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Hi Rick, unfortunately, youīre right, CD sales are in fact declining. I have been busy releasing CDs on my own over the past eight years, and in the meantime a CD sells half as fast as it used to some five or six years ago. I have even been asked if Iīd upload my newest album for download on the net. This is in fact a stupid question if you take into consideration that the album had just been released, and it took me a lot of effort to get the artwork and the pressing right. Being an old-fashioned record collector I prefer holding something physical in my hands, not something "virtual" like an mp3 download (now mp3s are an entirely different chapter I could ramble on about... why bother to produce my music well when itīs spoilt by poor audio conversion anyway?). The problem is the "McDonaldsisation" of music culture. People in general no longer value quality over instant availability. Itīs like the difference between cooking a decent meal yourself which takes time and effort, or going to the next fastfood counter and buying some shit which isnīt even worth half the money thatīs being asked for it. Obvious as it may seem, people still seem to be happy with inferior products and less nutritional value just because itīs easy to obtain. Download culture (now thereīs a contradiction in itself) guarantees instant gratification and the instant availability of more material at apparently considerably lower prices (hey, after all most downloads are for free as theyīre illegal most of the time, with no penny being paid to the artists whose work is currently being downloaded). Itīs a great thing for major corporations as the stimulus they need to produce in order to make someone respond is considerably smaller than it used to be, needs can be established very quickly and satisfied even more quickly. The only consequence is to release albums in smaller editions and carve out the niche youīre in. Gone are the days when you were able to make a living from selling your music unless you very cleverly make your music available through your website and still get paid for it. The problem is that most people are stupid enough to believe that they really get something for free when they donīt have to pay for something immediately, or that they made a good deal on something if it doesnīt cost much. They donīt realize that they only get what they pay for. Junkfood is no real food, but hey, I get stuffed, so what? Downloaded albums are not the real thing, but hey, I got it for free so why bother? Like Archie Patterson of Eurock once said to me "world is changing, but not for the better", and right he is. Weīre in the privileged (?) position of watching a civilizationīs (?) decline, and only can marvel at how enthusiastically everybody chimes in. Carving out your niche is all you can do, and keep walking on. Hoping the best, expecting the worst, Stephen. ____________________________________________________________________ "Ambition makes you look pretty ugly." (Thom Yorke/Radiohead -- "Paranoid Android") Now available: "Hoellenengel" -- the new album by Stephen Parsick. For info and audio, please check www.parsick.com Itīs out: "oughtibridge", the new [īramp] album, recorded live in England. For info and audio, please visit the official [īramp] website at www.doombient.com WTB: "Englandīs Hidden Reverse" by David Keenan (Coil, Current93, Nurse With Wound, David Tibet). ----- Original Message ----- From: loop.pool <looppool@cruzio.com> To: LOOPERS DELIGHT (posting) <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com> Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 12:51 PM Subject: CD SALES DECLINING? > After reading the thread about how to increase CD sales for one's >artistic > recordings > I wanted to share my experience about the whole phenomenon of making >money > with CD sales. > > After gigging in 12 countries in the last 3 years and playing with > literally dozens of different and very diverse artists, > I have definitely seen a very strong trend away from CD sales in general by > independent artists. > > I don't have statistical proof, but I have informally queeried as many > artists as I can about this observation of mine. > I'm active in the world music field, the live looping movement, the dark > ambient field, the goth/industrial scene, > the abstract electronica scene and the jazz scene and everyone I've asked > has noticed the same trend: > > People seem not to be buying CDs in the numbers they used to even four or > five years ago............... > either at concerts, online or through websites. > > Whether it is the incredible proliferation of free mp3s that now abound > online or perhaps the incredible proliferation > of self produced CDs by artists (which comes with the attendant plethora of > half baked and unprofessional recordings > that come with inexpensive media) , it seems like selling CDs as a >really > viable way of creating income may be a > thing of the past (without very heavy exposure afforded either by incessant > (and costly touring) or the backing of major > or major independent labels). > > I've even noticed a very strong tendency on this very list away from people > actually paying money for looper CDs from about four or five years ago. > > Because I have produced so many looping festivals I, myself , recieve a > constant source of brand new looping CDs. What I've noticed is a decided > rise in the sophistication and excellence of the CDs being produced by >our > community, notably in the last year. > > This year we've seen really excellent recordings come out by Andy Butler, > Bernhard Wagner, Michael Bearpark, Sunao Inami, Per Boysen and many, many > others yet actual sales by the artists have been very, very minimal. > > I wonder why that is. > > Do you folks have other information that refutes what I've noticed? >Like I > said, I don't have stats to back it up just I've heard a lot of musicians > talking about it. What's your experience? > > Why do you think that this list in general is not more supportive of the > artists who are releasing commercial CDs? > Is this even your experience? I'm really curious to hear what >everyone > has to say. > > respectfully, > Rick >