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Is The Downloading Era Nearing Its End?


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#1 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 09 September 2015 - 03:11 AM

I think it might already be over, at least as far as the general public is concerned. Started in the late 90s with Napster of course, then we had sites like Limewire, kazaa,etc. and of course the torrents and filesharing sites like megaupload,yousendit, 4shared,etc. Went completely mainstream around 2006 or so when everyone and their grandma was downloading movies, music,etc. from torrents.

 

 

Now we have entered the era of clouds and streaming. There's no point in even wasting the few seconds to click a download link when you can just stream a movie, song, or album with no difficulty. Why bother chasing for a link of some obscure album when you can listen to it on Rhapsody?

 

I think the cell phone craze which is permanently here to stay played a huge role in the decline of downloading media and the need for easy streaming. Only thing people download anymore is apps.


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

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#2 Mr. Roboto

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Posted 09 September 2015 - 10:56 AM

I think an extension of that question may be: Is the era of paying for anything nearing its end? 

 

I'll admit, I get a great deal of music, books etc from torrents. In fact I don't think I've purchased a CD now for 5 years or so? Unethical or not (yes unethical, but so are concert ticket prices, see I just justified my bullshit there) the fact is that after a few clicks, I have an album, or a book in a matter of minutes without leaving my couch.

 

As for what you're saying, I will probably never buy another movie again, simply because it's almost always streaming now. The last blue ray I purchased was a Whitesnake concert maybe? And I'd bet that show is probably on youtube anyway. Speaking of which, having youtube now is like having a second Netflix. It's amazing. Crystal clear picture, and endless things to watch. 


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#3 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 09 September 2015 - 11:06 PM

I used to download tons of shit on torrents. I mean literal shit.  :lol:  Check out tons of artists/bands I never heard of or bands I didn't like just to see if there might be something I'd like. Also downloaded Buckethead's entire discography a few years ago.

 

I don't buy CDs anymore either. Last one I bought was Soundgarden's King Animal and the Echo of Miles/ Superunknown box sets. I did that just to support them. Didn't bother ripping them to my pc or phone either. Takes too much time. Just downloaded it from a torrent on my pc and I have a subscription to Rhapsody that I use to stream those albums on my phone.

 

CDs aren't practical anymore. Can you imagine carrying a stack of cds to your car anymore? No one buys them except hardcore fans to support artists/bands and most people who want to support them will choose Itunes over buying physical product. I think cds will be phased out completely in a few years. LPs will last longer than cds. 

 

Music has an entirely different role in today's culture than it did in previous decades. People need to enjoy iconic bands like the Stones, U2, Springsteen, NIN, GNR,etc. because when they're gone there will be no one to take their place. Just one of the reasons GNR need to reunite within a few years. Longer they wait, less of a shit people are gonna give.

 

The era of the album is nearing its end as well, something I predicted several years ago. Singles will take their place and instead of a full album, artists will release a series of singles. This will be done during tours and will coincide with specific time frames of a tour.

 

Youtube has been huge since it hit back in 2006. You're right though, youtube streaming a variety of content in HD has played a big role in decreasing the need to download movies, and HD youtube is also killing off the era of television. The era of mom, dad, Johnny and Cindy sitting together on the couch watching TV is OVER. Each family member is using their own device(laptop, phone, or tablet) to watch/listen to their specific needs. Dad is watching NFL, mom is watching an episode of The Brady Bunch on youtube, Johnny is playing Civ 5 on his tablet, and Cindy is streaming the new Taylor Swift album on her phone. This all happening at the same time. We have truly entered a new era. 

I think an extension of that question may be: Is the era of paying for anything nearing its end? 

I don't think so.  People will still buy movies either at Redbox or have their netflix subscription. Netflix is so cheap that I think it will always have a customer base. Same with Rhapsody. Yeah I could stream music on a free site like Spotify or something but a monthly subscription to Rhapsody only adds 10 bucks to my cell phone bill and it gives me easy access to millions of songs. 

 

Buying entertainment at actual stores is definitely going to become extinct. Why on earth would anyone bother buying a blu ray at Wal Mart when you can click a button and stream it? No one buys cds at these stores either. I bought those Soundgarden cds/box set online. Just had them mailed to me. I'd rather wait for the mail man to bring them instead of standing in line behind some fat ass buying a couple gallons of fruit punch at Wal Mart.

 

Even the video game industry is heading in this direction. IMO the next generation console wont even be a console. It will be an app.


