A venda de discos continua em queda

Album Sales Continue to Drop, Yearly Gap Widens (via Digital Music News)

US album sales have been steadily losing steam this year, but now the situation appears to be worsening. Most recently, weekly sales hits 9.96 million units, a dip of nearly 5 percent compared to the same week in 2004.
Performance drops like those are now commonplace, though overall yearly sales levels are now starting to become a serious issue. Cumulative sales this year recently hit 415 million, a gap of about 10.5 percent below similar figures in 2004. The yearly deficit now stands at nearly 50 million albums, which offers a big challenge for the fourth quarter sales window.
Chart-toppers for the most recent period included Gretchen Wilson, Sheryl Crow, Three 6 Mafia, Toni Braxton, Kanye West, and Sean Paul.

Now, the glare is focused on the all-important 2005 result. Most recently, the RIAA released figures for the first six months of this year, which indicated that retail shipments had dipped 5.8 percent on volume of 326.1 million units. That is a disappointing result, and raises big questions about the long-term health of the physical sector. Globally, the picture has been somewhat similar. In a sales tally produced over the weekend, international trade group IFPI reported that physical product had dipped 6.6 percent over the same period. But digital sales tripled for the period, though so far physical sales represent a large majority of overall earnings.

A rádio na internet como resposta aos formatos

As rádios free format na internet

O declínio dos formatos físicos

"A decline in physical formats is being slowly offset by an increase in digital sales, according to global music industry trade group IFPI. Sales of physical product dipped 1.9 percent to $13.2 billion worldwide during the first six months of 2005, per the recently published figures. But the digital story is starting to show some traction, moving to $790 million during the period, a sizeable jump from $220 million over the same window in 2004. Meanwhile, digital sales now account for 6 percent of the overall pie."
O resto aqui.

Vantagens do hibridismo

Dois excertos de um estudo sobre o hibridismo ("é cada vez mais dificil distinguir os LDM e os telemoveis com música"):
"The report found that 20% of all consumers surveyed are interested in purchasing an MP3-capable phone, a number that rises to 56% among teens. Three-quarters of those who expressed an interest are willing to pay a premium for MP3 phones, an average of $25 extra for the option.
Equally compelling, especially to record companies, consumers are willing to pay a premium for songs. According to NPD Group's price sensitivity analysis, the optimal price point for mobile music downloads is $1.75, compared with the 99 cents online music services typically charge."

e

«"More and more consumers are migrating their music libraries to their PCs," said Russ Crupnick, president of the NPD Group's Music & Movies division. "It's a simple process to download tracks directly to the desktop from the Web, then sync the entire music list with existing home audio systems and portable MP3 players -- including MP3-enabled mobile phones.»

A importância dos downloads

Study Shows Need for On-air, Online Integration

New York - Sep 21, 2005 - A Mediaspan study of nearly 35,000 radio listeners across all formats in major U.S. markets shows that local radio could grow its relationship with audiences if they further integrate their on-air and online programming and promotions. The results of the study show that more than a quarter (26 percent) of 18 to 29 year olds download ringtones monthly. Also, overall 11 percent of all respondents say they download podcasts on a monthly basis, 13 percent say they would use a radio station website to download podcasts if they were available. These two downloads are the only two music and radio-related categories where respondents' likelihood to use and download increases over current monthly use if new content is available.

The study also found 28 percent of 18-29 year olds say they download music monthly. Only 14 percent say they are purchasing MP3 or electronic music files online on a monthly basis. Most likely file sharing makes up for the activity gap.

The study also confirmed that listeners access radio station across multiple platforms with 40 percent of 18-29 year olds (vs. 28 percent of those 30 or older) listening to streaming music from radio station weekly.

"This was a massive study that shows pretty clearly that while radio is still a primary medium for most consumers, other new media forms are changing the way that users, especially younger audiences, relate to radio," says Mark Zagorski, CMO of study sponsor Mediaspan.

Leitores de MP3 à frente da rádio

Yahoo, OMD Study: Youth Prefer the Internet over Radio

New York - Sep 27, 2005 - According to a study of 13 to 24-year-olds in 11 countries, Yahoo and OMD Worldwide find that younger people have become accustomed to personalizing their experiences with interactive media. This preference for personalization also shows a different attitude and response to advertising and marketing messages.

