If anything good came out. I might buy something.

Laugh if you want, but I do 2 things only when I want to listen to music.
Generally, I listen to the same crap I've had for years. I like my taste in music (thank goodness), so my music is good for me to listen to.

Those occasions where I decide I need something new, I go to the local chain and peruse their used discs. They cost about what I think new ones should cost (which, for used, seems like a ripoff), but it's the best option for me. Then I rip the CDs to my computer and put the discs in storage. Literally. I live in a small house, and don't have room for things I don't use.

@mikesfree: I'm not saying you like anything that's coming out, but universally, I'm REALLY sick of this argument. It's total bull. Good things come out all the time. You just have to go find it. Just because it's not in the top 40 doesn't mean you can't find it. Seriously. Stop griping about the crap quality of music when you're really referring to the mainstream, and get a little more creative in how YOU discover new talent. Stop relying on someone else to discover it for you.

Stop the complaining. Stop making excuses.

What is the recording company's rational for not encoding their CDs with e higher bite rate so that the music quality is higher? I simply cannot understand it. Higher quality of music means more interest by customers. The ONLY two possible explanations are cost (it costs more to do it at a higher rate, or they by special CDs that have smaller space on them so they cost less) or security for the silly DRMs. Either way, the way supply and demand works is that when demand drops off the supplier needs to modify their supply IN SOME WAY to raise more demand. It is insane to think that someone could sit on their fat butt and wonder why people stopped just giving them money. Stagnation is death in capitalism.

I remember back in the 80's when CDs first came out - it was OUTRAGEOUS that they cost $20 when cassettes cost $9. The RIAA gave us a song and dance about paying for the new factories etc etc and PROMISED that the prices would come down over a few years.

Here we are in 2007, 20 years later, and CDs are still $20 and cassettes are still $9.

so suing your customers doesn't increase sales???

Excuse the grammatical errors, I'm typing fast in the middle of actually doing work.

@tcabeen: So your comment highlights the "crap policies" part - music companies don't promote anything except the top 40 craptacular stuff, so to Joe Consumer that doesn't have 10 hours a week to "go look" for the good stuff, it leaves the impression that nothing decent is coming out.

Sorry, I have a life - I'm not going to expend a lot of energy to find a reason to spend money with the music industry.

Searching on the web, on the other hand, takes little time and it's easy to find stuff.

@dbeahn: Don't forget about inflation. Relative to when CDs first came out, they are cheaper because of inflation.

Does this mean the RIAA will light themselves on fire? Cause that would be awesome.

Thirllhouse, you beat me too it. How much money does the marketing guru that figured out that strategy make? I have my own strategy and that is to open a car dealership and accuse anyone that takes a test drive of grand-theft-auto.

I dont buy music on sheer principle anymore. I have the last 50 years of music (CDs, Tapes, and records that I paid for) that I enjoy on my iPod/iTunes right now, why would I buy more from someone that is running their business like this?

There are lots of dedicated, hard-working artists creating excellent, heartfelt music independently. They are difficult to find at your local chain cd store, but if you seek them out, you can find them. Use the Google on the internets! Most have myspace pages, and there are a multitude of blogs with album/show reviews and free samples from these artists. 95% of the stuff on major labels is drivel, and i'm glad people are getting wise and not purchasing over-priced cds of this mass-produced, over-marketed, phony crap. The good stuff's out there. If people would stop being lazy, passive, lowest-common-denominator market targets, these independent artists will get bigger audiences, and the world will be a better place for it.

@eldergias: What the RIAA promised wasn't that the CD would get "cheaper", they said the prices would fall to "around what a cassette tape costs". Hasn't happened - there's the same difference in the price of a tape compared to the price of a CD.

*Bumper sticker*

Make good music, will pay!!

Stop releasing the same crappy poppy-sounding B.S. and maybe we will buy some music.

Suck on that RIAA!!

Wait, why are they bitching again? The drop in sales this year went down.

Sales are probably dropping because interweb music sales allow users to download single tracks that they like rather than the whole album. So instead of spending the $13 on an entire album, I can spend $4 and get 4 tracks off the album that I actually like.

Whenever ANY sector of the Entertainment and Recording industry loses profits, the quick and easy answer is "Piracy." I agree with Consumerist comment that today's "entertainment" is crap. Real music comes from skilled artist who placed some thought behind their compositions. Instead, large corporations are banking on the uneducated masses that pump bass through their stereos with lyrics that make no sense, or unintelligible to those of us that have some amount of intelligence. These industries have long forgotten the art of entertainment and instead focused on lobbying politicians for their own special interest and maximizing their profit. Within a few years, CD's will be obsolete - What will the RIAA & MPAA blame next for lost profits? Could it be that regular people are tired of the same B.S. from Hollywood? With big corporations placing more emphisizes on copy protection than product, it's no wonder nobody wants to buy their products. Who the hell wants to buy a CD or DVD that would disable your equipment? Most normal thinking people don't even bother anymore!

