What is a pirate's favorite letter? "RRRRRRRRRR"

So, there is an article from Billboard stating how last week was the worst week for album sales since Soundscan started keeping track in the '90's. They estimate, based on some kinda numbers from the past, that don't 100% exist, that this could be the lowest sales point in music since the early 1970's. And guess what? The end of the article has a record industy exec stating that this is due to Pirates. Yes, really.

What the article kind of glosses over is the fact that while physical cd purchases, I assume they do not include vinyl on this because it seems to have a pretty mainstream music lean to it, have gone down, with a staggeringly low 4.8 million units sold, they kind of fail to mention that there was 21.7 million digital album purchases. Soooooo do the math. total, that is 26.5 million albums purchased. That seems pretty amazing to me right there. More than half of the all-time high sales point that Soundscan has.

But, let me ask you this. Did you buy anything last week? I was pretty disappointed with the new release list from last week. I think I bought a few albums because I was having music A.D.D. and needed something. (Excluding my 17 cds from asian man records and their crazy ska cd deal).

I have not been a best buy, (since that is about the only physical location left around here that has a decent selection,) in a long time to a buy a cd. Most of what I get comes for mailorder, shows, interpunk, amazon etc and the digital stuff all comes from iTunes and amazon mp3.

But what I really want to know is, with over 21 million albums purchased for download last week, how is the decline in physical formats due to pirates? Look at everything you have at home, cds and digital downloads, what cost less to you? CDs as a whole have not gone down in price, yet digital sites have $5 deals, and lower rates overall. Now, i know "Scott, you don't get a booklet or case or anything to hold and look at and read." I know, I miss that too. But honestly, I am kind of low on funds to go spend $12 or more just to have a booklet. I would rather test my luck and try to get the download for $3.99 as a deal of the day or something. Trust me, I am a HUGE fan of owning the physical copy. But I prefer to get it from the label or band directly, then at least I know where the money goes. And labels and what not have it for much cheaper than anyone else does.

But still, I have not answered my own question. How are pirates responsible? I think they are not. I hate when people steal music. But, what incentive do people have to buy things? There is ton of music out there that sounds like everything else. Ke$sha does not have an original sound. There is nothing new and revolutionary out there. The amount of bands that are great for being great, not because people say they are is limited. Why buy something that sounds like everything else?

Now, there are plenty of bands out there that few have heard of, and they are typically pretty amazing. And I think the small labels know this. Record labels, at least in the independent and punk side of things have a really great thing going. Most of the time, if you order something, or preorder something, you get something free. It is almost a reward for supporting your favorite band. I like to call it appreciating your fans. But, does Soundscan even know these preorders and direct album sales are even happening? My guess is no.

With the amount of amazing artists releasing albums in June, I agree with the Billboard article, that sales will show more. But, everything they mentioned is pretty much popular, mainstream music. So, will my preorders of Against Me!, Off With Their Heads, and The Gaslight Anthem count for anything with these industry insiders, probably not. But, in the end, music is not going away. There are a lot of labels giving albums away for free or donations. They are still signing bands and releasing things. There are tons of kids making their own copies of their own cds, making their own shirts and touring. Music is always going to be around. Formats change, and every time they do, the habits of consumers change with them. Quit worrying about how few cds you are selling and embrace what is selling. Market for that. Sell t-shirts. Give away songs to get people interested.

Most importantly, if your artist that is out there to compete with the same sound as someone popular, be ready to see people decide to choose one over the other. People get tired of the same shit being regurgitated over and over again. Considering very few of us have the money to do everything we need to, let alone splurge on ever cd that comes out that we want, why not just try to make it accessible to everyone who wants it? If you want to get rid of the pirates, why not compete with them? Pirates are not out there advertising their bootlegs. Why not invest on getting your music out there first? Beat them at their own game. (This does not mean make it harder to copy, they will always figure out a way)

My closing point is this, people are always going to share music with their friends and family. How else do you share your excitement about a band you just discovered? I don't think everything should be free, but read the article on quote unquote records, they get huge donations from people because those people believe in what they are doing. That is because people are willing to pay for something that is quality, for something worth it. Let me put it this way, shitty beer is usually the cheapest. College kids by Milwaukee's best because it is cheap and gets the job done. But, how many of your friends go out and buy a craft beer or small batch beer for the cost of a whole case of shitty beer. That is not because they are trying to be better than everyone (usually) it is because they enjoy a quality product and are willing to pay a premium for it.