Chris Anderson’s Long Tail discusses the Mainstream Media’s meltdown.
Readers of the Big Picture have seen this argument phrased slightly differently: Its the shift from analog old media to digital new media.
But Chris gets it right, noting the following are "Flat to Way Down:"
- Music: sales last year were down
21% from their peak in 1999- Television: network
TV’s audience share has fallen by a third since 1985- Radio: listenership
is at a 27-year low- Newspapers: circulation peaked in
1987, and the
decline is accelerating- Magazines: total
circulation peaked in 2000 and is now back to 1994 levels- Books: sales
growth is lagging the economy as whole
What’s up? Digital:
- Movies: 2004 was another record year, both for theaters and DVDs
- Videogames: even
in the last year of this generation of consoles, sales hit a new record- Web: online ads will grow 30%
this year, breaking $10 billion (5.4% of all
advertising)
Of all these industries which have seen their business models dmaaged by newer media, why are only one or two suing their clients?
Actually, I saw an interesting short article the other day (where? I have no idea–the joys of middle age). It noted that while the major lables are steadily losing sales and blaming it on P2P, indie labels are growing like mad. Rounder, the largest indie label, I believe, said their sales were up something like 80% last year (I’m not sure, but it was a very impressive figure). Others were clocking in with sales increases of 40% to over 100%.
Technology is not the problem. The major labels have just become terrible at the music business, from signing and fleecing new acts all the way down the supply chain. But like big business in general, they’ll create enough of a stink to stay afloat and make trouble for their bogus ‘enemies’ like P2P software makers.
Have cable channels like HBO been growing? Seems like when i use to have a TV, the only thing i would bother to watch was HBO.
Also, hasn’t public radio been growing?
And spanish language radio? Their was a lengthy article in Rolling Stone about the declining rock-radio listenership, and expanding spanish language radio listenership.
HBO has actually flattened because they have reached most of the homes they’re going to reach.
I would say that the analysis here is great – except that movies are likely to decline….just my point of view….