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

-Adolf Hitler

 

 

 

 

 


#4 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 10 September 2015 - 01:36 AM

Sammy Hagar recently talked about the possibility/ unlikelihood of another Chickenfoot album.

 

 

 

Asked to clarify the comments he made to Rolling Stone magazine where he was quoted as saying that he thinks CHICKENFOOT is finished making albums, Hagar told VH1 Classic's syndicated radio show "On Tap With Nik Carter" last fall: "It's not that [CHICKENFOOT has] run its course, it's just that I'm not sure… in everyone's schedule that we can put aside a year and make a record, make some videos and go out and do a world tour, like what we would have to do. The recording side of it is what's tough; that takes so much time and finances. And if the record business for a band like that, if we could sell a million records, we'd probably say, 'Okay, at least we can pay for the record.' But when you spend half a million dollars on a record and it sells a a hundred and twenty-five thousand copies, I'm sorry, that's 'pay to play 

 

 

It's just that the record business is kind of done. I mean, I'm sorry to say that. It's sad."

 

 

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All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

-Adolf Hitler

 

 

 

 

 


#5 freedom78

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Posted 10 September 2015 - 11:13 AM

I generally agree.  My main reason for downloading any music was always to see if I liked it.  To justify my bullshit, vis-a-vis J's earlier point, I've always found the music industry to be highly unethical.  Music and movies are damn near the only product you can't return if you find it unsatisfactory.  So, if I buy an album and it's shit, I"m just out of luck.  Well, downloading gave me an end-run around that nonsense.  And the more I downloaded, the more music I paid for.  

 

Now, streaming largely fulfills that same purpose.  I'm streaming an album from Crobot right now...they opened for Motorhead last night.  Good shit. 


Sister burn the temple
And stand beneath the moon
The sound of the ocean is dead
It's just the echo of the blood in your head

#6 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 13 September 2015 - 05:04 AM

I don't feel sorry for the music industry either. They dug their own grave. They continuously raped consumers for decades, killed off record stores forcing those consumers to the big box stores, then cry when downloading went mainstream. Had they not been so greedy and reduced the price of cds dramatically in the 90s, downloading never would have did them in. Most wouldn't have even bothered.  Main things downloading would have stopped are impulse buys and/or teens buying an album because of some hot chick on the cover.  Another thing....Itunes came along just a few years too late. Yes it is successful obviously but it wasn't enough to stop the free downloading juggernaut. Only thing that is slowing down that juggernaut is streaming, most of which is either free or at very low cost. I don't think the industry can last much longer. 

 

 

Killing off record stores will never make sense. I don't care how big the retail chains like WM, Best Buy,etc. get. You don't implode businesses that are moving your product. Do you see Oscar Meyer blowing up all the hot dog stands in the world?


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

-Adolf Hitler

 

 

 

 

 


#7 freedom78

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Posted 14 September 2015 - 10:31 AM

I remember the point at which Best Buy stopped carrying things I wanted.  I had been digging into older music and, for example, if I wanted to buy some Sabbath all I could get was Paranoid and a hits collection.  Also, my wife went there once to get me a Pink Floyd album and the worker said "Pink Floyd?  Is that a band?"  Fuck you, kid.

 

I love music and do worry about the state of it.  Not just in that "this new music isn't as good as it was in my day" way...we all get that way.  But if we move from albums to singles we're really losing something (and not just because "Concept Double Album" doesn't have its singles equivalent).  Appetite as a set of singles is just three songs.  Casual fans of any band won't care, but the idea of real hardcore fans will have to be diminished if we move away from albums, simply because there's no deeper material than what gets radio play.  Imagine if classic rock radio, which blows, was all there was to classic rock!  Shit, now I'm depressed.


Sister burn the temple
And stand beneath the moon
The sound of the ocean is dead
It's just the echo of the blood in your head

#8 artcinco

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Posted 14 September 2015 - 11:27 AM

Streaming is horrible for bands. Here are my bands stats:

 

We have 5 singles out on iTunes, Amazon, Google and others for download purchase. We have sold 70 downloads and made $49.

 

We have had 337 streams (of the 5 songs) on Spotify and some others and made $1.12.


Why do you read that kind of crap, Art? Seriously, I don't get it.

#9 Mr. Roboto

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Posted 14 September 2015 - 11:39 AM

Seems to me that music just went from one group who exploits the artists to another. ^^^ (add in consumers who can also exploit the artists as well.) 


"It was like I was in high school again, but fatter."

