Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Digital Download is Indeed the Genuine Successor to the CD

After reading a blog entry by the popular Music Industry blogger Mark Mulligan, I realized that I completely disagree with his view on D.I.S.C.: The Music Format Bill Of Rights

The days of gaining significant revenue and popularity based primarily on CD sales are long gone and will NEVER return. That is why basing any ideology off of “what was” is just preposterous. It is naturally difficult for seasoned veterans of the music industry to grasp this because they have tasted the
success with old methods of massive distribution and popularity that was not primarily based via the Internet.


Anyone who is “up and coming” in the industry knows that it’s all about numbers and CD sales are not in those calculations. An artists' worth is now measured by their followers on Twitter, “Likes” on Facebook, and hits on YouTube. These numbers combined with digital download statistics formulate digital success figures that can be used in marketing talent. CD sales show no format of overall marketing value. The “bread and butter” of music will never be album sales again. The new “bread and butter” is now the opportunities generated by digital popularity, which can span from performances and appearances to the sale of artist related merchandise and monetized websites.

Artist/Media based Apps can be viewed as the modern “enhancement” for the CD, to use the term “replacement” would be an understatement. This is a logical trend to follow due to the influx of smart devices (iPads, Nooks, Kindle Fires, and Tablets), which has raised the accessibility of Apps very high for society. Artists/Entertainers now have the opportunity to connect with the public in ways that CD’s cannot.

Erik Loehfelm’s article on Digital Publishing is a perfect example of the possibilities Artists/Entertainers can now accomplish with today’s technological opportunities. 

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