25
Nov
2011
Gizmag: The smartphone has quickly become an essential part of modern living. It’s a powerful portable computer, a high resolution camera, and a mobile communications center. However, if you’re of the school who thinks that just because such a device can also play music, there’s no need to spend good money on a separate audio player – the Colorfly Pocket Hi-Fi C4 pro may well be the dedicated music player to change your mind. (more…)
04
Aug
2008
The Inquirer: The kids of today are clueless about the lyrics in songs because no one ever sees them written down, a survey claims.
According to the Daily Star a generation of people are growing up believing that Whitney Houston is “shaving off her muff for you” and that Jimmy Hendrix is singing “excuse me while I kiss this guy” on Purple Haze
The survey, which was conducted by National Year of Reading, showed that more than half of iPod users did not know what they were singing. Or if they thought they did, they were probably wrong.
Honor Wilson-Fletcher of the NYR said that there had been a decline in lyrics appearing on CD booklets. She said that audiences want to be able to read and appreciate words.
20
Jun
2008
International Herald Tribune: Music sales fell to their lowest level in at least 10 years as an increase in digital content sales failed to make up for declines in compact discs and the effects of piracy, an industry group said Wednesday.
Global music sales dropped 8 percent to 12,5 billion Euro in 2007, according to a report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Revenue came in at its slowest pace since at least 1997, the first year for which the body issued figures. Physical sales of CDs and DVDs fell 13 percent to 10,2 billion Euro. Sales of downloaded songs and mobile-phone ringtones rose 34 percent to 1,8 billion Euro.
Digital sales “are growing healthily but, crucially, not fast enough to arrest the overall decline of the market,” said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of the industry group.
Tackling online piracy is essential to the industry’s fortunes, according to the report.
The cabinet of President Nicolas Sarkozy of France approved a draft bill Wednesday to introduce new sanctions aimed at individuals who illegally download content from the Internet.
25
Jan
2008
Times Online: Illegal music downloads outnumbered tracks sold by a factor of twenty to one last year, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
As the industry body announced that digital music sales rose by 40 per cent last year, it called on internet service providers to take action to counter illegal filesharing.
Record companies’ revenue from digital sales reached $2.9billion but the growth is still failing to cover losses from the collapse of CD sales, according to the music industry trade body’s annual report.
The IFPI said that CD sales fell 11% between 2005 and 2006, and probably dropped further in 2007. Worryingly, digital music revenue is already showing signs of a slowdown. From $380 million in 2004, digital revenue roughly tripled in 2005 and nearly doubled in 2006, but the increase slowed to 40 per cent last year.
10
Dec
2007
BBC News: The music business has been in decline for the last seven years. CDs are not selling in the numbers they used to, which is a worry for the record industry as well as retailers.
The online revolution took the record industry by surprise and it has been playing catch-up ever since. The recording industry is finally hitting back and mobile phones are leading the charge.
Globally, various mobile music stores have launched; the UK has seen three launch in recent weeks. Generating more hype than the average Hollywood blockbuster, Apple’s iPhone downloads songs using wi-fi from its already successful iTunes store. Muscling in on the download action, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has launched its own store.
Both of these are download-to-own options, which means music is purchased and downloaded to a mobile – that music then belongs to the phone’s user. Mobile music company Omnifone has teamed with networks in the UK, Sweden and Hong Kong to provide a subscription-based service.
31
Jul
2007
Telegraph.co.uk: Illegal music downloads hit record high
Illegal music downloads have reached an all time high just as the growth of online social networking has shifted the epicentre of the music industry away from the major record labels, according to a new study.
The 2007 Digital Media Survey, carried out by Entertainment Media Research in conjunction with media lawyers Olswang, revealed that the popularity of social networking websites such as MySpace and BeBo is helping to “democratise” the music industry as more young people discover new music online instead of via the radio or music television.
Of the 1,700 13-60 year-olds questioned, 86pc have used a social networking site this year, up from 74pc in 2006.
Four out of every ten social network users have music embedded in their personal profiles, rising to 65pc among teenagers.
30
Oct
2006
MarketWatch: EMI Music Chairman Alain Levy recently told an audience at the London Business School that the CD is dead, saying music companies will no longer be able to sell CDs without offering “value-added” material.