] Check the year-end reports from the various sectors of
] the entertainment industry, and it's clear that DVD
] stands alone as an unqualified sensation. It's such a
] success that it might even be eclipsing - and
] cutting into - other leisure pursuits.
]
] Each DVD amounts to a consumer devoting money and time to
] watching a movie at home, sometimes in lieu of going to a
] theater or watching TV or listening to a CD.

Are you listening to this RIAA? Its *NOT* only peer2peer trading that is responsible for your sagging sales. There are a number of factors, and probably the biggest is that other entertainment avenues are taking a larger slice of the pie.

If you'd listen, you'd hear consumers voting (with their cash) that other entertainment avenues currently represent a better value for the money then a mediocre CD with 2 good tracks.

LB

] Is it coincidence, or could there be a connection to
] DVD's phenomenal success?
]
] Of course, there are circumstances specific to each
] industry: Internet music swapping has hit the record
] labels hard, and broadcast networks are losing share to
] cable. Nonetheless, there are only so many hours in a day
] and so many dollars in a wallet. Though few in the
] industries will come out and say it directly, DVD is
] unquestionably siphoning off time and money available for
] other activities.

Here's another little thing that RIAA seems to forget, CD sales didn't start going down until they started cracking down on people trading songs on Napster. Part of that is probably backlash from people seeing news articles about a 14 year old getting sued by RIAA, but how about this idea, "If you don't hear it, you won't buy it."

I know I bought more cd's when Napster was alive because I wanted to hear more than just the one song on Napster for some albums. I know it also got me to avoid some turkeys.

The model in the 70's and 80's was, hear song on radio or in movie, go buy record. That stopped when talk radio started to dominate the airwaves. People are listening to Howard Stern or Rush Limbaugh or Dan Rome and Dan Patrick. They don't hear what is coming out anymore, and with the domination of Clear Channel on the airwaves, you don't hear anything even if you ARE listening on the radio.

Hey RIAA? If you want to sell CD's try two things. First, ENCOURAGE music trading! Most car stereos don't play MP3, but they do play CD's. Second, while you're doing that, release everything in MP3 format for the traders, but do in a bad but acceptable bit rate. The selling point for CDs was always better sound. If I can hear three or four songs off an album and go, "this album sounds pretty good," I might go buy it. If I only hear one song and it sucks, I'm going to take my $15 and get a copy of The Matrix and to hell with RIAA.