Yeah, seriously, if anything good was out I would buy it.
Some of the things to OWN are godfather trilogy dvd and hd, star wars sextogy[six, nothing to do with sex] on dvd hd and even origionals, sound track, movie posters, some older rock, like iron maided especially if its promo, HL/counterstrike-> gotta own those and rtcw in the aluminum box with rtcw 1 included...and then there is the CnC series, gotta have CnC 3: Kane Edition.
Obviosly, i had to get rid of the drm on these titles by making backup and and storing the backup with the origs and makeing 2ndary backups to use.

Just a few to name.
But yeah, DRM doesnt mean that you can just shove trash in our face and expect us to swallow it.

There is a great deal of good stuff out there, I agree, but you do have to hunt for it. Luckily, I have a friend in the UK who's a huge music head who does a lot of the foot work for me on that front. One good source of new music is the BBC's Radio One website (particularly the Zane Lowe show). And, of course, if you're within range of a decent college radio broadcast you can usually get tuned in to some good stuff.

Staying as far away from the Top 40 stuff as possible is generally advisable...it's almost always crap.

Here's something to think about. When they talk about "sales", are they talking about universal sales of discs across all labels... or are they just talking about RIAA labels? Because if it's the latter (and I have to think it is, as it's the RIAA reporting these numbers), I can absolutely understand RIAA sales being down; not only is there the "crap" factor, but lots of high-quality, very popular artists artists are on or moving to independent labels, including quite a few with mainstream recognition. When you've got artists like Bright Eyes and The Arcade Fire on non-RIAA labels, with albums that are breaking the Billboard Top 10, I have to think that that's affecting the numbers. For all we know, CD sales are up, but they're not the kind of sales where the RIAA gets a cut.

I don't see the quality of music as a problem- if I did some searching, I could come up with some good music. It's not hard- I listen on the radio and if I hear a song I like, I'll go get it online. (yes, I pay for my music, silly me). I actually don't mind paying for music, as long as it's not outrageous. Back in the day of just CDs, I would pay $15 for a CD only to find out I liked only 2 songs. Yes, yes, I know, my fault, but how did I know before I bought it? Some stores had things where you scanned it in and you could sample it...

No, what really bugs me is lack of flexibility. It's that DRM thing again. iTunes has limited music selection and the aac format prevents me from doing anything with it, like using it as a soundtrack for my videos. That's why I'm not buying music- I haven't turned to piracy, but I'm not providing them profit, either.

I believe the average consumer wants to act ethically, and if they believe so many people are turning to music piracy, they really ought to be asking themselves why..

Also gotta look at the fact alot of people buy CDs for 1-2 songs, now with downloads, those people will buy just 1-2 songs from the album instead..

1. I think that the ~75% increase in online sales indicate that the single is coming back. Singles don't cost as much as albums so I guess that sinks sales numbers a bit.

2. Good music is produced. I don't think you have to go too far to find it. I generally trust Pitchfork for new recommendations. Also if a friend recommends something I'm likely to pick it up as well. But I agree that not all music is good. But music tastes are highly subjective, so while many on this list don't like the Pop crap that is produced, some market segment might appreciate it. Big labels often have sub-labels that produce good stuff too. So I wouldn't say that the major labels are strictly craptoriums. There's plenty of good music out there for everybodies tastes.

3. Naturally CD sales are going to slump when you can buy video games, DVDs, listen to podcasts (or watch them) or commercial free satellite radio. A consumers dollar only goes so far. When you think of things that we pay for that we didn't say 10 years ago (high speed interent for example), something has to give. Other industries are having similar problems, like the magazine business for instance.

4. Piracy also plays a role in this, but I do believe the RIAA oversells the importance of piracy. Their draconian responses to piracy have certainly turned off a lot of music fans as well. Of course, I may underestimate it. For me, there's still something nice about picking up a tangible object like a CD. And some artists produce packaging and bonus features that make picking up the physical album really worth your money.

i like classical music and opera....i have all i want already....also i have my old big band and early rock and roll that i grew up with in the 50's....gonna put them on cd's myself....anyway , i've got most all of the music i'm gonna need or want........

