Can the music industry afford to ignore 30% of its potential customer base?
A new survey by The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration shows that 30% of U.S. consumers do not access the internet, but for most it's not because they don't want to.
When asked why they have no Internet connection at home, "don't need/not interested" represented 16.7% of those surveyed, "too expensive" was the answer for 38.9%. And when dial-up net users were asked why they don't upgrade to broadband, "not interested "shrank to 7.3% and "too expensive" jumped to 41.3%.
Answers for the music industry:
One solution is certainly to support The Obama administration's efforts to spread affordable broadband access to poorer and rural areas. But another interim strategy could be to not abandon the physical format so quickly and - just as the experts preach in the digital realm - make the product available wherever the consumer spends their time.
If Wal-Mart want to shrink thier music section, would Dollar General make space for a brave rack jobber? Or what about music pop-up stores across from arena size concerts or at the county fair?
Read the full Digital Nation survey results. (pdf)
