[CallumDavies]

At This Rate, Music Downloads Will Be Dead By 2020

Single-track download sales in the US have crashed by 42% since their peak just four years ago – sparking the real possibility that they could become a dead format within half a decade.

Should the US download market continue to see that level of sales disappear each year, music purchases on the likes of iTunes would be rendered non-existent by 2020.

According to historical Nielsen figures, H1 2016’s haul of 404.3m US download sales was down 42% – or a painful 293.7m – on 2012’s peak tally of 698m.

2016’s 24% year-on-year fall in track downloads compares to a 10% annual fall between 2014-2015 and a 13% drop in 2012-2013 – a hefty jump in the rate of decline for iTunes.

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[Truth Teller]

I thought they'd be over by 2018 tbh

Maybe reducing the price to 0.69c for all songs will keep them afloat for a little while longer I guess. Plus, the slightly older audience that's between the streaming people and the physical album people, but there's not that many of them

[Frogger17]

They said the same thing about CDs, sis.

[Saintlor]

Adele's Hello first week sales prove that people will digital download if they really want the song.

[CallumDavies]

Originally posted by Frogger17

They said the same thing about CDs, sis.

Digital sales and streaming are both digital music formats like directly compete. CDs are physical and maintain a niche, like Vinyl, especially with existing infrastructure like CD players still being prevalent. So the situation is different.

[Lukey]

Lower the damn prices for songs and albums, then it'll survive for longer and the artists will still make enough money!

[Exzime.]

Some people will still download songs to put into their videos/projects or do some mixing. I don't think it'd be non-existent.

[BadBitches]

Haven't downloaded since 2011.

[SpinThatShhh]

I don't get why digital goods cost as much as physical goods.

[ChapelHooker]

Originally posted by SorryI'mLuke

Lower the damn prices for songs and albums, then it'll survive for longer and the artists will still make enough money!

or y'all could stop being cheap and pay for art

the prices already are really low and artists don't get a lot of it either so..

[DoubleDutchess]

Originally posted by Frogger17

They said the same thing about CDs, sis.

[TinkerbellClap]

No pls no. I need the music files when I purchase the songs/albums. **** streaming.

[BadBitches]

Originally posted by SpinThatShhh

I don't get why digital goods cost as much as physical goods.

!!!

[Tropez]

Originally posted by SorryI'mLuke

Lower the damn prices for songs and albums, then it'll survive for longer and the artists will still make enough money!

Labels refuse to do so unless its to increase sales. Honestly $.99 was the perfect price.

This is the industry again killing itself by greed. Streaming is the major format now.

[CallumDavies]

streaming will benefit artists eventually, but adoption of the format has to be at a huge scale - also many artists who signed in the past 5 years get very small amounts of money from their revenue of streams which is paid to their label - because they didn't think streaming would be as big as its become

but as artists renew contracts are renegotiate terms, it will be a good thing - i think

[Tropez]

Originally posted by TinkerbellClap

No pls no. I need the music files when I purchase the songs/albums. **** streaming.

Then why don't you purchase the physical version and rip it?

You're argument is the same thing people said in 2004. And look where we are now, get with the times.

[Monster Megamind]

Originally posted by SpinThatShhh

I don't get why digital goods cost as much as physical goods.

First of all you sit at home and get it and second, just because you download doesn't lower it's artistic value. In fact ebooks of novels are nowadays more expensive than physical copies...

[Ryann]

Mess, she didn't last long

[Kula]

no, i doubt... it may drop to Cyprus-wise like receipts but it wont disapear that soon

[Truth Teller]

Originally posted by CallumDavies

streaming will benefit artists eventually, but adoption of the format has to be at a huge scale - also many artists who signed in the past 5 years get very small amounts of money from their revenue of streams which is paid to their label - because they didn't think streaming would be as big as its become

but as artists renew contracts are renegotiate terms, it will be a good thing - i think

Yep, that's what I think as well. The industry will try to kill off freemium -or at least make it less prevalent- and try to lead the consumers to the monthly subscription plans. Integrating that into the mentality of the public will be a pain in the ass though. "I have Netflix to watch TV and Spotify to listen to music" sounds very logical, but people have been getting music for free for so long, via piracy and then YouTube, that it will take time for them to accept a monthly fee for what was once free. I already made that change though, so I hope it works