SINGLES - downloads now account for over 85% of sales and the vast majority of those are iTunes - so fan base etc can grab a few sales but the biggest single retailer "by a million miles" is iTunes.

Albums? Still only about 5% but growing though downloads dropped last week (Valentines need physicals).

JK2006 wrote:
SINGLES - downloads now account for over 85% of sales and the vast majority of those are iTunes - so fan base etc can grab a few sales but the biggest single retailer "by a million miles" is iTunes.

Albums? Still only about 5% but growing though downloads dropped last week (Valentines need physicals).

Interesting, that nobody commented on this! Does that mean nobody cares about the sales of music - physical or digital anymore?

My thoughts,. (for what they are worth), are:
Physical Singles are dead. There won't be a physical singles market from this summer onwards, with only "exceptional/charity-type titles" being released physically. But record companies will learn how to manage the availability of individual tracks/songs digitally.

Physical albums will still be the backbone of the industry for the next five years or so, but "music collections" will eventually take over.

Record companies will eventually wake up to a new way of marketing their music. Older recordings can be bundled without the restriction of what fits on a CD. EG: The Cliff Richard Recordings - 1960-1969" etc.

Any one else care to predict what is going to happen. Or comment on my thoughts? Are they way off the mark?

Interesting point Dixie.

Where can we go to discuss such vital music industry matters?

The Record of the Day boards are essentially low level posters saying "this band isn't any good" type fan stuff.

The Velvetrope can have marvellous insight but only one in a thousand posters is intelliegent, informed and observant. The majority are so, so bitter.

Music Week and Billboard should be providing Forums but are not doing so. Take the Massey move - first on the Rope and then on here - nada in the "industry bibles".

Your Views on here is fantastic (my personal favourite) but about life in general - not music specifics.

Every now and then you get some cracking info or rumours here on the Tipsheet but I get the feeling that everyone reads it but very few contribute or comment. Is it because the majority simply don't know or care any more?

To be honest the physical single is dead, the downloads are controlling the chart, there was only 1 new entry in the chart lsat Sunday, back in the 80s there was more than 1, the revamp as of this year should have changed the chart, it has but the chart seems to be slowing down, Mika has had 5 weeks at the top, while previous years hardly mustered any more than a week at No.1, I wouldn't be surprised there will be a new No.1 every month, by the end of the year we have 13 #1s in total

sorry to be a bit on the cock sure side, but I predicted the death of physicals on this very board about 18 months ago. Out of the changes will come the new breed of operators who will be, as JK put it, small, able to run at low costs and will be able to hit hard, fast and move on with the times as the new game unfolds. The nightmare of distribution deals are over and I happen to think that the old distribution bottle neck and delays getting product into the shops was a bigger music killer than anything that is around now.

And the smallies will be able to spend the time to DEVELOP their acts without worrying about somebody breathing down their necks to turn a fast buck.

And (again) why is the world and his wife so keen to give the music away on everybody'sonitspace?

Buck up me hearties!!

I think I`ve said this before, but our nipper bought Damien Rice on i-tunes and a vinyl copy for the trophy cabinet because it looked good.

This is a great oppurtunity of two sales for one if the marketing is right for the kids + the single came with a poster.

The future I do believe, is dig only, but the trophies will still sell for the "what I did with my money this weekend" bus journey home.
Why sell a track once when you can sell it twice?