CD Sales Down: The Digital Single Effect

[Damion Chaplin]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070321-accounting-for-the-big-plunge-in-music-sales-the-digital-singles-effect.html' target='_blank'>http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070321-accounting-for-the-big-plunge-in-music-sales-the-digital-singles-effect.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The music industry quaked [Tuesday] as reports surfaced indicating that CD sales have plummeted 20 percent compared to the same period last year. This is just the latest a string of bad news for music sales going back several years. The question is, what's to blame? This quarter, 81.5 million CDs will be sold. While that's down 20 percent from the same period last year, digital singles sold by the likes of Apple's iTunes store grew 54 percent, to account for 175 million songs sold. In other words, the quantity of downloaded songs far outweighs the quantity of CDs sold as a whole. How many of those purchases are "singles," as opposed to digital album sales conducted online or subscription downloads?"</i><br /><br />People are buying less CDs and more digital singles, from places like iTunes. Now that people have the option of just buying the single their looking for, why should they bother to buy the CD? Personally I'm of the mind that if I like one of their singles I may very well like the rest of the stuff on the album, so I usually buy the entire album. That and I can't stand DRM'd music or paying $8 for a CD single. How about you? Have you found yourself buying less CDs and more digital singles? Do you ever buy the full album?

[Neil Enns]

I have a three-song rule before I'll buy the CD. Unless I know there are three songs on it that I like I'll just buy a single. I've been burned too many times by CDs that have but one good song on them.

Neil

[gibb193a]

I have a three-song rule before I'll buy the CD. Unless I know there are three songs on it that I like I'll just buy a single. I've been burned too many times by CDs that have but one good song on them.

Mine was four songs - maybe that was too high because I ended up buying very, very few CDs prior to online stores. When online stores came up, I bought a lot more digital singles. Then came subscription :way to go: and now I buy neither digital singles nor CDs.

[Jason Dunn]

I've gone back to buying more CDs lately because of all the hassles with DRM - it's still the only really easy way for me to get the music I want, at the quality level I want, with the DRM I want (read: none).

[hyedipin]

I just bought 6 CDs after possibly 2 years or so of not purchasing any CDs. I have been listening to my Mp3s of my current CD rips, or been downloaded independent free mp3s, and also recordings from radios. Especially after getting a USB drive compatible car stereo, i never thought I would buy another cd.

To those who have rules on the CDs. It is not only the good songs you should buy the CDs for, but also to support the artist. You may have been enjoying their product for a while, and if you want them to do more of what you like, just buy the darn album. $10 is not so much. I have NEVER bought anything from itunes or napster or any other online store. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Crappy DRM, ugly compression, etc..
There is nothing like listening to the sound from CD directly. After such a long time sound of compresed mp3s, CD came to me like the real thing.

Forget digital crap, buy CDs, if you don't want to pay retail, then go with BMG or other clubs.. iTunes? never.