Today's youth can customize and personalize many parts of their lives, including individual playlists on MP3 players, personalized skins and wallpapers on programs and devices. The study shows that they will actively seek, modify or create their own tailored products and services.

The study showed that as advertising channels become more personal, receptivity to seeing or hearing advertising through that channel decreases. Advertising in traditional media is generally considered more acceptable to youth than advertising in new media channels. However, receptivity to advertising via "their" media (established media), vs. "our" media (the Web) vs. "my" medium (personal devices) varies considerably by country. In some countries, receptivity to advertising in new media is higher than receptivity to advertising in some traditional media outlets. Sixty-three percent of Indian youth agree that it is okay to see advertising on websites, while only 51 percent found advertising acceptable on outdoor signs, movie theaters or radio.

OMD notes that a key finding from this study is today's youth can fit as much as 44 hours of activities in one day through multitasking. Their ability to perform three tasks simultaneously allows them to potentially increase their media consumption during an average day.

Traditional media (TV, radio and print) are still heavily used by this group, serving vital but increasingly niche functions. Traditional media are often pushed to background status in the media-meshing hierarchy. In each country, the Internet or mobile phone ranked highest for the most essential media to youth.

There are two notable findings in the survey:

The Internet has surpassed radio as the preferred medium for music among youth in all countries. This preference is especially pronounced outside the United States. Specifically, among American youth, 47 percent prefer the Internet for music compared to 27 percent that prefer the radio. In many other countries, about 60 percent of youth prefer the Internet for music compared to 20 percent that prefer the radio.
Listening to music no longer means merely tuning in to the radio or buying CDs. Young people create music experiences for themselves that are highly personalized. Music downloading, custom playlists, and podcasting allow youth to listen to music on their own terms. And, they can continuously modify their playlists to suit their moods for the day or the activities in which they are participating.
While young people are increasingly turning to the Internet for content and functions traditionally served by other media outlets, they are still active users of TV, radio, magazines and newspapers. TV serves as a mechanism for escape and entertainment. It is frequently on in the background, and must-see shows are popular topics of conversation. For comedy, TV is the most popular medium, cited by almost 50 percent of youth, while for fashion, magazines are the clear choice. Radio, given the importance of music to young people, is a popular outlet. It helps introduce youth to new artists and creates common bonds with peers around popular songs.

The two-phased market research study included qualitative focus groups and in-home ethnographies, as well as a quantitative online survey. The qualitative phase, conducted by TRU (Teenage Research Unlimited) consisted of 16 focus groups and 15 in-home ethnographies in six countries. The research sessions were conducted in Chicago, Mexico City, London, Berlin, Seoul and Shanghai. Participants represented teens aged 15 to 18 and young adults aged 20 to 22. Focus group and ethnography discussions centered on youth values, attitudes toward and usage of different media, and the role of digital media in their lives.

The quantitative online survey, conducted by Ipsos, included a total of 5,334 respondents aged 13 to 24. Surveys were collected in July and August 2005. The sample was drawn from the Ipsos online panel and partner global online panels. Respondents represented Internet users in urban markets around the world. The survey contained questions regarding technology ownership and usage, traditional and digital media usage, media choices, receptivity toward advertising channels, and overall attitudes and values.

Importante: Os jovens perdem o hábito da rádio

"Youth Prefer The Internet over Radio"

According to a Yahoo survey, young people prefer the internet and mobile phones over radio by a clear margin. And young people also prefer to personalize/customize their media platforms and choices.

This trend is going to be one of the greatest challengers to terrestrial broadcasters, whose operating model can perhaps be best described as "one size fits all." How do they accomodate the next generation who will demand the widest possible choice and "user options" in their audio and video media?

Hint: it won’t be easy for terrestrial broadcasters to adapt to this changed landscape. And the popularity of mobile phones among the young is just another indication that cell phones are going to be the dominant delivery platform for audio in the future."

Do estudo:
There are two notable findings in the survey:
The Internet has surpassed radio as the preferred medium for music among youth in all countries. This preference is especially pronounced outside the United States. Specifically, among American youth, 47 percent prefer the Internet for music compared to 27 percent that prefer the radio. In many other countries, about 60 percent of youth prefer the Internet for music compared to 20 percent that prefer the radio.
Listening to music no longer means merely tuning in to the radio or buying CDs. Young people create music experiences for themselves that are highly personalized. Music downloading, custom playlists, and podcasting allow youth to listen to music on their own terms. And, they can continuously modify their playlists to suit their moods for the day or the activities in which they are participating.

