A MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
The decline in CD sales that has been happening for the last several years appears to be 
accelerating. Last week’s sales were off 12.9% from the comparable week in 2004 and sales for the year are down more than 10%.
The labels need to stop blaming outside forces and deal with the current realities. As our small contribution to the debate here is…
HYPEBOT’S MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
- Stop blaming a lack of hit product and start nurturing new talent.
- Stop suing individual file sharers and drop all copy protection to regain consumer confidence.
- Stop blaming P2P and start embracing new technologies: legal P2P, podcasting , subscription services and technologies that haven’t even been invented yet.
- Stop flirting with value-added schemes like CD Plus and CD/DVD hybrids and embrace them. Why shouldn’t every release (physical or downloaded) include bonus files of lyrics, interviews, cards, videos, and more?
- Stop charging consumers more for a CD than they pay for a DVD and start aggressively experimenting with variable pricing both in stores and with downloads. Hit singles may sometimes cost more, but why not price more developing artists much lower to encourage discovery. And why aren’t there more super low price samplers of new artists?
- Stop worrying about commercial radio and start supporting non-commercial, satellite and Internet broadcasting as well as mp3 blogs, online music sites and communities, and print and net delivered magazines and fan zines.
- Stop thinking that every act has to go platinum and start creating a profitable business around artists who consistently sell 50,000 – 250,000 CD’s. Fragmented media is already leading to fewer superstars and a lot more mid-level artists. But when the artist’s "output" resides on a hard drive rather than gathering expensive dust on store shelves or in warehouses; can’t smaller but longer term sales numbers be profitable?
- Stop trying to hide your head in the sand and embrace the change. It can be profitable and it might even be fun!
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