Re: [ARSCLIST] Globe: Death knell sounds for CDs

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There was an article last week in the Wall Street Journal about how Wal-Mart is transitioning their 
music department to something else. Basically, they want major price cuts to increase velocity or 
they want many fewer titles and less floor space. Big Music was still digesting all of this, 
according to the WSJ. Also, Wal-Mart is now telling artists that Wal-Mart exclusive releases like 
the Eagles will get them marketing but most traditional releases won't get premium space or 
marketing. Wal-Mart is now by far the biggest physical-space music retailer in the US, although I'm 
not sure if Amazon sells more actual discs. Also interesting, if I'm remembering the article 
correctly, was something to the effect that downloads are still less than 1/3 CD sales but that 
might just be in dollars terms and not number of albums or songs.

In any case, all signs point to that the person wanting variety and with tastes not of the 
hit-of-the-minute will be forced off CD's sooner rather than later.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 1:17 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Globe: Death knell sounds for CDs


> From Thursday's Globe and Mail
>
> June 18, 2008 at 11:05 PM EDT
>
> The compact disc has less than three years left in its reign atop the music industry in Canada, 
> with new data on music sales indicating the download will officially be king by 2011.
>
> continue here:
>
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080618.wmedia19/BNStory/Technology/?cid=al_gam_nletter_techweekly
>
> Interesting...
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richard
>
> Richard L. Hess                   email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Aurora, Ontario, Canada       (905) 713 6733     1-877-TAPE-FIX
> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
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