A verdadeira convergência na rádio

"Roku has introduced SoundBridge Radio,a wireless (Wi-Fi) music system. SoundBridge Radio is a device that combines stereo speakers with a subwoofer, AM/FM radio, alarm, Internet radio and digital music streaming features.
Roku has taken its original SoundBridge network music player (which won 2004 and 2005 CES Innovations Awards) a step further. It lets users access traditional AM/FM radio along with their digital music library using simple and familiar radio controls.

A few simple buttons for presets, scan, and source select make digital music accessible. Other features include a SD/MMC card slot and a volume-ramping alarm that wakes users to digital music or a choice of seven alarms. It also grabs podcasts

A ideia de rádio digital

"Al referirnos a la radio virtual podemos decir que queremos indicar una radio cuya existencia real en cuanto a personas y equipamiento técnico es reemplazada por personas y equipos de existencia virtual, es decir no real. En los últimos años la investigación se ha orientado a construir sistemas que poco a poco van completando la tecnología necesaria para producir la radio virtual.

Esto no se corresponde en absoluto con la idea que hasta el presente todos tenemos de la radio, pero es una demostración evidente de la capacidad de los sistemas de inteligencia artificial que se están aplicando ya con éxito en este campo."
Excerto de um texto de Aurora García na revista electrónica Razon y Palabra

Um telemomusica? ( music phone) sem rádio

"Virgin Mobile Delivers First Music-Focused Phone

Virgin Mobile has recently delivered its first music phone, a collaborative effort with Kyocera Wireless. The new Slider Sonic comes with a 32MB microSD card, stereo headphones and a USB cable to port PC collections. The device also functions as a camcorder and camera, and supports an optional game controller. Those extra features will play well with a very young, targeted audience, which Virgin Mobile also attracts with its pre-paid options. Power music listeners can upgrade to a 512MB microSD card, while also playing music through a stereo system using a 3.5mm cord. "There are two things [Virgin Mobile users] don't leave home without: their mobile phone and their portable music players," said Howard Handler, chief marketing officer of Virgin Mobile USA. "With the Slider Sonic we've merged music and technology and packaged it in a sophisticated communications device." The phone retails for $249.99.

(Digital Music News)

E rádio FM? Não!

"Everything Kills the Radio Star"

"The attack is arriving in the form of satellite radio and its portable receivers, online niche and genre "broadcasts" from music services (MSN, Real, Launch), and even homegrown podcasts. Now the radio industry is preparing its counterattack, and it's twofold: One part is forward-leaning, the other completely retro. The forward-leaning part is the growing availability of podcasts from commercial and nonprofit radio stations. The latter have made the best use of these time-shifting portable audio packages. NPR, for example, offers most of its popular programs as podcasts. It's a great way to let your audience listen when and where they want. But, as far as I can tell, podcasts are of little use to commercial, news, and Top 40 music stations. For them, the retro approach is taking hold. Station after station is reintroducing Internet radio. Perhaps you remember the first Internet-radio boom."
excerto de PC Magazine

Comprar e ouvir músicas completas em telemoveis

um excerto da Reuters ("Music biz explores wireless frontier ")
"And so it begins. Wireless operators and record companies are starting to let mobile subscribers buy and download full songs over wireless networks directly to mobile phones capable of storing and playing music.

As a big first step, Apple Computer and Motorola have partnered to create an iTunes-compatible mobile phone, dubbed the ROKR, capable of storing 100 songs and currently offered by Cingular.

Will the result revolutionize both industries or just be another wireless hype machine met with tepid response and consumer apathy?

"We're heading into areas where there is no market research," says Andrew Seybold, a veteran wireless industry consultant. "The only way we're going to find out what consumers will buy is to try various things and see what sticks."

The opportunity is clear. There are 180 million mobile phones in the United States, most of which can be used to access the Internet and buy products with charges added to the user's monthly phone bill.

The result is an on-demand, impulse-buy capability accessible to all age ranges that the still-struggling music industry sees as a lifeline out of the doldrums. Wireless carriers, meanwhile, hope access to music will be the application that compels subscribers to migrate to the new high-speed networks they have spent billions on developing."