#10 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 23 September 2015 - 01:32 AM

Streaming is horrible for bands. Here are my bands stats:

 

We have 5 singles out on iTunes, Amazon, Google and others for download purchase. We have sold 70 downloads and made $49.

 

We have had 337 streams (of the 5 songs) on Spotify and some others and made $1.12.

Wow. That is crazy. It reinforces my point that a band like GNR will never happen again. For all we know what would have been the next Appetite for Destruction is languishing in obscurity with 12 myspace streams and will never be heard again.


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

-Adolf Hitler

 

 

 

 

 


#11 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 28 October 2015 - 08:15 PM

Great article on this subject...

 

 

A decade after Napster, the music business was in shambles. Thanks to the Internet’s surge into mainstream culture, Sean Parker’s illegal music download service jumpstarted a golden age of piracy, where a seemingly infinite web of random download sites, YouTube videos, and torrents crippled the music industry’s revenues, which fell from more than $12 billion in 2004 to $6.9 billion in 2010.

Today, that era of piracy is largely over, having given way to legal music streaming services like Spotify, which has been experiencing phenomenal growth. It’s not hard to see why: For a reasonable monthly subscription fee that’s less than the cost of an album ($9.99), users are treated to an ad-free buffet of music that they can even store offline. That convenience, along with not having to scour the wrong side of the Internet’s tracks for sketchy downloads, has become worth it to more than 20 million people. Another 50 million use the ad-supported version. So is this good or bad for the music business? Let’s see.
Streaming doesn’t make or lose money for the industry

Unquestionably, the rise of streaming music has hurt digital downloads. And since Spotify’s inception, there’s been an ongoing debate about whether these services benefit consumers at the expense of artists—a debate that frequently resurfaces when a musician (e.g. Taylor Swift and Thom Yorke) raises a public grievance about how the talent benefits.

But according to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, streaming’s effect on music industry revenue is a flat zero. It doesn’t make money for the recording companies, and it doesn’t lose money. While the NBER report confirmed that streaming ravaged digital downloads, it also found that streaming has edged out piracy at the same time—enough to make up for the loss in revenue.
This is a total win for the music business

Spotify’s status as revenue-neutral doesn’t mean it’s neutral for the industry. First of all, people absolutely adore the service, and that means the potential to boost listenership and create more consumers. After all, when users create playlists and put a serious portion of their musical lives into a system, they’re laying down roots as long-term customers. But perhaps more important, streaming has allowed the music industry to once again be involved with the consumption of its product, enabling it to gather potentially useful data and insights into how people listen, share, and interact with music, which will almost certainly lead to further monetization down the road.

Of course, Spotify has some kinks it needs to work out—like the one that alienated Taylor Swift—but the service is has almost single-handedly stopped piracy’s raid on the music business and handed the reins back to the industry that underestimated the modern digital landscape in the first place.

 

 

 

http://time.com/mone...ustry-revenues/


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

-Adolf Hitler

 

 

 

 

 


#12 Adolf Hitler

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Posted 17 June 2016 - 07:26 PM

I think the answer to this question can be answered now. Check out this article.....

 

 

Apple is now preparing to completely terminate music download offerings on the iTunes Store, with an aggressive, two-year termination timetable actively being considered and gaining favor.  According to sources to Digital Music News with close and active business relationships with Apple, discussions are now focused “not on if, but when” music downloads should be retired for good.

The sources insisted on confidentiality and required that all conversations be conducted outside of email or any written medium, given the realistic fear of reprisals for sharing details of internal corporate discussions.

 

Back to the story, the sources indicated that a range of shutdown timetables are being considered by Apple, though one executive noted that “keeping [iTunes music downloads] running forever isn’t really on the table anymore.”  Also under discussion is a plan to “ride the [iTunes music download offering] out for the next 3-4 years, maybe longer,” when paid music downloads are likely to be an afterthought in a streaming-dominated industry.

 

Since publication of this story on Wednesday, Apple has issued a rare denial of reported shutdown proposals.

Part of the debate is that paid music downloads still account for hundreds of millions of dollars to Apple, worldwide.  According to an estimate revealed by music industry analyst Mark Mulligan at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, iTunes music downloads will still be worth an estimated $600 million in 2019, though that is down from peak revenues of $3.9 billion in 2012.
“If he were alive, Jobs would have killed it,” one source bluntly stated (and he’s probably right).

 

But this is a ship that is sinking, fast.  “Last year downloads declined by 16% in nominal terms,” Mulligan noted.  “This year they are tracking to decline by between 25% and 30%.”

