Interesting. I once was a member of a songwriter organization and in
the mid-80s we were told that the boomers did something no other
prior generation did, keep buying records after they turned 30. So I
see from your report that those who were 10 and younger when the
mp3 revolution started and those who are out of the key target
demographics for pop music radio (18-34/18-49) are the ones
leaving cds. I wonder how much of the decline may be attributed to
shuttered retail, though, that of course is a chicken-egg relationship.
While the deltas for numbers of purchasers is a fine statistic, I wonder
what the per person sales amount are.
Pop music has typically been cyclical, subject to recessions, and
primarily profitable in a very young demographic. I know the industry
thinks mp3s and infringing downloads pushed them off the cliff in
2000, but I suggest other media, the reduction in music programming
on broadcast radio, real declines in disposable income, and the aging
of the boomers were the long-term trends that mattered.
Discussion on:
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