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Major music labels try to staunch drop in CD sales with new USB format singles

DailyTech reported not long ago that iTunes is now the largest music seller -- Apple announced in September that iTunes had sold 3 billion downloads since it started selling music. The massive move from hard copies of music to digital downloads has the record companies looking to sell its own digital singles.

Rather than offer the digital singles as downloads like iTunes, Universal Music announced that it would begin to release its singles on USB flash drives this month in an attempt to gain more sales volume. One reason Universal wants to stay with a physical product rather than a digital download is that the retail margins are better on physical copies of music.

The first digital tracks to be released from Universal will be from Keane on October 29 and Nicole, the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.  The USB singles will retail in the UK for about $10 USD. A CD single of the same tune retails for about $6 USD.

Universal UK’s commercial director Brian Rose told The Times Online UK that, “This is aimed at the younger, 12 to 24 year olds, who no longer believe that the CD is as cool as it used to be.” Many music fans in that age group won’t be swayed to a new digital format that is more expensive and less convenient than a digital download.

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Coolness..
By fishmonger12 on 10/18/2007 5:23:12 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
“This is aimed at the younger, 12 to 24 year olds, who no longer believe that the CD is as cool as it used to be.”


I'm sure it has everything to do with coolness and nothing to do with ease of use.

Billy: "Listen to this sweet tune dude!"
Bobby: "What the hell is that?"
Billy: "It's a thumb drive, don't you carry your computer around with you everywhere?"




RE: Coolness..
By Merry on 10/18/2007 5:27:04 PM , Rating: 3
To be honest, with a band like Keane i dont think coolness comes into it.....

But apart from that I still dont think its a very good idea. Its just too, well geeky.


RE: Coolness..
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 10/18/2007 5:29:24 PM , Rating: 2
Keane friggin' rocks. I first got turned on to them when I head "Everybody's Changing" on Scrubs a few years back.

I was also quite surprised that Kanye West said in a recent Rolling Stone interview that he also digs Keane... and John Mayer.


RE: Coolness..
By RjBass on 10/18/2007 6:21:09 PM , Rating: 1
Geeky?

Nearly every kid in my kids school has a 1gb or larger thumb drive. They don't consider it geeky, they consider those who gon't have at least 1gb or more losers.

Funny i know, but for the "i generation" it's all about technology.


RE: Coolness..
By Silver2k7 on 10/18/2007 9:01:52 PM , Rating: 3
usb flash drives are the new floppies.

what format is the music in, I would prefer it to be lossless and without drm like flac.


RE: Coolness..
By rippleyaliens on 10/18/2007 9:52:20 PM , Rating: 2
Well it is a stupid idea. I guarantee that the drives will be like 16-32mb in size. like i want to carry 10 thumb drives around. DEFEATS the purpose of having a car stereo or cd player.
ME- I would gladly pay the artist DIRECTLY for the songs i want. NOW that i would do. PAying apple $1 for a song, that i NEED to have a IPOD (comming very soon) is just insane. For artist's i would give them the $1 for the song i want no questions asked. or even the distributor (as long as i buy the song, i can atleast burn to a media, that can be played in the car or home stereo) Technology is cool and all BUT WE ALL HAVE lives. and being plugged into our PC isnt part of it. IPOD is cool, but i dont listen to that piece of junk, when i have a 2k WATT stereo in the car, and a nice surround stereo in the living room. COMPROMISE!!!!!


RE: Coolness..
By afkrotch on 10/18/07, Rating: -1
RE: Coolness..
By Spivonious on 10/19/2007 8:27:36 AM , Rating: 2
I can honestly say that I've never had a CD skip in a car player. Unless there were major scratches of course.


RE: Coolness..
By TomZ on 10/19/2007 9:21:20 AM , Rating: 2
Same here - never - not even once across all the CDs I've played and all the cars I've played them in. It's totally a non-issue.


RE: Coolness..
By jskirwin on 10/19/2007 9:43:10 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Same here - never - not even once across all the CDs I've played and all the cars I've played them in. It's totally a non-issue.