@dbeahn: Bah. It takes 10 hours a week to find decent music?? No way. Here are a couple of pointers to help you and others with your search:

1) Amazon, iTunes, and other sites offer previews AND recommendations. Go plug in a few things you like, add them to your wishlist or whatever (even if you already have it!) and see what they recommend.

2) Music blogs! Subscribe to 2 of them in your favorite newsreader. Let me help: http://blog.podbop.org/

3) I haven't tried it yet, but I hear Pandora really is amazing.

4) Friends (if you have any - I don't mean to presume) or even complete strangers. You'd be surprised how many people are eager to talk about music they love, and share it with others. See headphones on the bus/elevator/sidewalk/mall and ask. "Whatcha listening to?"

Life doesn't have to be hard.
Neither does finding good music.
Sometimes you draw a lemon, sure. I heard the Sergio Mendez album was AMAZING, so I got it. Then I found out Will I Am (black eyed peas) produced and appeared on most of the tracks. Bloody hell.

@nffcnnr: Agreed! I've found out about all of my favorite "new" bands through music blogs, websites, forums, etc. I can almost always sample some of their songs for free, and then buy the album directly from the (non-RIAA-affiliated) label, or from the band itself. Occasionally I buy from Amazon, or from my local independently-run music store, where I can say to the clerk, "Hey, I like Band X. What else ya got?" and they kindly recommend New Band Y.

I've actually spent MORE on music in the last few years than I did in the past, but only a tiny percentage of that has gone to RIAA labels.

Folks, if you're already blog readers, take the time to seek out some music blogs and add them to your feedreader. It's a great way to escape the RIAA and get excited about music again.

It's mind boggling how the big five music labels are SO set on destroying the means for music fans to discover new bands (from standing mutely by as Clear Channel destroyed radio, to suing P2P sites, to suing their best customers, to suing legions of innocent people, launching a jihad against non-commercial radio, and now, to destroying net-based radio thru draconian playing fees). Then they turn around and blame piracy.

It's their myopia, lack of talent and simple greed. Due to their stupidity, it's nearly impossible for guys/gals off the street to sample before buying.

Ha Ha Ha Ha. Let the incompetent bast*rds starve, get fired then die.

@tcabeen: Thanks for the tips! I bet I'm not the only one here that will get good use from them...

I buy all my cd's on sale or used. I refuse to pay $15-$20 for a CD. Movies cost most to produce than music yet I can buy a DVD for less than I can most music CD's......that's cr@p.

Everyone keeps saying that you can find good music if you search for it. The problem is percentages, not availability. If 5% of easily available music is good or 50% of harder-to-find music is good, that still means that 95% of easy stuff is crap. And half of the rarer stuff is crap. You can argue that the same numbers applied before DRM, but it still means that I rarely find something worth buying for the price charged. I have the choice to buy a book, a movie, a pc/video game, or a music CD. There are more choices competing for less money in my budget, sometimes I would even choose getting good Thai takeout over a CD I like.

@trai_dep: For real Whoever said you can find good new music on the radio...hahahaha. I can't stand comercial radio. if it isn't the same 10 songs played over and over its the idiot DJ's. I can count on one hand how many new artists I have found on the radio. I get better luck having bands contact me on myspace..

Almost all the comercial music today is pure fluff and needs to be erased before it is ever sold. Too many people are sheep that just buy whatever the record companies/radio stations play. I love hard rock and metal so I usually spend several hours a week looking for new music.

I prefer to buy the cd because I want to support the artist so they can continue to make new music and I like to have a physical cd/liner notes.

I think what the RIAA means is that sales are down XX% to major record labels. To which case, no one really cares, and we've heard it all before.

Until they start allowing consumers to buy and own their own music, I won't pay for it. I don't buy any less CDs than I did 5 years ago, but where I'm buying them from has changed. Once they accept that the days of a handcuffed industry (from the major label point of view) are over, the sooner they can focus on the customer. But that wont be anytime soon.

@dbeahn: Mucho gusto.

I've got one more: Coworkers. Not everyone can get away with it, but I bring my laptop to work and copy music from MP3 players and CDs to peruse.

Not that I'm encouraging piracy or anything. It's just a good way to find new things. Then go buy them. Used. ;)

I buy about one CD a year, tops. I just can't find the music I like out there. And there is the whole "I hate the RIAA and don't want to support them" thing.

I am sure piracy is impacting them, it has to. But not to the extent they claim. Mainstream music is geared toward prepubescent listeners. It is written and produced by writers and engineers who know how to get crap out fast. What the labels forget is that the market is bigger than just prepubescent kids with disposable income.

