Nielsen: U.S. digital music sales flat in 2010

Didn’t want to get sued and didn’t want to support the suing of others. I quit buying music all together.

Haven’t purchased digital music ever, and never will. Will not support a group that does everything in its power to alienate the people that support them financially.

I could careless about this group of idiots, I hope bittorrent brings about the bankruptcy of the big 3. I have no compassion for a group that exploits artists.

Why would I pay the same price as CD’s for digital downloads that are lower quality than 8-tracks? Seriously, portability and feeling like you where getting away w/ something was all downloading mp3′s ever had going for it…I long for a return to CD (or better) quality audio, or at least a service w/ millions of hi-res downloads for a buck a song or $10/album. Anything higher priced isn’t worth it…

PS- RIP Lala…you were the last best hope for online music before Apple swallowed you (and of course proceeded to close you, coughantitrustviolationcough).

I’m mainly buying almost NO music at the moment, but still sticking with the Zune Pass, because i have no real money to throw down. 7Digital and AmazonMP3 usually have great prices, just not great enough on my budget right now.

Many artists stopped offering individual songs and now require one to buy complete albums. I don’t want to clutter up my ipod with songs I don’t want. The industry just doesn’t seem to get it that people don’t want albums forced down their throats and are driving people back to illegal downloads.

they dont sell music anymore
music is gone except that made prior to 1980

qdog

Only suckers pay for industry music. Just die already. Nobody needs you around.

I am not surprised. While there might have been slowing growth in the commercial sector for the labels that also have money to advertise, there has been a steady decline in sales for unknown artists (in the long tail) since January 2008 (when iTunes changed its layout). It is very difficult to make a living as an independent artist—and I suspect as a label—but not as an aggreggator, such as iTunes and AmazonMP3. The biggest problem with aggreggators is they have de-emphasized or made difficult the means to find new music; they all lack a good discovery tool on par with Netflix.

Part of it is the economy too. If the recession is over (purportedly because of six months of growth), I’m not feeling it, and I suspect Main Street isn’t feeling it either. It’s Main Street that drives sales, of music and everything else—not Wall Street stock prices.

Forget the labels—support the artists. Any ‘revenge’ against the labels is just going to hurt the artists—not help them.

I have made my living on the supply side of the music industry for 15 years and there isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t wish for the death of the corporate music business. Please god… finish the job and kill them now.

I don’t buy nearly as much as I used to. But I still pay to download albums. I’ll also buy a lot of vinyl when I can.

Music on major labels just isn’t any good anymore. It all just sounds the same. With auto-tune and over-production, every song just sounds like robots bleating out the same dull tunes.

There’s a lot of great independent bands that I’ll support and I buy their downloads, records, T-shirts.. anything I can.

But when all the majors have to offer me is tripe like Mylie cyrus or Glee… I’m done.

I mean… the only artist that’s even fun to watch anymore is Lady Gaga and she can’t sing and her music sucks… why bother giving her my money?

I remember the days(20 years ago) when I would pay $10-15 for an album just to get 1 song… never again…

I stopped buying music when the RIAA started suing people. Add to the fact most music just plain sucks since the 90′s …

Gave up on buying music. It’s not worth placing yourself in real danger and having constant worries of being sued for having digital copies.

It’s really simple sheeple.

If you like/love the artist you will buy the art, if not you are not a fan!!!!

I could be sued for having MP3′s that I bought because I can’t necessarily prove I bought them. And what about rips from my own CDs. Will they RIAA sue me for that? As soon as they started threatening people, I stopped buying.

Buying and downloading more and more hi-rez files. MP3′s and iTunes sound like crap. CDs also sound flat, muddy and lifeless after your ears get used to hi-rez files.

It’s interesting that I read this the same day I read that digital files are literally fading away and disappearing. We have been sold a bill of goods for more than 10 years regarding mp3 technology. My 79 year old mother can still play the LP she bought in 1955 but I can’t open a computer file I created in 1986. How long do people really think those mp3s will be playable? Then we’ll have to shell out even more money to get them transferred to the Next New Technology. I prefer to invest in physical media which stands a chance of lasting long enough to give me a return on my investment.

If you ever REALLY want to support an artist, buy a t-shirt from them… directly, if possible, or go to a live concert.

Most big labels pay their artists a fraction of what they earn. Its different with each independent, some treat their artists fairly and some don’t… but at the end of the day if you’re really bent on supporting a band or artist directly, seriously, buy a t-shirt. Although not guaranteed (depending on their merchandise setup/deals/etc), they’re much more likely to see some direct income from merch than music.

Real Musician have been dead since 1980 when MTV went live.

The Buggles said it the best

Video killed the Radio star

I have given up on purchasing I-tunes, after I found out that my 2 internet radios (which I use to listen to my iTunes libtrary) cannot play tracks purchased from iTunes. As it tourns out, these purchased tracks are encoded in such a way that prevents them from being played on anything but your computer or my iPod! SO I siad to heck with it… I can ‘acquire’ the same tracks free and enjoy them on my home system..

Labels put up money up front to support bands that have talent – the bands don’t have to take the money, but they prefer to have income vs no income, they make a choice to try and reach a larger audience (which is hard to do without funds). Artists make a choice, and they’re not stupid or ill-informed. Today’s music lawyers protect them to the hilt – it’s a lame excuse to steal “because record companies screw artists”. Be real – you’re screwing the artists.

Good for Arcade Fire, they’ve charted a successful course. Not every band can, so don’t blame the artists who opt to take some financial support to try to reach a wider audience. Guess what — all those great bands from the 60′s & 70′s took the money.

Are you willing to work for free? No? Then don’t steal other people’s work.