Faced with heat from iTunes and other digital downloads, the nearly-three-decade-old music CD is slowly melting away.
iTunes-purchased songs now account for 25 percent of the overall music market--both physical and digital--in the U.S., says an NPD Group report released Tuesday. However, CDs are still the most popular format for music lovers, winning a 65 percent slice of the market for the first half of 2009.
An iTunes playlist
(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney)Digital music downloads have jumped in recent years, said NPD, hitting 35 percent of the overall market for the first half of this year, compared with 30 percent last year and 20 percent in 2007.
For the first half of 2009, iTunes itself snagged a 69 percent share of the overall digital music arena, trailed far behind by Amazon.com with 8 percent.
"The growth of legal digital music downloads, and Apple's success in holding that market, has increased iTunes's overall strength in the retail music category," said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD Group.
The CD, though, marches on. Among CD retailers, Wal-Mart leads with a 20 percent chunk of the physical music market, said NPD. Best Buy took a 16 percent share, followed by Target and Amazon at 10 percent each.
Still, the days of the CD seem numbered.
"Many people are surprised that the CD is still the dominant music delivery format, given the attention to digital music and the shrinking retail footprint for physical products," said Crupnick. "But with digital music sales growing at 15 to 20 percent, and CDs falling by an equal proportion, digital music sales will nearly equal CD sales by the end of 2010."
Correction at 3:30 p.m.: The venerable audio CD is actually 27 years old.
Multiroom in a box: The Bundle 250 retails for $999.
(Credit: CNET)
Sonos is back for 2009 with a new version of its signature Digital Audio System. Like earlier iterations of the Sonos product, the new Bundle 250 lets you wirelessly access your computer's digital music collection as well as a wide range of Internet radio and streaming-audio services (Pandora, Last.fm, and--with paid subscriptions--Napster and Rhapsody) in two rooms of the house, with the option to expand that up to a whopping 32 rooms. But the latest Sonos system adds a major upgrade: the CR200 touch-screen remote.
If that wasn't good enough--and the remote is excellent--it can also be controlled by any iPhone or iPod Touch running a free application that's available via the iTunes App Store. The result is a whole-house music system that's easier to control than ever before.
What's the catch? The system costs a somewhat pricey $1,000. While that may seem like a lot, custom-installed systems can cost as much as $5,000 per room and they aren't as easy to use nor do they offer the level functionality found in this system. We were always impressed by Sonos' capability to access your home music collection and a variety of online music options, but the addition of the slick new touch-screen remote--and the iPhone/iPod Touch integration--gives the luxury digital audio system a compelling leg up on the competition.
Read the full review of the Sonos Bundle 250.
Disclosure: Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET Reviews.
When you hear about the music industry these days, there are often figures claiming that digital music downloads--led by new initiatives from the likes of Amazon, Nokia, MySpace, and, of course, Apple--are up year over year by more than 25 percent, and now account for about 20 percent of overall music sales. But let's get the numbers straight. Despite some bright spots, the vast majority of digital downloads are unauthorized and cost nothing.
In fact, a recent report by IFPI, a body that promotes and "safeguards" digital music, says that in 2008 a whopping 95 percent of all music downloads were illegal. Sure, IFPI has an interest in perhaps inflating that stat a bit, but judging from what I've seen out there, I'd say it's still a very high percentage.
No difference: U2's upcoming album No Line on the Horizon will likely cost the same as a CD or digital download--and that doesn't make sense.
(Credit: Wikipedia)You've probably heard about how the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)--and now IFPI--are strongly encouraging ISPs to police digital downloads and bring pirate networks to their knees. There's talk of throttling bandwidth and even more draconian measures, which a lot of consumers aren't too happy about, especially ones who don't like their ISPs to begin with.
All that said, let's pretend for a moment that in some highly improbable scenario, someone or something manages to get pirating totally under control and people are left having to pay for their music. Would sales suddenly take off? Would all be well again in the music industry?
