Tension grows between labels and digital radio

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A lobbyist knows more about an issue...

... than the elected official and his staff. I expect that a significant number of Court cases requiring a Judge to construe a law or regulation were caused by people not clearly understanding what the lobbyist explained to them. We'll probably get better laws by eliminating the middle man.


Your blame for WalMart may be overstated.
And I say that as someone who recently decided to buy a classical CD for a long drive and went into a WalMart to find one. My choice was one 3-CD set for $10, with no performer named on the box.
Some things are better left to the imagination.

I expect that WalMart has studied what sells most, and emphasized the most popular in their inventory.


You wrote:
I mean sales are down but one of the biggest reasons they are down is Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart sells the popular CDs at price points of $7.50, $11.50, and $14.50.

The RIAA companies have not yet realized that volume at a lower price can more than overcome the reduced profit on each single item. Opens up the item to additional purchasers.
WalMart is not that foolish. They pat attention to customers without much money to spend.

You continued:
Also they limit the selections by not carrying back-catalogues of most bands, which tend to sell better, and by limiting the selections to top 40 bands- so many bands and CDs are not available at Wal-Mart...

As you wrote, WalMart has elaborate sales tracking software and staff whose job is primarily to identify what sells at a given location and deliver more of it.
Obviously, the best selling albums are going to use most of the shelf space with an arrangement like that.
That's not a cause of reduced sales.
Also, are you sure back catalogues sell best to the WalMart crowd?

WalMart probably increases sales on balance.


The competition from other forms of electronic entertainment probably does play a role. But because people use music for different purposes from video games, movies, etc. (Who watches a movie while doing homework?) I'd have to see some research to guess how large the impact is.

I think you're also right about people buying the same material in a new form.

Your point about the industry being cyclical is very important.

It's like the global warming data.
The Earth has long been entering one of its periodical warming phases, and it's difficult to guess what would have happened to temperatures if industrial activity had never occurred.

People who want to roll back the industrial revolution tend to give weight to explanations that suit their purposes.
(Please note: this is an example of how people slant data. Global warming from industry may well exist, but a great barrier to acceptance is the plans for solving the problem from the people delivering the warning.)

Similarly, the RIAA companies ascribe all the results of normal trends to piracy. I think we're right to be suspicious of that conclusion.


Boycotting is also a factor to a degree, and, as discussed, the RIAA companies use the results to show a greater impact from piracy.


The Court which held piracy must exist because of the size of the sales reduction was being naive.


The general economy also doesn't help, as you say. When people believed falsely that they had gained wealth from the 401(k) stock market bubble, they probably did feel they could afford more entertainment.
Life has since become more real, except for Google.


I also agree that the real crooks are benefitting from the situation.


To me, the best response to RIAA propaganda would be analysis from credible sources giving reasonable weight to all these factors. Make a real debate out of it for the Courts. Amicus briefs are read.
But that still won't work with Congress.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 01/15/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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