Downloaded tunes
Published Saturday January 3rd, 2009
Is the internet killing the CD star?
Are CDs going the way of cassette tapes and 8 tracks before them?
There are those who think that because most people now download music; there is no reason to buy something as concrete as a compact disk.
"I for one still buy CDs. Maybe it's because a lot of the music I listen to is not available online. If an artist is making a million dollars, they can afford to just be selling the top 10 stuff; but there are also artists who do it simply because of the passion. I want to support them," says Paige Guy, a first-year student at University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.
Still, the sale of digital music is skyrocketing. In June of this year, Apple topped the 5 billion mark in terms of downloaded songs. This makes Apple the number one music retailer. iTunes, their online store, features the largest music catalogue with more than eight million songs available.
This echoes what the industry is seeing. Audiophile magazine had a poll which discovered that only 34 per cent of consumers still use CD players as their primary digital source. Thirty-six per cent use a computer-based server and 10 per cent use dedicated servers such as Sonos or Squeezebox. Another 4 per cent use iPods.
"I love my iPod, because I can put on songs that fit my mood and switch between them. If I am sad I can listen to, I don't know, maybe sad country songs; if I am happy, I play uplifting pop music," says Erin Smith. "I have CDs from before I got the iPod. Sometimes I will go out and buy a CD. If I hear a song on the radio though, I will probably just download it because it's just one song," says Erin.
"Music is important, it gives people a chance to define their niche; there are so many different ways you can express yourself and there are as many different artists out there who help you do it," adds Paige.
It would seem that the major record labels realize that CD sales are not going to be their bread and butter from now on too. Last month, Warner Music Group, whose artists include Linkin Park, Missy Elliot, and Nickleback reported that digital sales in the quarter which ended Sept. 30 grew 27 per cent to $167 million, up from $131 million during the same period last year.
"Every month our CD sales go down, but our vinyl sales go up," says Eric Daigle, who works at Spin-It Records on Main Street. "When an artist releases a record now, they put a coupon in it to download the songs from iTunes. People bought CDs because they were more convenient, but the people who bought vinyl never stopped."
It has long been held that CDs are not as good sounding as the older vinyl records are. "If you have a decent turntable and a record without scratches, it is just going to sound better," says Eric.
"Downloaded music is basically the same as what you are going to get on a CD. As long as you are getting it from iTunes or somewhere you pay. But a torrent or something could be from anywhere, it might not be a good recording, the levels might be off, who knows. It's never going to equal vinyl," he continues.
And make no mistake, he says music is something you collect. If that were not true there would be no explaining the most downloaded track in iTunes history. It is actually "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey. In fact, it's the first catalogue song to ever reach 2 Million in digital sales. Originally released in 1981, the song topped the Billboard charts at a mere number eight. However, "Don't Stop Believing" has made a modern day comeback and has become something of a pop culture phenomenon after being featured on popular TV shows such as Laguna Beach, and more famously on The Sopranos.
"There are also artists you just can't find online. I like a group called 'Heaven Shall Burn' and you almost have to order their CDs from Europe in order to get your hands on them," says Paige.
Whatever you do, just to be aware, the legalities of downloading music are changing all the time. In Canada, downloading copyright music from peer-to-peer networks is legal, but uploading those files is not. Additionally, the government has imposed fees on recording mediums like blank CDs and similar items. These are used to fund musicians and songwriters for revenues lost due to consumer copying.
"I think we need to keep buying CDs; downloading may be cheaper and faster but the music industry really is not supported. Only the top 40 people would survive. Think about how many people contribute to the world of music who never make it big; those are the ones who are going to be hurt the most," says Paige.
"There is still a place for CDs," says Erin, "A lot of people still have CD players and if you are with a group of friends it is easier for you to all listen at once."
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