Probably not. The problem is--and has always been ever since digital downloads emerged--that the digital stuff is way too expensive, and that's made a lot of folks feel the music industry is out to rip them off.
CNET is about to close its doors for the rest of 2008, but I couldn't take off on my extra-long, well-deserved holiday break without leaving you with one last tidbit of wisdom for the season of giving. Namely, what's a procrastinator to do when he or she wants to give the gift of digital downloads at the last minute? A couple of options for you below.
(Credit:
Amazon)
Q: I, as most people, am trying to find the last gifts on my list before Christmas. Instead of sending people CDs or movies in the mail, however, I wanted to send them digital CDs or movies to make sure they get there on time and save shipping. Do you guys know of any good places that would allow me to do this?--Jereme, via e-mail
A: This is a great idea for last-minute gifting; in fact, I may have to steal it from you. Doing a little research, I found that two online stores stood out in making the purchase of digital gift certificates a simple task: Amazon.com and iTunes (warning: link launches the iTunes app). Both services offer a wide selection of both audio and video content, though you may want to note that Amazon's MP3 store and video service are in separate areas of the Digital Downloads department, and the iTunes gift certificate requires that the software be downloaded. I would go with iTunes if the giftee is an iPod user, but Amazon is a better bet for those with another portable device or none at all.
MP3 Mailbox Monday will return in 2009--happy holidays!
MP3 Mailbox Monday is a recurring feature where I answer a selection of questions about MP3 players and accessories, such as headphones, speakers, and music services and software. Check back often to see if the advice presented here might be of some use to you, or send your questions directly to me. (Note: We never include last names, but if you prefer to remain completely anonymous, please state as much in your e-mail.)
Gibson's Robot Guitar was awarded a BTDMA for Best Hardware.
(Credit: Gibson)There are some people who actually do embrace the evolutionary impact the Internet has had on music distribution.
A you may have guessed, it's not the music industry. It is the communications industry.
In 2004, British Telecommunications (BT), which offers telecom, broadband, and networked IT services in over 170 countries, became the sponsor of the Interactive Music Awards. Now called the BTDMAs (BT Digital Music Awards), the show exclusively honors digital music entertainment. Elevated to better and bigger venues over the years, it's now televised.
Not surprisingly, the 2008 BTDMA Artist of the Year award went to Radiohead. The group had an unprecedented online album release in 2007 in which it let fans decide how much they wanted to pay for the album download.
Coldplay won for Best Rock/Indie Artist and Best Official Web Site for a musical group.
Locomotion Kylie
(Credit: Kylie.com)Kylie Minogue won Best Pop Artist and Best Innovation. The Best Innovation award is for an offshoot of her official Web site called KylieKonnect.com. The "social network for Kylie fans around the world" allows fans to create their own profile pages. The site also includes a wide selection of Kylie anime characters that fans can have greet them on the official part of the site, such as Locomotion Kylie.
Best Music Hardware award went to the Gibson Robot Guitar. While technically it's not really a robot, opening up the guitar reveals a circuit board that enables the instrument to tune itself in a matter of seconds.
BTDMA, which also included "people's choice" categories, has posted the full list of 2008 winners.
Like to listen to audio books on your MP3 player, but your player lacks a bookmark function? If you have long audio files that haven't already been split into chapters, it can be a pain to fast-forward to the desired point in the track. This tutorial can help you split audio books into shorter tracks on your own. It can also be used with music, although track length and nomenclature will be different than what is described here. (A tip: if you are splitting an audio file with several songs in it, use points of silence as a guide rather than the counter.)
