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The current commercial model of “CD stores” are in my opinion dinosaurs yet to realise the meteor has landed.
I was reading the other day about “Sounds” closing after its parent company collapsed. “Sounds” was the biggest national chain of music stores in New Zealand. In the article on Stuff.co.nz the company blamed a weak retail market and illegal downloading of music on the internet.
“Auckland-based Real Groovy music store manager Chris Hart said competition from The Warehouse was “huge”, the discount chain selling CDs for about $22 when the full markup price for a music store was about $35”.
Looking at the Real Groovy website you’ll find prices up there on average between $27.95 – $34.95.
Stores like the online Apple itunes store allow you to buy albums digitally and download them onto your computer through itunes. Digital hard-drives are becoming the main transportation and storage device internationally and will continue to be so. Music CDs are now mere transport devices until the user uploads it onto their computer or digital mp3 player.
With the release of the “iPod touch” and the “iPhone” buying has now become mobilised with music available for purchase from the “iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store”. Not that I’m condoning the coffee, but even at selected Starbucks stores if you like the song playing at the time you can purchase it instantly (can’t wait till Peoples Coffee and Mojo get this service ha! ). It is services like this which are showing the direction needed.
I feel the current packaging model is making it even more attractive to buy or “acquire” music online. If you are committed to persuading people to buy a “hard-copy” a far better “packaged experience” could be provided. Something unique, with time and passion invested is necessary. Rather than the cheap “cd booklet” with little quality material, a more thorough and informative book combined with the cd would provide both the digital music and the physical experience.
A local company which has been exploring this “packaging” technique is LOOP Recordings. They have released many multimedia boxed sets containing a CD, DVD and a book. One of the latest examples is “LOOP Select 008: RARE VISION”. It is a “A multimedia firecracker [box set] CD/DVD/Book” containing:
-13 tunes from Recloose, Adi Dick, The Black Seeds, P-Bass Expressway, Kraak & Smaak, Nickodemus etc.
-2 hrs of short films, documentaries, music videos & motion graphics
-20+ artist work showcased.
Check out the online booklet for a taste of this stunning package.
It retails at $44.95, just ten dollars more than the “standard” $34.95 for a regular CD. Currently on the smokecds site they have it at $32.95, a bargain for the content provided.
This is another great example of the possibilities available for music companies who open there eyes, evolve and embrace the exciting possibilities of the mobilised and musical web.
