Thread: 11 Years of US CD Sales

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Post by TerraEpon March 14, 2015 (31 of 51)
jackan said:

People are not spending near as much as they used to for their music. generally speaking.

I had a post a few days ago but I apparently accidentally hit the report instead of reply button.....but in short, this isn't really surprising at all. There's so much more to take up people's money than there used to be including movies Netflix and other streaming stuff nowadays, DVDs ten years ago), cell phones, video games (especially ones that have extra payments) etc etc.

Post by audioholik March 20, 2015 (32 of 51)
Streaming music sales in the US beat CDs for the first time

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/streaming-music-beats-cds/

Post by Euell Neverno March 20, 2015 (33 of 51)
audioholik said:

Streaming music sales in the US beat CDs for the first time

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/streaming-music-beats-cds/

Obviously, there are fault lines that run along differences in genre. Haven't seen statistics, but almost certainly streaming is mainly a pop phenomenon. Producers of classical music should not become too enthralled with market changes in pop music, which has an entirely different different dynamic, as in here today, gone tomorrow.

Post by Claude March 20, 2015 (34 of 51)
I don't agree with that.

Pop songs are more prone to repeated listening i.e. buying downloads, whereas classical performances now have more of an event character, which is well suited to streaming, including live streaming.

The demographics of classical music listeners (mostly people over 40) may currently still favor physical formats, but this will change over time, as the digital natives get older.

Post by Euell Neverno March 20, 2015 (35 of 51)
Claude said:

I don't agree with that.

Pop songs are more prone to repeated listening i.e. buying downloads, whereas classical performances now have more of an event character, which is well suited to streaming, including live streaming.

The demographics of classical music listeners (mostly people over 40) may currently still favor physical formats, but this will change over time, as the digital natives get older.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. While music is music, audiences differ in tastes and preferences, including preferences regarding format. I see little interest in classical streaming, other than a small amount of interest in concert streaming. While there may be some interest in listening to a streamed concert of the Berlin Philharmonic, for example, I suspect most classical mavens would prefer simply listening to a live concert in the concert hall. Streaming is most appropriate for "elevator music."

Your pointing to generational differences as respects the most appropriate classical recording medium is at best dubious. Whether physical media remain preferred as regards classical music is likely to depend not on age, but rather on such factors as pricing, convenience and reliability, in addition to perception of value. For collectors, which represent a fair amount of the classical market, the value of tangible media is obvious, while perception of the value of classical music as downloaded computer files is a more tenuous proposition.

Post by steviev March 20, 2015 (36 of 51)
Euell Neverno said:

We'll just have to agree to disagree. While music is music, audiences differ in tastes and preferences, including preferences regarding format. I see little interest in classical streaming, other than a small amount of interest in concert streaming.

Streaming is a great way to hear a piece or performance, see if you like it, learn if you want the disc itself in hi-fi glory. I first heard Aho's 15th Symphony via streaming and knew I'd buy the SACD. Also first heard BIS's Mozart piano concerto series via streaming, didn't like it one bit, and haven't bought any of that series.

Post by audioholik March 21, 2015 (37 of 51)
steviev said:

Streaming is a great way to hear a piece or performance, see if you like it, learn if you want the disc itself in hi-fi glory. I first heard Aho's 15th Symphony via streaming and knew I'd buy the SACD. Also first heard BIS's Mozart piano concerto series via streaming, didn't like it one bit, and haven't bought any of that series.

For the quality-conscious listener, that's the way to go.

But for all those millions of people who think that mp3 or CD quality is all they need, streaming can totally supplant (not merely supplement) buying CDs & downloads.

Post by Euell Neverno March 21, 2015 (38 of 51)
audioholik said:
.

But for all those millions of people who think that mp3 or CD quality is all they need, streaming can totally supplant (not merely supplement) buying CDs & downloads.

Sound quality is not the only difference between streaming and other formats. Streaming is generally a one-time experience, although in certain cases repetition may be possible. Physical media and downloads, on the other hand, are geared for repeated experience.

Post by Euell Neverno March 21, 2015 (39 of 51)
steviev said:

Streaming is a great way to hear a piece or performance, see if you like it, learn if you want the disc itself in hi-fi glory. I first heard Aho's 15th Symphony via streaming and knew I'd buy the SACD. Also first heard BIS's Mozart piano concerto series via streaming, didn't like it one bit, and haven't bought any of that series.

Of course, many websites that sell physical media and/or downloads have for some time provided limited streaming of samples of various lengths to promote sales. Certainly in that regard, the more the better.

Post by audioholik March 22, 2015 (40 of 51)
Euell Neverno said:

Sound quality is not the only difference between streaming and other formats. Streaming is generally a one-time experience, although in certain cases repetition may be possible. Physical media and downloads, on the other hand, are geared for repeated experience.

AFAIK, for a monthly fee you can stream any music available in a given streaming service to your heart's content, so there's nothing "one-time" about the experience.

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