“EMI Group Plc, the world’s third- largest music company, posted the first sales gain in five years as digital downloads doubled and fans bought albums by Coldplay, Gorillaz and the Rolling Stones. Vivendi Universal SA, owner of the biggest music company, also said music sales climbed. EMI, based in London, said sales increased almost 4 percent in the fiscal year ended March 31. Revenue from downloads jumped to 110 million pounds ($196.6 million), the company said in a statement. Paris-based Vivendi had an 8.4 percent gain in first- quarter music sales to 1.13 billion euros ($1.40 billion) with artists including Prince, Andrea Bocelli and Jack Johnson,” Bloomberg reports. “‘Digital sales are growing quite nicely, and that’s beneficial because the margins are higher’ because there are no manufacturing costs, said Nick Bertolotti, a media analyst at Credit Suisse in London. The music industry is counting on rising digital sales for mobile phones and portable devices such as Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod to counter a decline in compact disc sales. Global music sales fell 3 percent to $33 billion last year as digital sales tripled to $1.1 billion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.”
“Downloading of songs has surged with the growing popularity of digital music players such as Apple’s iPod. The Cupertino, California-based company said yesterday that it shipped 8.5 million iPods in the first quarter, 60 percent more than a year earlier. Apple has sold more than 1 billion songs through its iTunes online music store since it opened in 2003,” Bloomberg reports.
Full article here.
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Related articles:
Report: music labels on verge of abandoning demand for variable pricing on Apple iTunes Music Store – April 20, 2006
Analyst: Apple in driver’s seat when it comes to renegotiating with music labels – March 31, 2006
In 99-cent fight with ‘Looney iTunes’ labels, Apple CEO Jobs will get whatever Jobs wants – September 29, 2005
Warner music exec discusses decapitation strategy for Apple iTunes Music Store – September 28, 2005
Warner CEO Bronfman: Apple iTunes Music Store’s 99-cent-per-song model unfair – September 23, 2005
Analyst: Apple has upper hand in iTunes Music Store licensing negotiations with music labels – September 23, 2005
NYT’s Pogue to record companies: it’d be idiotic to mess with Apple iTunes Music Store prices – August 31, 2005
If these record labels can just show a little patience, then maybe they’ll get their variable pricing in years to come. This is a nascent market and they (the labels) need to let this catch on.
Nonetheless, they owe Napster (for popularizing the digital download) and Apple (for legalizing the digital download with a successful business model) a huge thank you.
99¢ is here to stay!
But Apple and their goddamn uncreative pricing really held the sales back!
Yep, margins are higher. And these fscktards want to charge more per download.
Not many CEOs would have had the cojones to stare them down. What will we do when Jobs is gone?
Record company CEO: “F-ck Apple! Those pantywaist queers in Cupertino can screw! We’ll shove variable-pricing down their ever-lovin’, mother-f-cking, curd-eating throats!!!”
Record company marketing guy: “Ummm . . . you know, we’ve done some modelling, and, uhh, that might not be the best way to go.”
Record company CEO: “What?!?”
Record company marketing guy: “Yaah, umm, it, uhhh, seems as though we’re umm . . . [clears throat] . . . actually making a lot of money. And for very little effort, it, uhh, it appears.”
Record company accountant: “Uhh, actually that’s almost ‘No’ effort or expense, sir.”
Record company CEO: “What the–?!? Are you shittin’ me?!?!?”
Record company accountant: “Ummm, no sir. Seems as though this Jobs fella . . . he, uhh . . . he actually knows what the hell he’s talking about. I mean, who knew?”
Record company marketing guy: “Yaah, it’s a pretty sweet deal, sir. I really think we should just, you know, let things lie.”
Record company CEO: “Lie? Oh, shit, I know all about that.”
Record company marketing guy: “Uhh, no, no sir, what I meant was . . . “
Record company CEO: [To intercom] “Brenda, get me Jobs. I wanna be the first to suck up to that closet-homo’s peacenik ass before those bastards at Vivendi get to him.”
[pause]
“Oh, and bring me some more blow!”
And maybe the labels will also finally realize how important it is for Rolling Gorillaz to Play with Cold Stones.
Pino-your scenario was easily worth 99 cents.
Vivendi who lobbied the French Gov to bring in the extra ‘anti Apple’ clauses to the downloads bill.
I loved your take and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
Oops. Crap.
I meant, pino, I loved your take and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Actually, a pinoblog might be quite entertaining.
Meaningless.
Their greed blinds them to this positive uptick and they’ll continue to clamour for vari-pricing. Steve, time to bring out the baseball bat…
Do you know something we don’t know ? Have you some unknown source of information ? Or is it just because Vivendi is French you jumped to that hasardous conclusion ? After all, if the French gov was lobbied, why not by EMI for example ?
drool, drool, drool, drool, drool, drool, my payola!
I am convinced Vivendi’s deep pockets lobby efforts are behind the silly and destructive proposal by the French legislature. It is not about monopoly, it is about fear of losing their own control, and loss of their ability to overcharge the consumer at will.
Oh, you are convinced… Well, I’m not. But some facts, or a beginning of evidence could do it.
It’s a well known fact that bribery and corruption are part of every francophone politician’s DNA.
Take it from a Canadian who has watched it happen time and time again in Canada for the last 30 or so years.
In human discourse, well known facts are generally nothing but broad generalizations and sweeping prejudices, as you brillantly demonstrate.
bit late but here was my original source info
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/opinion_vivendi_and_the_hypocrisy_of_frances_legislation/
pino.
Pino, the humanoid robot was developed in anticipation of the RoboCup Humanoid League.
Is it possible anymore to be humorous and not slither into the gutter?