Comments on: iTunes Becomes No. 2 Music Retailer Despite Majors’ Efforts

By: mackro

mackro — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:03:58 +0000

I'm curiously what the sales for movies and DVDs are for the retailers in comparison to the CDs.

Technically, this isn't music related, but it definitely is music-industry related.

By: the rich girls are weeping

the rich girls are weeping — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:39:13 +0000

@cfitzrandolph: Eh, Wal-Mart is the No. 1 retailer period. It's best just not to think about it too hard. There's nothing you can do about it. For now.

@NoNewYork: It happens to the best of us. Don't fret!

By: NoNewYork

NoNewYork — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:50:44 +0000

funny, after holding out against downloading until college, last year i only bought 2 cds: the good the bad and the queen and the there will be blood soundtrack. huh. i’m everything i despised three years ago.

By: cfitzrandolph

cfitzrandolph — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:35:06 +0000

Does anyone else think that maybe the big problem with this story isn’t the fact that iTunes is the #2 music retailer, but that Wal-Mart is the #1?

By: Nicolars

Nicolars — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:23:04 +0000

I’m not really surprised that iTunes has overtaken Target and Best Buy, both of them seem to be devoting less and less floor space to cds.

By: loudersoft

loudersoft — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:44:22 +0000

@capnbecki: It's been a few years since I dealt with it, but we used to have to fill out "Soundscan Sheets". What they did with them once turned in is not something I'm clear on.

By: noamjamski

noamjamski — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:44:06 +0000

@capnbecki: Unless things have changed, or it is an issue of scale, I was allowed to write in my soundscan numbers back when I was a band on the road selling cds. It was in our interest with our distributor at the time to show more sales, so we actually fudged upward.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:40:29 +0000

I thought you had to pay for the equipment to collect Soundscan numbers on the road? May be why they can’t count those sales. Many smaller labels sell the bands some CDs at cost or 50% of cost for tour and let them keep all the profits.

By: loudersoft

loudersoft — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:31:33 +0000

I think artists, more and more, are fudging their Soundscan sheets on the road so they don’t have to report income made from that extra dollar keeping them alive on tour. The business need for, and our cultural obsession with, Soundscan doesn’t serve every kind of artist out there. I don’t think we can get a truly accurate number from anyone as to where CD sales really are because there’s no direct accounting going on anywhere except in retailers, online or otherwise. Bands sell lots of CD’s and merch on tour, particularly lesser-known ones.