell us The Register is reporting that based on reported revenues this year iTunes sales are plummetting. From the article: "Secretive Apple doesn't break out revenues from iTunes, but Forrester conducted an analysis of credit card transactions over a 27-month period. And this year's numbers aren't good. While the iTunes service saw healthy growth for much of the period, since January the monthly revenue has fallen by 65 per cent, with the average transaction size falling 17 per cent. The previous spring's rebound wasn't repeated this year."
So at last people are waking up to the hard DRM facts of life. I guess it took some time of real use to become aware that yes, they were now _paying_ to get _less_, uncredible but true. Probably they couldn't believe it before, after all, everybody was doing it, and it couldn't be that everybody was stupid. Somebody _surely_ had read the conditions before buying, and if nobody had found them bad (as evidenced by the number of iTunes downloads), then they were surely good enough. But the first time they cannot do something they want with "their" music file is I suppose for many the last time they buy anything from iTunes.
I'd expect the trend to continue.
Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
I'll blame the 65% decrease in sales on the new version of iTunes which broke even the latest version of SharpMusique more than a year ago. SharpMusique was the successor to PyMusique. Both programs allowed you to purchase iTunes music from Linux without the use of a Windows emulator. On top of that, both programs didn't install DRM on your music (the iTunes program itself is what adds the DRM, all iTunes music is stored on their server without any DRM).
I bought a lot of music using SharpMusique but now... I guess Apple doesn't want my money anymore.
... and in the DRM, bind them.
CDBaby isn't an independent, its a vanity press.
Big difference...at the same time, I know a LOT of friends that have gone the CDBaby route, actually had some independent buzz before going there, or had a past life as an independent artist and their stuff is always to be found.
I have another friend that pretty much runs his own label out of his apartment, has maybe 4 or 5 bands on it (and its all pretty much the same group, with slight alterations in the line up and style) and I see his stuff featured on the genre front pages at least a few times a year (guaranteed to set sales tenfold doing nothing else). I've seen his work on the 'alternative' sections, the Electronic section (where your band is, actually looks like your albums are, but your band isn't categorized and isn't thrown in there...one of the problems of CDBaby) and a few others...
I also know, he hussles his ass off. He gets the press he needs. He sends full discs to the reviewers at Apple. He buys time on Pitchfork (for like $2000, you can buy a link with unlimited downloads for a month or something like that). The point is, technology doesn't make your album available just because you put it out there. CDBaby does no quality control -- hence the 'vanity press' moniker -- and it shouldn't, but if you go that route, expect to play all the parts of a label that they aren't doing for you.
I know if I were Apple, I'd be damned if I was going to put someone's CDBaby stuff inline with something that professionals have vetted. And maybe pros have vetted your stuff and thats why its not listed anywhere except on the backshelves? Who knows.
I listened to a few clips and it didn't sound bad -- but not significantly different from others that are doing this professionally.
Back to the main point, yeah, it does list independents -- ones that Apple likes...
It's not a double standard. It's about the Forces of Good against the Forces of Evil. Justice must be served, in the grand scheme, even if the copyrights held by Evil need to be trampled. Copyrights held by Good, however, are sacred.
Seriously.
If you're a teenager, working 15 hours a week after school, then by all means, pirate your music. I did it. Oh well.
But if you're, you know, an adult, and if you have an income, then I believe it's irresponsible not to pay for the things that you want. I spend $50 a month or so at ITMS and another $50 on the shrink-wrapped variety.
If you have enough money to buy a new TV, but still steal your content, then you're just being an irresponsible child. Why don't you just stop paying rent and squat? You'll have 3-4 months before you get evicted, then you can do it all over again.
I find real humor in the people that want things but think that they just should not have to pay for them. You're basically on Television Welfare. You feel that it's the responsibility of others to pay for the things that you want.
Grow up.
Did you actually read my post?
If you did, you would clearly see that I'm not talking about a DVR. It was, what, 100 words? Was that beyond the ken of your comprehension?