Is the music industry embracing the internet?

Posted December 9th, 2007 at 2:09 PM by Chris Marshall

For years now we have heard how the music industry loathes the internet, and a look at some figures could indicate why:

• Industry bosses expect an 11% decline in worldwide sales this year.
• CD sales were down by about 20% in the first half of this year in the US.
• Allowing for growth in digital downloads, total sales fell by 9.3%.
• Illegal downloads at an all-time high - 43% of people download tracks illegally, up from 36% last year.

But there are signs that things are changing after years of denial within the industry. Over the last year we have seen bands launch on the internet, offer their albums on a donation basis, and indie labels using social networking sites to promote their artists.

The latest star to demonstrate this is Kylie Minogue who is the first to create a dedicated social-networking site, KylieKonnect, which “allows her fans to create personal profiles, upload images and blogs, and communicate with other fans across the globe using their mobile phone or web browser.”

http://www.gadgetell.com/2007/12/is-the-music-industry-embracing-the-internet/