Earlier estimates by Digital Music News projected song download revenues closer to the $750 million mark, though that could be overly-optimistic given recent declines.




Steve Jobs.

 

Lingering large is the ghost of Steve Jobs, who created a culture of aggressively phasing products out in favor of new ones, even if the older products were still earning money.  That bleeding edge approach of actively cannibalizing Apple’s own products is now legendary, and the stuff of only the gutsiest companies and CEOs.  Within the less renegade Apple of 2016, the question is whether current CEO Tim Cook is guilty of riding out the profits on a dying technology.  “If he were alive, Jobs would have killed it,” one source bluntly stated (and he’s probably right).

 

Apple Music Growth.

 

A critical piece of this puzzle comes from Apple Music, the subscription service launched last July that already boasts 13 million paying subscribers (as first reported by Digital Music News).  According to Mulligan, that number is surging towards 20 million by year end, with Apple’s streaming revenues surpassing peak music download revenues by 2020.  “By 2020 [Apple’s] download business would be tracking to be 10 times smaller than streaming revenue but, crucially, streaming revenue would nearly have reached the 2012 iTunes Store download revenue peak,” Mulligan estimated.

“This is the point at which Apple would choose to turn off the iTunes Store.”

 

Product Confusion.

 

Weighing heavy on the decision-making process is a growing level of confusion amongst various Apple music properties.  Already, download purchases are leading to obnoxious and confusing tie-ins with Apple Music (and for more on that, read this).  Indeed, paying downloaders are being punished by a confusing traffic jam of overlapping offerings, not to mention wandering zombies like iTunes Match, iCloud, and other high-calorie components of iTunes’ ‘bloatware’ application.

Interestingly, the iTunes Store is almost looking like a microcosm of the issues that plagued a ‘Jobless’ Apple in the 90s, when endless computer models, printers, and other confusing peripherals and unnecessary products sagged the company’s profile and nearly plunged it into bankruptcy.  Perhaps this is the perfect time for another serious streamline in music (and other media properties), and a solid wave to the music industry’s past.

Global Considerations.

 

According to the same sources, Apple’s termination could be staggered depending on the country.  The reason is that rollouts and adoption rates can be completely different depending on the global region, with some countries yet to embrace streaming music (music less Apple Music).

 

According to one source, an initial shutdown could take place in ‘tier 1’ countries like the United States, UK, and leading countries in Europe and Asia, with ‘tier 2’ and ‘tier 3’ countries experiencing a staggered shutdown in subsequent years.
Label and Content Owner Considerations.

 

Another wrinkle comes from recording labels themselves, especially independent labels.  That group derives significant revenues from music download sales, and is expected to express significant displeasure against any ‘premature’ shutdown.  “It’s the past, not the future, but then you should know how the music business is,” one source ribbed.

 

Major labels, many of whom stand to gain handsomely from a meteoric rise in streaming, may be more supportive of the termination.  Already, the entry of Apple Music appears to be bolstering music streaming overall, with Spotify thanking the company for pushing it past 100 million users.  In that light, streaming music could enjoy even greater growth with a product clarification and streamlining from Apple.

 

On that front, top Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine, a longtime fixture Universal Music Group before migrating to Apple Music, could play a key diplomatic role in the termination and transition.

 

 

http://www.digitalmu...oads-two-years/


All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

 

 

Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.

 

-Adolf Hitler

 

 

 

 

 


#13 Mr. Roboto

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Posted 23 June 2016 - 07:43 PM


"It was like I was in high school again, but fatter."

#14 artcinco

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Posted 07 July 2016 - 05:28 PM

RUSSIANS HAVE PIRATED MY BAND'S CD!

 

http://www.metal-juk...pic.php?t=14509

 

They think I am Rik Emmett from Triumph! http://raritetno.com...oning-2016.html

 

All over Google! https://www.google.c...ectro reckoning

 

I'm giving something back to the pirating community...


Why do you read that kind of crap, Art? Seriously, I don't get it.

#15 Mr. Roboto

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Posted 07 July 2016 - 07:20 PM

RUSSIANS HAVE PIRATED MY BAND'S CD!

 

http://www.metal-juk...pic.php?t=14509

 

They think I am Rik Emmett from Triumph! http://raritetno.com...oning-2016.html

 

All over Google! https://www.google.c...ectro reckoning

 

I'm giving something back to the pirating community...

 

You're bigtime now man. 


"It was like I was in high school again, but fatter."




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