I remember when John Mellencamp released a album a few years ago. He stated that he would never get air time. Why? Because young people didn't listen to his kind of music so the label wouldn't push it and the radio wouldn't play it.

I haven't been able to mentally make the switch to downloads yet but I buy virtually all my CDs used now. $6-$8 a disc is my sweet spot and the industry just isn't hitting doing it. I feel bad that my favorite bands aren't seeing any $$$ but neither is the RIAA so it all evens out.

@tcabeen: When it comes to sales dropping it's a completely legitimate complaint. It's not up to the consumer to figure out how to give a company their money. If the music labels want people to buy their music they should be promoting music people like not music they want us to like.

Music blogs really do afford the best way to find and get new music. Most times they offer a couple of good tracks of the album they're talking about, and you're set. That way you can preview and then think about buying the album. You'd be surprised at how many artists and record labels support this. I know, because I have one.
I buy CDs when the artist produces an album that is worthy of buying, either all of almost all of the tracks and great. Thats why you should buy an album anyway. I also support the music industry by going to concerts.
Fact is, we like what we like and we'll get what we like. The RIAA is probably feeling a hit from iTunes and such...they'll have to get over it. We're in a computer age now, why buy a material thing that wastes paper and plastic when you can have it on your computer in a portable fashion?
Also, I don't know that the RIAA takes into consideration the power of music on the internet. It is SO much easier now to share music, ie, check this out, its awesome, which then leads to a SALE.
If we didn't tell everyone what we like and where to get it, where would the RIAA really be?
And, ahem, they make millions of dollars a year. RIAA, shut up. Don't bitch at us when we make a few thousand a year and we don't want to pay 20 bucks for a CD that has 5 good tracks.

Indie artist: yes there are plenty of those out there. Those ones you have to look for.

RIAA artists (which is what this is about): lots of crap. This is why I haven't bought an album by an RIAA artist in YEARS. Find some talent and stop pissing people off and maybe your sales will go up. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Pandora is a great way to find similar artists you might like. Pollstar does it for concerts - those groups are pretty mainstream as well & would be easy to find in a store.

I think allmusic.com will suggest music based on taste as well.

Those of you who like your taste/have decades old music/think it's all crap/ etc should try one or all of these methods to check out a new band or two. Takes little time, no money, is user friendly and you may end up finding something you like MORE than what you're currently listening to.

Just because I've been eating the same food for 27 years doesn't mean I don't try new food, which includes sometimes searching it out....

@loreshdw:

Agreed. Plus, what is my incentive to find it? I like the music I listen to now. Perhaps I am "missing out" but it's not worth it to me. I'm sure there are a lot of independent movies that are good that I will never see. I could spend the time to find it but in the end, it's not that worth it. I'll just watch Wayne's World again.

Even if I find good music, the chances that I buy a CD of it are slim to none. It seems like a chicken and the egg problem. How do I know it is good until I find it on the internet and listen to it and if I am doing that then why do I need to buy the cd? If you think I am going to read some blog and they say "check out X" and I buy X's cd without listening to it, then you are out of your mind. At least people who buy movies have probably seen it at least once first.

CD's need to be around $5 new. Then we can start the discussion.

I haven't cared for much that's been out lately either, and I bristle at the notion that I should have to work all that hard to find something I like. I never used to. Maybe I liked crap, but it was crap that came to me; I didn't have to search for it. And I don't think I'm all that different from most of the music-buying public. In fact, given the rate at which sales are dropping, I suspect I'm exactly like most of the music-buying public. If it isn't the quality of the music, it's a promotional issue. Most people aren't going to go looking for good music because they never had to. It's optional, and for a long time, it's also been free and very accessible to people. No one had to subscribe to radio, suffer with the loss of independent radio stations, check into a noisy, smoky club, or spend even more time online. Let's face it: this isn't about the quality of what makes the top 40. It's about moving merchandise. They've done a piss-poor job of marketing, misunderstood their consumers, then sued them, failed to keep up with technology, and have been more interested in increasing profits beyond the capacity of their product and their markets. Poor business decisions got us here, not just lousy music. People will buy lousy music if it's marketed well. History has proven it time and again.

Lars you make a great point. Music is just a form of entertainment. With more forms of entertainment available then there was in the 90's of course music will take a hit. What business expects to maintain high numbers for decade after decade when there is competition? These crap stats are used so they can go lobby to congress for stricter laws and get ISP's to open up to them.

The RIAA will shoot itself in the foot if it gets rid of a lot of internet radio sites. Pandora is how I find out about different artist. If that goes away I have to go and troll blogs? Why does finding quality have to be difficult. Aren't they supposed to make it easier for the consumer...wait I forgot who I was talking about.

