"The CD as it is right now is dead", EMI Music CEO

[rsaavedra]

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...CBE9DFA59EE%7D

Thoughts, comments?

Cheers,
Raúl

 

[pds6]

EMI Chairman Alain Levy says:
Quote:

"The CD as it is right now is dead," Levy said, adding that 60% of consumers put CDs into home computers in order to transfer material to digital music players. Record companies will need to make CDs more attractive to the consumer, he said.

No Alain, you need to make digital music more "attractive" to consumers. EMI online site would be pure profit. Albums ripped lossless $5.99 and lossy $4.99.

Set back and watch the money flow!

 

[Oliver :)]

I couldn't care less about "additional content". Especially since "additional content" might just mean "some DRM software that locks up your PC" in this case

EMI should focus on contracting good artists and deliver well produced music. I need no low-res slideshow or "entertaining" Flash-thingy along with that. The only "additional content" that makes sense to me is CD-TEXT.

 

[FalconP]

"Additional material", in whatever form it may take, is grossly overrated; I'm never in the mood to watch videos that sometimes come free on CDs. And what "additional material" can they put in classical CDs anyway? scores? printable coupons? suggestively posed picts?

Lower the price of CDs, spare us of the DRM fiasco -- these are the ways to make CDs more attractive.

 

[sant430]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FalconP "Additional material", in whatever form it may take, is grossly overrated.......Lower the price of CDs, spare us of the DRM fiasco -- these are the ways to make CDs more attractive.

Now THAT'S exactly what I'm talking about. I love having a physical backup so downloads really don't do it for me when I can rip what I've already got. Maybe I'm just getting old........

 

[NiceCans]

I agree, leave out the extra BS and just lower the prices! proportionately. Same cost/profit margin ratio, but IMO much better sales.

But on the other hand don't hold your breath.
After reading that article I went to EMI's web site hoping to submit my comment/suggestion, but found that there is no email link what-so-ever (only telephone and postal info).
To me any company that does not provide email contact on their website simply does not care what their customers think.
Well, some of us do think, and we "vote" with our cash.

 

[GlendaleViper]

I wouldn't have expected anything less from EMI. We need some kind of music industry armageddon and start back from scratch. The old guard are too set in their ways to make any meaningful LONG TERM changes.

Talking industry reform with the top dogs is like asking our governemts to start adhering to the Kyoto protocol. Everyone knows it needs to be done, but they're all too bloody CHEAP to do anything about it - despite all but guaranteed profits after the paradigm shifts.

 

[trains are bad]

I agree completely. The redbook CD is obsolete, more so than the LP.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I totally agree with the earlier posts. Lower the prices and we'll buy more. Funny thing is, Hollywood has already learned this lesson. I can often find good movies for $9.99 or less. Only a few dollars more than rentals, actually cheaper than the theater and I don't have to listen to other people talk on their cellphones. I buy those.

Price isn't the only thing. They need to work on who they market to. Everyone I know over 25 is alienated by the mainstream and much more so by 30. Here's the thing: us "old" folks have jobs and make a lot of money. And we love music. So why am I chasing down garage acts, buying off eBay and hunting old stuff in thrift stores? If they published music I like I would buy from them. Really. It's that simple. Give me something I like and I'll buy it. I'm buying music every week, why no product for me? My tastes aren't that obscure.

 

[YamiTenshi]

Like many others here I still love redbook CDs and until a website can (legally) offer reasonably priced lossless files I will stick to buying CDs.

However, I am also aware of the fact that we here at head-fi are in the minority when it comes to consumers. Much of the general public do not share our love of music and most would not even know the difference between a song encoded at 128 mp3 and a FLAC file, especially out of a pair of ibuds. Music to the general public is something that they can get off the radio and listen to in the background while doing some else. Not many people will sit back and actually listen to a CD.

So, even though I personally still love redbooks I see them slowly disappearing. Music d/l will continue to increase; it's simply easier and more convenient for most consumers to buy one song they want instead of an entire CD.

 

[calcajun]

Yeah, we the minority, who want quality not quantity.

As apposed to the majority who want quantity and don't realy care about quality.

Just like cable tv. They think its great to get hundreds of tv channels but they probably only use 20 or so of them, if even that many. Due to that quantity that they think is so great, the quality sucks.

I am all for online buying but only if it is un compressed.

When i was growing up in the 70's it was about getting closer to the real thing. Now it's all going backwards! This sucks.

 

[Beach123456]

Cd's wont be completely useless until iTunes and the like start offering lossless at a good price, and only then will CD prices drop.

 

[pds6]

If the CD is dead, is it alright to pirate.

 

[OGTL]

I hate this ********.

The whole world is full of yuppies demanding their kbps 8 mono MP3s to be bought or downloaded online, so they can put them on their ipod and play through $0.50 earbuds.


I hope to god there will still always be a large demand for CD's, yet it has diminished so much since the nineties..

I HAVE to have a hard copy of music I like, whether I have it lossless digitally or lossy, doesnt matter, ME NEED CD.

 

[Mogul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OGTL I HAVE to have a hard copy of music I like, whether I have it lossless digitally or lossy, doesnt matter, ME NEED CD.

I want physical media. I don't think I'm in the minority here, I like being able to hold something that I've purchased, not worry about losing my files in a hard drive crash. I also think that artwork and lyrics are something that add a lot of value.

I am a little lucky though, CD's are fairly inexpensive where I live. Most new releases are available for between $9.99 and $12.99, with lots of 2 for $10, 2 for $20, etc... deals on back catalog material.