Cost: Free
Time commitment: Varies
System requirements: Mac or Windows
- Download and install Audacity
For either Windows or Mac. - Download and install the latest LAME MP3 encoder
- Extract the LAME file
From the LAME.zip file, extract only the file lame_enc.dll. Save it someplace that's easy to find on your hard drive, such as the desktop. (When you export your files as MP3, Audacity will ask you to locate it.) - Open Audacity
Go to File > Open, then select the audio file you wish to split from wherever it is stored on your hard drive. In the upper-right corner of the window, ensure that the selection tool (it looks like an uppercase "I") button is highlighted. - Highlight selection
Starting at the very beginning of the audio file, click and drag the selector so that it highlights a selection of the file. (You can use the keyboard arrows to zero in on "0" if necessary.) ... Read more
Click on the image above for the full lowdown in the iRiver Spinn.
(Credit: Crave UK )Crave UK got its hands on a fully working iRiver Spinn in its ready-for-sale state Thursday, and man were they excited! This is one of the most hotly anticipated MP3 players of the year, and has been since the world got its first glimpse of a dummy model back in January. Click the photo above for the full scoop from our British compatriots.
That online music market must be awfully tempting catnip to Michael Dell.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Dell for the last few months has been testing a digital music player that could go on sale as early as September. The story (which will surely serve as a nice trial balloon for Dell's marketers) says the music player could sell for less than $100. It will use Wi-Fi to connect to third-party music services.
Dell may get back in on the music action.
(Credit: Dell)If that's deja vu you're feeling, you're not the only one. In 2003, Dell jumped into music biz with its own player. Three years later, it jumped out, with around a 3 percent share of the market. It was one of several disappointing and ultimately abandoned consumer efforts, including forays into televisions and handheld computing devices (though there are reports that Dell may get back into the mobile market).
Could it be different this time around? While it's hard to imagine Dell posing a real threat to the iPod's more than 70-percent share of the digital music player market, never say never. The software behind Dell's device came from Zing, a small company Dell acquired a year ago, according to the WSJ. Dell's music software could also come pre-installed on new Dell PCs. An excerpt from the story:
Software would connect the device to an online subscription service that Dell expects to launch later this year. Through licensing agreements with online music providers, Dell's new service will let consumers download songs and move them between devices like PCs and cell phones. While the device Dell is testing is focused on playing music, Dell's new service also would allow movies to be downloaded and displayed on PCs, for example. Pricing for the new service hasn't been determined.
There are plenty of potential partners for Dell, of course. The company already has ties to music services from Pandora and Rhapsody. And MySpace Music, a major music service that's expected to launch in September with music from at least three of the four major record labels, could also be a major partner, though the Journal article doesn't mention it.
Then again, Dell could decide to do nothing at all. That's what trial balloons are for. But it's hard to imagine Dell or any other PC maker sitting by forever as Apple becomes more and more entrenched in home entertainment.
The Logitech Squeezebox Duet, in CNET's cluttered New York audio lab.
(Credit: CNET)UPDATE: The full review is now up at CNET.com.
The Logitech Squeezebox Duet, our pick for the best home audio product of CES 2008, has just shown up at the office. We spent a few minutes with the system before at CES, but this has been our first chance to sit down and live with the product in our own environment. A full review will follow, but in the meantime, here are some off-the-bat first impressions:
... Read more
(Credit:
RetroBelt)
Whether it's an acknowledgement of mortality or a desire to relive a misspent youth, many of us have acquired a greater appreciation of classic cars, or at least parts of them. And a few are even lucky enough to celebrate their midlife crises by purchasing one. But that's where a problem often arises: What do you do about those ancient radios?
On one hand, it seems disrespectful to replace the original equipment with a new stereo that looks completely inappropriate; on the other, an AM radio just doesn't do justice to a long drive in the countryside. That's where RetroBelt's "Retro Sound" line comes in: It tries to blend the best of both worlds with a vintage look and modern technology, according to Dvice, including CD changers, mini-USB ports, and auxiliary inputs that can pipe in tunes from a digital media player.
Who knows? Maybe once people get tired of wiping the smudges off their touch screens, a backlash might bring back the knob.
