(Opinion) Does Streaming Hurt Sales?

[hausofkc 2,530]

I've noticed that artists or their labels lately are streaming the album a week or two ahead of time. Only letting people to record and leak it out. We live in a very technology driven world where CD sales are declining. I was lucky enough to grow up in the decade where selling just a million CDs the first week was considered a "flop". Back then albums weren't streamed and itunes was non existent. In order to buy a CD you had to actually go to your local store and buy it, giving the sales through a copy at your local music store.

I began to notice over the past few years sales are declining, bad, especially this year. I don't think it has anything to do with how relevant an artist is but it is showing how technology based we are and how easy it is to illegally download an album weeks ahead of time. For example... (not shading, just showing facts) Miley, Britney, Gaga, Katy all released this year with around the same sales 100k-400k. All of these albums were leaks or streamed before the actual release date. Beyonce, however, just randomly dropped an album with no streams, no leaks, and the only place you could find her album was through an itunes purchase and trust me, leaks were HARD to find. She rounded out around 800k. Now i'm not saying that any of these artists don't have the power to sell albums. I just find it interesting the power of the internet and the type of ways music sales these days. I know i'm rambling but it was something on my mind this afternoon.

Thoughts on this? I find it odd we sometimes base sales on how an artist is flopping but when that can't be the case at all.

tl;dr - streaming can hurt sales because of leaks, illegal DLs unlike pre-leak days where artists sold millions.

[Arturo 40,746]

Yes.

2013's single sales were worse than 2012's and in 2013 streaming has grown exponentially. 

[Michael 533]

Yeah I think it does actually.

[Lizzie Jacobson 416]

I mean I use Spotify beacause I'd rather pay 9.99 a month for unlimited streaming of unlimited music which I can save to my phone than pay 1.29 for a single song

 

It's just that buying music is expensive and it starts to add up like I gotta eat

[hausofkc 2,530]

I mean I use Spotify beacause I'd rather pay 9.99 a month for unlimited streaming of unlimited music which I can save to my phone than pay 1.29 for a single song

 

It's just that buying music is expensive and it starts to add up

 

That is true!

 

I've totally forgot about spotify. I'm mostly thinking about itunes doing streams of the album a week before release. I love spotify but I think it's nice they at least wait till the album is out. 

[ChasingGhosts 726]

Yes I think so too.

 

Gaga's sales of course don't hold a candle to those of Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Madonna and David Bowie but if you took into consideration album leaks, streaming are more common now, she still is one of the best selling artists of the digital era, like the ones I mentioned were before her. 

[Yepiz92 127]

I tried most streaming services and didn't like any I love iTunes I have any song I purchased on all my devices in really good quality on iCloud or stored in the device, streaming is taking over but I don't have that much data on my phone monthly to enjoy streaming.

[Luc 4,775]

Yup, streaming does hurt sales.

But illegal downloading hurts sales even more, luckily, streaming is pretty much replacing downloading, and it won't hurt the market. 

In Sweden for example, where sales aren't big at all but Spotify is huge, the market is actually growing really fast. And the same will happen with other European countries such as Norway, Finland, Germany, Holland, Belgium and the UK.

[Harry 26,836]

Of course it does. Digital music should be SO much cheaper. When songs get discounted their sales go up way more. If all songs were that price, the increase in sales would probably make up for the lower price when it comes to the total profit. I don't know why they still push music at the prices they do.

[ryhanna 3,507]

I believe so. 

 

Maybe there will come a time when streaming is what labels and artists aim for, rather than sales. When plays through paid services like Spotify account for more than a purchase of a single on iTunes. 

 

I see it a bit like Netflix. People would rather pay a small monthly fee and have access to a huge library of entertainment, than go to Blockbuster and pay a few dollars for a couple of DVDs. Much in the same way that many people would rather not pay $1.29 for a single song on iTunes. It's more beneficial to them to illegally download the song.

 

Maybe the music industry could counter piracy to an extent by using Spotify, as it has the same principle as Netflix. Small fee, large range. 

[Pandemiya 61]

Yes.

 

Streaming = Recording music from streaming = people recording the music illegally off the stream = less sales = flop

 

[Memo 176]

Nah, I don't think so

Companies are always looking for a way to sell music without piracy, but illegal music will never go away, it has always been there, they used to record songs from the radio, duplicate vinyls, sell illegal CD copies, etc :P

[Chuckles 2,549]

I will never get over the fact that nothing from Beyoncé leaked except a part of the Grown Woman video

[Taylor 964]

Yes, I think so tbh

[MyStory 0]

Yeah and I think it's sad cause it's also hurting the music business. It will be even harder for a new artist to break through in the future.   And people aren't appreciating the artist anymore, they only care about their products.