The Rise, Fall, and Partial Revival of the Recorded Music Industry

[eddymotto]

A very cool chart on the recorded music industry split by media format.



Few formats have lasted more than a decade in the modern music industry, according to data from the RIAA. In the early 80s 8-track tapes and vinyls were getting pushed out by cassettes. Then the CD arrived and the industry transformed. Paying $10, $15 or even $20 for a CD became normal and the industry flourished, hitting its peak revenue in 1999.

The good times didn't last forever though. File-sharing websites like Napster and others cropped up in the late 90s. Music was "set free", and industry revenues — which have to be shared between artists, songwriters, record labels, agents and publishers — collapsed. At one point ringtones were once worth 11% of the entire US recorded music industry. That's how bad it got.

Since then, streaming has helped push the industry back to growth, even if it's still a fraction of its former self.

Will streaming make way for something else, as has happened to every other format before it? Investors seem to think it's here to stay.

Source: Chartr.co

 

[Pliny Pete]

Record companies have found a way to control streaming and once again choke every cent of profit out of the artists
All is well in America again

 

[THE Red Beard]

Record companies have found a way to control streaming and once again choke every cent of profit out of the artists
All is well in America again

Would you say the Music Industry is the kid and they are winning again or would you say the record sales are the kid and the music industry had kids again?

 

[Get To Da Choppa]

It's amazing that in less than 20 years the issue of pirating is mostly solved through streaming services. I remember the days of Napster and Kazaa, and how the music and movie industries were sounding panic alarms. Nowadays I bet most Gen Z and people even younger don't even know how to torrent

 

[Drain Bamage]

CD era was the GOAT era imo

You'd buy an album and learn it front to back, only the best bands put out albums with no filler tracks

 

[Gracious Warrior]

CD era was the GOAT era imo

You'd buy an album and learn it front to back, only the best bands put out albums with no filler tracks

It was expensive but I do miss the pleasure of my favorite artists putting out an album then going to the record store to cop it.

Music is just way to easy to acquire nowadays and it takes some of the joy away.

Not to mention album art and lyrics inside were real treats.

 

[MusterX]

CD era was the GOAT era imo

You'd buy an album and learn it front to back, only the best bands put out albums with no filler tracks

In terms of art and overall experience of the purchase because of how much you could get in ADDITION to the music, nothing beat vinyl albums.

 

[MTT]

Vinyl prices in the niche of what audiophiles seek are through the roof. Hundreds of dollars+ for the best sounding pressings. It makes sense. Vinyl album covers are artwork and the vinyl medium is perhaps bested only by reel-to-reel in terms of quality. CDs are cool but the loudness wars took a toll and the extra space on CDs allowed them to be crammed full of dogshit filler and alternate cuts no one cares about.

 

[eddymotto]

It's amazing that in less than 20 years the issue of pirating is mostly solved through streaming services. I remember the days of Napster and Kazaa, and how the music and movie industries were sounding panic alarms. Nowadays I bet most Gen Z and people even younger don't even know how to torrent

absolutely. "piracy" turned out not to be a moral issue but rather a question of having an effective business distribution model for the internet age

 

[dc007]

It's amazing that in less than 20 years the issue of pirating is mostly solved through streaming services. I remember the days of Napster and Kazaa, and how the music and movie industries were sounding panic alarms. Nowadays I bet most Gen Z and people even younger don't even know how to torrent

The generation raised with a phone in their face probably knows how to torrent. Those kids don't even leave the house for the most part and just "socialize" through apps. Fucking lame ass gen.

 

[hohner]

I like music imo

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

That's pretty cool graph, thanks for sharing. I think the whole industry has to constantly adapt to the technology that's going on. It's always evolving, you just have to go with the flow.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

I wonder what synchronization revenue totals.

 

[Horus]

I loved CDs but getting quite a collection gets annoying and space consuming. I feel they sound the best out of all the options.
There is an obvious problem with streaming. You need to be online or have downloaded. Or you need to have access to those devices etc. For people who lose those access to those accounts etc for whatever reason (broke, damaged, locked out, maybe poor social credit rating in the future) you don't get the access and at least for me, that would be a massive problem.

 

[Drain Bamage]

I loved CDs but getting quite a collection gets annoying and space consuming. I feel they sound the best out of all the options.
There is an obvious problem with streaming. You need to be online or have downloaded. Or you need to have access to those devices etc. For people who lose those access to those accounts etc for whatever reason (broke, damaged, locked out, maybe poor social credit rating in the future) you don't get the access and at least for me, that would be a massive problem.

Owning the physical media will always be king for movies and music

 

[Elzio Dennick]

Give me the CD, usually get a booklet that comes with it talking about the artists, love that.

I own over 10,000 of them twice that many cassette tapes and about 1000 records. Not one 8 track.

The History of Jazz.....comes with a little book.
Have a lot of those kinds of things.....Blues From Texas....Best of Western Swing...The DooWop Groups, all come with actual books.

Yep, had shelves built in my Fortress of Solitude to house all that music, all by artists.

 

[JangoMike]

Its the era of DIY as well. There is a flood of artist putting out music (across many forms of media and making money) from every kind of quality, in every kind of genre. Sure a lot of it is crap, but the cream always rises to the top too....

 

[Horus]

Give me the CD, usually get a booklet that comes with it talking about the artists, love that.

I own over 10,000 of them twice that many cassette tapes and about 1000 records. Not one 8 track.

The History of Jazz.....comes with a little book.
Have a lot of those kinds of things.....Blues From Texas....Best of Western Swing...The DooWop Groups, all come with actual books.

Yep, had shelves built in my Fortress of Solitude to house all that music, all by artists.

Wow. Thats more than anyone I've heard of

 

[Elzio Dennick]

Wow. Thats more than anyone I've heard of

Gotta have my music, yep, a junkie.

Convicts working on a chain gang music
African trinal music
Indian flute music
Classical
Prewar Blues
Postwar Blues
Ragtime
Jazz
Country
Hillbillie
Doowop
Soul
Funk
Rockabilly
R&B
Movie soundtracks
Rap
Heavy Metal
Hip Hop
Rock & Roll
Big Band
Reggae
Punk

...it's all there.

Tons of stuff most have never heard of...

 

[Horus]

Gotta have my music, yep, a junkie.

Convicts working on a chain gang music
African trinal music
Indian flute music
Classical
Prewar Blues
Postwar Blues
Ragtime
Jazz
Country
Hillbillie
Doowop
Soul
Funk
Rockabilly
R&B
Movie soundtracks
Rap
Heavy Metal
Hip Hop
Rock & Roll
Big Band
Reggae
Punk

...it's all there.

Tons of stuff most have never heard of...

Do you have a high end sound system too?