Illegal Downloaders Spend More Money On Music

@Metalex, already explained why I don't want AAC. Not arguing that technically it is better, but all my collection is MP3 and I know pretty much anything will play them. I am not sure that is the case with AAC. I just know where I stand with MP3 and that is what I am comfortable with. Simple as that really.

Didn't realise iTunes allowed you to convert AAC to MP3 so easily - as I said I don't have any AAC. But I will look into that. It is still bloody hassle I would rather do with out.

The bottom line is that the music industry has been too slow in moving with the times and basically they have made the situation so much worse for themselves. Had they embraced technology from the outset and worked with it, rather than against it, then whole culture of music downloading could well have been different now. The fact is that they scared many people off (CD's that shagged peoples computers anyone, DRM, DRM, DRM!) that it is now the accepted norm to get it for nothing. Not saying it is right, but that is where we are now. I do feel sorry for the artists but I have little sympathy for the record labels. If there is no money in making music in the future, then so be it! I am sure people will still make music just for the love - they just won't all become millionaires! Not the first industry to have gone through that - welcome to the real world!

@Metalex: I already said I was no expert on the matter and that there were exceptions to every rule (the rule being that the commonly held opinion is actually that touring can make a lot of money for bands. I've seen this used as an example for the Freemium economy explained by Chris Anderson - editor of Wired US edition).

In any case, you seem to have misquoted me. What I pointed out those articles mostly agreed upon was, and I quote: "general consensus seems to be that selling Records/CDs hardly ever made any money for any band no matter how far back you look" (and by how far back I meant references to the 80s).

As for artists complaining about lack of control. If the ARTISTS actually complained about that then they're bloody stupid. The more of their music is out there the better. The only ones actually complaining are the music INDUSTRY fat cats. They're the only ones who could ever be concerned about having less control over music distribution, so I think you're either getting confused or have been reading some seriously skewed articles yourself.

Do I think I'm "entitled" to free music? No. Nothing should be totally free. But I also don't see 100% piracy rates of music either. To put it simply, with the advent of the internet and heck I'll even throw in cheaper international calls and txting, TV, mobile phones etc.(oh, and Twitter) the audience experiencing any band's music has probably quadrupled at least. And yes I am guessing here because I don't have the figures. But where you could only reach 1000 people before, you can now reach 100, 000. The only difference is the blinkered view of the music industry.
Taking the previous example. 1000 people. Say 500 buy a CD, that's 50%.
Now, an audience of 100, 000. 10,000 buy a CD. Way more than before. But oh wait, that's just 10%. The rest are PIRATES and are stealing from us!
No they're not, they just chose not to buy it. Before they could experience it on the radio or in a club or at a mate's house or they'd get a copy made.
And even those who download songs often then buy the full album as a gift for other people (yes I have first-hand accounts of this).

Basically, the market is bigger. The percentages are smaller. The fat cats are greedy, and it's all number-fudging. I'm really sorry that some artists get caught up in this, but it's their fault for signing up to a rip-off deal with a record company. They should show them either salute requiring 1-2 amount of fingers as preferred and join the 21st Century.

Rant over, and Lord Mandelson can f*ck off, too.

P.S. This was not a personal attack. Please have a nice day, and enjoy your weekend (responsibly).

I'd agree that record companies have been slow to move with the times and certainly aren't blameless in all of this.

drdark, you say this is a commonly held opinion, but whose opinion is it, and does this opinion mean it's a fact? Of course, if planned well, promoted well and backed financially, touring COULD become profitable, but the reality for many bands is that it isn't. Whether someone has an opinion that touring could make money is besides the point, as many bands claim that the reality is very different. It certainly wasn't my intention to misquote you, I was simply asking for convincing evidence that touring is somehow a magical alternative to CD sales and will make everything OK again for struggling artists who are suffering because of illegal downloading - afterall I was responding to a point about gig tickets sales and I thought you were too. I've yet to see any evidence of this from anyone.

In terms of control, I can only go on what I've read from some artists in general, but many have said that THEY want to decide if their music is distributed freely on the internet, not some guy who has ripped a CD and put it on to a P2P network. Of course exposure can help, but should it not be up to the artist to decide that?

Your speculative figures on percentages and sales figures sound very nice, but until it happens, it's only potential. There's much to be proved in terms of whether the fact more people can be reached will result in higher sales. As long as music is available for free, then people will steal it rather than paying for it, so maybe preventative measures are required to stop this. Until then, artists are struggling and record shops are closing.

@Metalex:
I keep repeating that I'm no expert because I'm not what you'd call an audiophile and am certainly not up to date with all the latest bands. So, I've been hoping someone with the relevant knowledge would step in and provide a bit more exact detail. I'm already locked into heated conversations about the gaming industry killing itself, and only felt the need to speak up here since "filesharers" and "pirates" are often grouped into the same box.

Having said that, in regards to your final paragraph, I can provide official figures provided by the industry itself which partially prove my point. And they were supplied by this very site:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/news/2009/01/16/95--Music-Downloads-Illegal--Industry-Grows-Nevertheless/p1

Now, despite that report's sensationalist headline (95% and whatnot), the key is in the paragraph before last:
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On top of this the IFPI admits the digital music business internationally "saw a sixth year of expansion in 2008, growing by an estimated 25 per cent to US$3.7 billion in trade value" and that "recorded music is at the forefront of the online and mobile revolution, generating more revenue in percentage terms through digital platforms than the newspaper (4%), magazine (1%) and film industries (4%) combined."
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I think I've now babbled enough on this topic, so best be on my way. Live long and prosper.