Cellphonecasting

Harry Helms, do Future of Radio, acha que o "cellphonecasting" se apresenta como uma ameaça bem mais real para a rádio hertziana do que os transmissores por satélite.
O que é o cellphonecasting? è, de uma forma muito simplificada, um sistema que permite trazer a televisão para os telemóveis.
Há outros sistemas, mas com problemas. Este, diz ele, parece ser ter "delivering high-performance, low power, real-time digital broadcast television to mobile handsets".

Acreditar ou não na convergência

A questão é mais ou menos simples: vão triunfar os aparelhos que concentrarem diversos sistemas ou aparelhos singulares, como os iPods? Diversos leitores de Mp3 são muito mais do que isso, já têm sintonizadores FM ou até máquina fotográfica.
A Apple resiste a incorporar outros sistemas no iPod. Mas fala-se que pode lançar um telemóvel iPod. Será o triunfo da convergência tecnológica e digital?

"Apple Executives Question Device Convergence

While device convergence discussions permeated the hallways at CTIA in San
Francisco, a pair of Apple executives recently questioned the logic of the
all-in-one approach. "Is there a toaster that can also brew coffee?"
questioned Apple senior vice president Jon Rubenstein in a recent interview
with German site Berlin Online. "Many companies believe in convergence, but
I personally do not," continued Rubinstein. "It's important to have
specialized devices." That is certainly the strategy behind the successful
line of iPods, though mobile manufacturers and carriers are hoping to
challenge the early Apple lead in portable music.

While the vibe on the ROKR was downbeat at the wireless conference, there
has been some chatter that Apple is developing a more impressive, iPod-like
smartphone. But so far, both Rubenstein and vice president Phil Schiller,
also in the interview, seemed to be taking and wait-and-see approach. Both
agreed that the "the Motorola phone is no replacement for the iPod," and
looked forward to the response on the ROKR before investing heavy energies
into the mobile market. The interview follows some very pro-convergent
comments by Motorola chief Ed Zander, who questioned the relevance of the
newly-released iPod nano."
(fonte: Digital Music News)

Pode a rádio permanecer como meio isolado (único)?

Esta é uma das perguntas que se vão fazer num congresso a realizar em Londres, em 24 de Novembro.

"Can radio exist as a 'stand-alone" medium in ten years' time? What are the major threats to our traditional business, in a world of iPods, on-demand video, the Web and mobile television? Consultant and traveller Jonathan Marks has some non-British perspectives on tomorrow's media consumption. The audience is up to something..."

Outras perguntas:
"How are music radio stations responding to the huge growth in availability of music? Is the traditional music policy/format still relevant in a world of iTunes, Napster, 40GB of music in your back pocket, online personalized juke boxes and on-demand radio listening? How should linear radio react to this seismic shift in the availability of music and content? What do our listeners expect from music radio now, and what can linear radio do to keep people tuned in?"

Carros com receptores satélite

General Motors Delivers Three Million XM Dashboards
General Motors has now produced more than three million vehicles with factory-installed XM Satellite Radio receivers. The landmark, announced last week, is another big win for XM, which has benefited immensely from the GM partnership. "Being the exclusive satellite radio partner of the world's largest automaker has been a key element of XM's success to date," said XM chief Hugh Panero. Now, the leading satellite company is positioned to benefit from a growing number of activations from new GM customers, many of whom will receive trial subscriptions. XM surpassed 4.4 million subscribers in July. GM became the first automaker to offer in-dash satellite radio capabilities in November, 2001.

The news follows a major announcement involving Ford, which will widen its factory support for receivers from XM competitor Sirius. That is part of a growing level of confidence from major manufacturers, who are steadily taking the plunge into factory installations of satellite receivers. That development is likely to create a major upward adoption curve, with a more casual consumer suddenly able to avoid complicated dashboard installations.
But some have urged caution, noting that competing formats like HD radio could wipe away satellite's gains by offering channels free of charge.
Already, BMW is nibbling on the trend by offering HD radio support in its upcoming 7-series super-luxury model.

A Honda também.

A rádio hertziana vive (com o HD)

"If you think that terrestrial radio is dying, think again. HD radio, with multicasting and CD-quality sound, is growing by leaps and bounds according to last week's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Radio Show in Philadelphia. "Broadcasters are converting stations at a pace of more than one per day as they ramp up efforts," said Robert Struble, president and CEO of iBiquity Digital Corporation. "There are now stations from Philadelphia to Seattle broadcasting additional streams of content." HD radio allows for the multicasting of multiple channels on the same radio frequency. And commercial stations are not the only ones making the change. Not to be left behind, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced an agreement at the conference with iBiquity to accelerate the conversion of 400 stations nationwide. iBiquity is the sole developer and licenser of HD radio technology in the US. A total of 500 stations in the US are now capable of broadcasting in HD.

