Re: CD SALES DECLINING?

[phaslem@wightman.ca]

My own experience has been much the same as the rest here.... Over the 
past 10
years I've witnessed a steady decline in sales, it used to make up most of 
my
income, but now is only a fraction. For instance; there is a very high 
class
art show in the summer that I would go to for no pay but in exchange for 
booth
space I'd play and demo the cds. 8 yrs ago I could count on selling around
$4,000.00 over the 3 days, Last summer I did that show again after taking a
break from it for a few years so I had new product, I still only sold about
$800.00. The only thing that kept me from feeling really bad about it is 
that
all the artisans are experiencing the same thing. A jeweler I know used 
to make
his entire income for the year at the One of a Kind show in Toronto, 
that's a 10
day Christmas show, he used to sell somewhere in the neighborhood of 
$120,000.00
at that one show, last year he sold about $18,000.00.

I agree that there is a great deal less disposable income, but also I think
there is also a lot lower appreciation for the arts in general. A good 
friend
who is a fine artist had a show in one of the top galleries in Toronto 
recently
told me how this one woman came in with chips of paint and was only 
concerned
with what would go with her living room colours. Absolutely no recognition 
for
the art work and what was being communicated.

So I just try and hang in there, do the music to please myself and pursue 
the
styles that interest me and hopefully when society at large rediscovers an
interest in the sorts of music that I do, I'll still be there playing 
for them.


I'd also like to mention that I recently got Bernhard's cds, purchased and 
or
traded for... Thanks!!!! there is so much there to explore and inspire me!

All the best from Ontario, Canada


Paul Haslem







Quoting Travis Hartnett <travishartnett@gmail.com>:

> That's good for people who enjoy gigging, live where there's
> sufficient opportunities, and who offer a compelling performance
> experience, but not so good for people in the sticks who don't shine
> on stage, or whose music doesn't translate as well to the live
> format...
>
> TravisH
>
> On 1/8/06, Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill <rs@moinlabs.de> wrote:
>>
>> So for us non-signed artists, it's back to make money from performing 
>(just
>> the way it was before the advent of CD recording technology at your
>> fingertips).
>>
>
>