Most of the music I listen to is not radio friendly, so I listen to CD's all the time in both of my vehicles - a 2006 Nissan and 1999 Honda. The latter's OEM stereo is an Alpine, and one of the best car stereo's I've owned.

But skipping is a major issue for me - especially in the '06 Nissan - with an sub-standard OEM stereo. I've found that Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs minimize the problem.

The biggest problem is that it's hard to resurface a scratched CD. Most OTC treatments are based on abrasives that buff out the scratches. This works for some minor scratches, but leaves deeper scratches as well as those near the center or at the edges untreated.

Resurfacing units run several hundred/thousands of dollars. I have a CD collection running close to a thousand I'd guess, nearly all of it issued by the recording labels (few CD-Rs).

I've resorted to using brass polisher to hand buff the CD's, a real PIA but the best solution I've found so far.

So while skipping may not be an issue for you guys, it's a big problem for others like me. But I grant, the whole thumb-drive thing is dumb.


RE: Coolness..
By Parhel on 10/19/2007 2:28:32 PM , Rating: 2
I have to ask . . . how do you treat your CDs? Do you regularly leave them out of their case, or set them down on the shiny side?

I have about 400 CDs, and I'm on my 5th car with a CD player, and I have never had an issue with skipping.


RE: Coolness..
By murphyslabrat on 10/18/2007 5:30:23 PM , Rating: 3
This could cause music player manufacturers to include USB ports on the devices. Personally, while not as widely utilized, I think that SD cards would work better. They would be a little cheaper due to the smaller shell and less metal.


RE: Coolness..
By Lonyo on 10/18/2007 5:41:44 PM , Rating: 2
People carry CD players around with them?


RE: Coolness..
By Polynikes on 10/18/2007 5:47:31 PM , Rating: 4
Then there's the other problem: Who buys singles anymore nowadays?


RE: Coolness..
By TomZ on 10/18/2007 8:25:45 PM , Rating: 2
They're much more popular in the UK than in the US.


RE: Coolness..
By afkrotch on 10/18/2007 11:30:06 PM , Rating: 4
Japanese are a good example. The way they do it, is they release nothing but singles. After time, as the single accumulate, they'll release a compilation of all the singles, with music that wasn't released as singles.

You'll normally get 4 - 5 single releases over the course of like 5 months, then the compilation cd a couple weeks after that last single they decided to release.

This usually only happens with the popular bands. So they can make more money. Singles go for around $10 - $15, while the full album goes for $30 - $40.


RE: Coolness..
By Spivonious on 10/19/2007 8:29:34 AM , Rating: 2
That's how the U.S. did it back in the 50s. An album was originally a collection of singles, contained in one album to flip through. Of course, then technology improved and you could fit more than one song per side of a record.


RE: Coolness..
By PitViper007 on 10/19/2007 8:31:26 AM , Rating: 2
They don't even sell them anymore where I'm from. I know. I have a friend that wanted this one song which had not been released yet (but I didn't know that then....). I went to FYE and asked if they had the single of the song, and the rep just looked at me then laughed. She said they haven't sold singles for years, mainly because of iTunes. I guess that shows how long it's been since I've tried to buy a CD....


RE: Coolness..
By MonkeyPaw on 10/18/2007 6:25:39 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
...don't you carry your computer around with you everywhere?


Actually, my car's aftermarket stereo has a USB port on it. I have a 2GB stick that I fill with MP3s, which gives me an easily customizable playlist and hours of non-stop music while driving. It's so simple; it really should be a standard feature in cars these days.

The problem as I see it is having a single track per stick--it's such a waste of resources. Not to mention that people will go mad trying to keep track of all those single-song sticks. Putting a whole Album on a stick wouldn't be so bad, or maybe an entire artist's library for that matter (and price it accordingly).


RE: Coolness..
By EglsFly on 10/18/2007 9:46:41 PM , Rating: 3
You go to the store to pick up a new single, and can't wait to load it up in your car and listen to it on the way home..., except that MOST vehicles do not have a USB input!!!

Sure there are some new aftermarket radios that have the input, but the millions of other cars (likely 99%)already on the road do not.


RE: Coolness..
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