EMI Music CEO says the CD is Dead
Posted October 27, 2006 — in Music News
“The CD as it is right now is dead,” Levy said, adding that 60% of consumers put CDs into home computers in order to transfer material to digital music players.
But there remains a place for physical media, Levy said.
“You’re not going to offer your mother-in-law iTunes downloads for Christmas,” he said. “But we have to be much more innovative in the way we sell physical content.”
Record companies will need to make CDs more attractive to the consumer, he said.
“By the beginning of next year, none of our content will come without any additional material,” Levy said.
CD sales accounted for more than 70% of total music sales in the first half of 2006, while digital music sales were around 11% of the total, according to music industry trade body the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
CD sales were worth $6.45 billion and digital sales $945 million, the IFPI said.
Bottom line: That’s right CD’s are dead. People just decided one day to wake up and not decide to buy CD’s anymore. This happened in one day and was not a gradual process. It has nothing to do with the ‘actual’ music. Nope, not that. Instead, one must invest more time hiring better art designers so the consumer will buy more physical CD’s. The record business is based on science rather than science and art.
my 14 year old grandson could have told any record company this.when a kid buys a cd and then just takes the songs off for an i-pod that they want they throw the cd case into the closet. this new generation of music buyers could care less for art work or liner notes.just the music.that’s why more kids are looking for singles from bands and don’t want hard plastic anymore.
Comment by larry anderson — October 29, 2006 @ 1:36 pm