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snarkymanYou can listen to the original story in Real Audio format: Record Labels Say 2002 Another Lousy Year
I composed an email response to NPR about this, though I don't think they'll read it over the air, so here it is:
I feel I must comment on this story. While the RIAA likes to blame their problems on music piracy, George Ziemann completed a unique statistical analysis of the the RIAA's own figures. RIAA's Statistics Don't Add Up to Piracy.
The page shows that while the RIAA's number of releases have dropped 28.8% from 1999 to 2000 and 2001, the number of dollars earned per release increased 41.6% from 1999 to 2000. These figures do show a decrease of 4.9% for 2001, however. This decrease for 2001 can easily be attributed to the state of the economy, the 9/11 attacks and even poor planning by the RIAA. But it does not add up to piracy.
Thus, even though the number of album releases dropped, the income per release has increased. The RIAA profit margin is quite safe.
Now a personal comment. There is very little of the drek released by the main-stream record companies I want to buy. I'll admit, I have downloaded many tracks from Napster and Kazaa, but many of the ones I downloaded are tracks I already own on vinyl or CD. I also rip mp3's from CDs I already own for the convenience of the mp3 format. Those few songs I download that I don't own are frequently from records that are out of print or are not available in the US.
That said, I still do buy CDs, as recently as yesterday. The CDs I buy are usually from small labels and relatively obscure unsigned artists, where I know that most of the profits from such sales go directly to the artists, not into the linings of RIAA executive's pockets. I also try to buy from local independent records stores rather than the large chain stores.
The real issue that the RIAA fears is it's own extinction. Once artists realize that they can sell their music as CDs, mp3's or whatever, bypassing the RIAA and even standard record contracts, the RIAA will become a relic of a bygone era. The RIAA is destined for the trash bin of history, much like buggy whip manufacturers once the Model T became the standard mode of transportation.
Bruce Davis
Medford, MA
I composed an email response to NPR about this, though I don't think they'll read it over the air, so here it is:
I feel I must comment on this story. While the RIAA likes to blame their problems on music piracy, George Ziemann completed a unique statistical analysis of the the RIAA's own figures. RIAA's Statistics Don't Add Up to Piracy.
The page shows that while the RIAA's number of releases have dropped 28.8% from 1999 to 2000 and 2001, the number of dollars earned per release increased 41.6% from 1999 to 2000. These figures do show a decrease of 4.9% for 2001, however. This decrease for 2001 can easily be attributed to the state of the economy, the 9/11 attacks and even poor planning by the RIAA. But it does not add up to piracy.
Thus, even though the number of album releases dropped, the income per release has increased. The RIAA profit margin is quite safe.
Now a personal comment. There is very little of the drek released by the main-stream record companies I want to buy. I'll admit, I have downloaded many tracks from Napster and Kazaa, but many of the ones I downloaded are tracks I already own on vinyl or CD. I also rip mp3's from CDs I already own for the convenience of the mp3 format. Those few songs I download that I don't own are frequently from records that are out of print or are not available in the US.
That said, I still do buy CDs, as recently as yesterday. The CDs I buy are usually from small labels and relatively obscure unsigned artists, where I know that most of the profits from such sales go directly to the artists, not into the linings of RIAA executive's pockets. I also try to buy from local independent records stores rather than the large chain stores.
The real issue that the RIAA fears is it's own extinction. Once artists realize that they can sell their music as CDs, mp3's or whatever, bypassing the RIAA and even standard record contracts, the RIAA will become a relic of a bygone era. The RIAA is destined for the trash bin of history, much like buggy whip manufacturers once the Model T became the standard mode of transportation.
Bruce Davis
Medford, MA