@Rectilinear Propagation: "It's not up to the consumer to figure out how to give a company their money."

This seems to be a fundamental point, yeah? And I just can't agree with that, so all the other angles of the argument are moot. We're just going to have to agree to disagree. Peacefully, I hope? :)

I think it's absolutely the consumer's responsibility to figure out how to give a company their money, which products to give it for, and which retailer or wholesailer (or otherwise) to give it Through.

If the radio tells me the new A-Kon disc is "awesome", I'm not going to go buy it. I'm going to find a way to listen to it (with this artist, it's difficult to avoid, so that's easy) and make my own decision. I think, actually, that I would prefer some lyrically brilliant rock music. The onus is on me to discover The Tragically Hip myself. Fortunately, I have a friend in Canada who was all to happy to help out with that one.

@flyover: AllMusic! I forgot about them!

Ok, one more idea for anyone interested. Go look up your favorite bands from yesteryear learn 2 things:
1. What the members are currently doing. You may love their new project, even though it's not getting radio play. That guy you used to love, with the amazing voice, well he's been working with that guitarist from another band you so loved, as well as 2 other people you've never heard of. They just released an album last month, but you haven't heard of it yet!

and 2. Who cites them as "influences". There's this great band that just came out of Boston (or wherever) and your favorite band ever is THEIR favorite band ever. Go find 'em!

Ok, seriously, I need to get back to work... :)

Baby Boomers strike again! Born from 1946 to 1964, we have driven trends all our lives, from baby foods and disposable diapers through massive school-building projects and the success of rock-n-roll and (shudder) disco, to the stock market, insurance policies, credit cards, hospitals and, ultimately, nursing homes, funeral homes and cemeteries.

Music companies are committing suicide by ignoring the Baby Boomers and concentrating on the young. Adding device-damaging DRM, suing music lovers, and screwing over promising acts in favor of known moneymakers just make things worse.

As for piracy concerns, the music companies should embrace technological advances instead of resisting them. Authors such as Cory Doctorow are demonstrating how free online books are actually helping them to sell more of the three-dimensional kind. Music companies -- and reluctant publishers -- could make a lot of money if they'd just pull their heads out of ... the sand.

@Nemesis_Enforcer:
If you are talking about my comment on finding music on the radio, let me explain I'm not a Top 40 type. There are a few decent popular songs, but I can occasionally hear a good, new song on the radio. I'll usually hear it once and spend a lot of time trying to track it down using the tiny bit of information I gathered from the dj, who apparently can't be fussed to say the song title or artist, or if they do say it, so I can understand it. The djs do talk way too much and most of the music is repeats to the point where a song I didn't mind I now hate. Other than that, though, an excellent source of music! You'll just have to listen for two hours to hear a good song, which you'll never hear again...

I've found satellite radio to be a pretty decent source of new music. Listening to XMU, the indie station on XM, has let to probably a couple dozen CD purchases in the past year, all from non-RIAA labels.

@loreshdw: I think the term "search" is a little strong when it comes to finding new music. Granted here in Minneapolis we're a little spoiled, we have a public radio station, The Current, that is just plain awesome.

But! Everyone can hear it! Go to http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/the_curren... and click on "Listen." Then just sit back, relax, and discover some new stuff.

Too bad people are too wrapped up in their own lives these days to really put up a big fight against the RIAA.

I think everyone who has been sued by RIAA (Blindly) should file a counter suit for harassment. The RIAA would be spending so much money trying to defend itself from thousands of suits that it might not have time and enough lawyers to keep suing their customers!

Puh-leeze - the RIAA has been jerking over not only consumers, but artists as well for years - it's a well-known fact that most bands making their money off touring and merch sales, not album sales. Due to the way they structure their business, where they sign a band and "loan" them the money for production, marketing and distribution costs, a band can sell a million CD's and still end up owing the record company money. It's one of the sleaziest businesses out their, and now that there are alternatives and more cash is slipping out of their pudgy, greasy hands - it's "Boo hoo hoo...who can we sue?" The hell with 'em.

In addition to self-produced indies and indie lables, more and more bands are giving their music away - for free. Download our stuff and if you like it, see us when we come to town - or buy the CD directly from our website. Yeah, I'm sure the RIAA counts those CD sales. They keep engaging in lousy business practices and lobby for anti-consumer friendly legislation for a business model that there really isn't a need for any longer, unless you *really dig* Ashlee Simpson.

No wonder people are en masse saying, "take a hike."