Satellite radio providers have been standing by to play taps for terrestrial radio for some time. The only problem is that traditional broadcasters have refused to play along, hoping the growth of HD radio will breathe new life into the medium. Now, the move by the CPB will help to push things further.
Most recently, a Washington DC-based NPR station broadcasted the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court appointee John Roberts via an HD multicast. But getting HD radio in front of the public is only half the battle, as consumers must ultimately accept the new technology. The kind of experimentation that is available through public radio can provide a soapbox, so to speak, for HD radio to be heard."

Story by news analyst Michael Bloom.
(via Digital Music News

20 canais da Sirius num telemóvel

É uma boa notícia:
"Sprint (NYSE: S) customers will be the first wireless customers to enjoy SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) programming via their mobile phones. Sprint today announced the availability of SIRIUS Music, which offers customers unlimited access to 20 commercial-free music channels, plus a channel devoted to exclusive artist interviews and performances. Sirius Music broadens Sprint's portfolio of music offerings and puts content from the biggest names in music right in the hands of millions of Sprint customers nationwide. Sirius Music is available on Sprint multimedia handsets under the Music & Radio category.

"SIRIUS offers some of the best commercial-free music available, and Sprint is proud to be the first and only wireless carrier to offer this exceptional and unique programming, " said Jeff Hallock, vice president, consumer product marketing and strategy for Sprint. "Sprint is providing customers with more choices for streaming music any day, everyday, on the one device they'll always have with them, their Sprint phone."

The SIRIUS Music channel includes a wide assortment of music, from Pop, Hip Hop/R&B, Rock and Country to Jazz, Blues, Broadway, Electronic and Dance. It also includes channels dedicated to individual decades, such as '60s & '70s/Vinyl – top tracks from classic rock's formative years; '70s & '80s/Rewind – classic rock's 2nd generation, from the late '70s onward; '80s Glam/Hair Nation – vintage rock from the big hair '80s; '80s Alt/First Wave – alternative rock's pioneering artists and sounds; and Alt Rock/Alt Nation – the best alt-rock of the '90s and today.

"SIRIUS has the best programming in all of radio," said Scott Greenstein, SIRIUS President of Entertainment and Sports. "With Sprint, we are making a portion of SIRIUS' unique content available, for the first time, to customers via their mobile phones. Since pioneering commercial-free music, SIRIUS has enjoyed becoming a regular part of our subscribers' day, and we look forward to inviting Sprint users to share in that experience."

Comentários (negativos) aqui: "But without unique and compelling content you can't effectively compete in the content business. Without unique and compelling content why should Sprint do a deal with you?It would be so much easier to go to SIRIUS"

A internet não traz novos ouvintes?

Deste relatório:
"According to a 2003 study by Arbitron/Edison Media Research the number of individuals who had ever listened to radio stations on the Internet increased from 6 percent in 1998 to 33 percent in 2003.3 But when asked about more regular online listening, only 10 percent had listened to a radio station online in the past month. Only 5 percent had listened in the past week.

What is the cause of this apparent disconnection between radio and the revolutions occurring in broadcast technology? One contributing factor is the decision made by some organizations to limit or prohibit alternative forms of broadcast-such as Internet streaming of audio and video--for their so-called over-the-air radio stations (those stations also available through traditional radio outlets and not Internet or satellite-only stations). As a result, the information and programming that attracted a listener to the station is simply not available online.

Another might be the attitude cited by some researchers that many listeners view their computer as simply another receiver, no different than the traditional radio that might already be sitting in their kitchen or on their desk. The listener with this mindset would most likely choose whichever mode of listening is most convenient to their location. Add to this the reality of the digital divide and the weight online streaming can put on computers and computer networks. Some organizations and corporations have instituted rules limiting or prohibiting the use of streaming websites in office settings while some at-home computer users are simply not sufficiently equipped to enjoy streamed audio in as clean a fashion as the traditional radio on their desk."

O tempo passado no carro

http://osegundochoque.blogsome.com/2005/09/21/55-minutos-ao-volante-eua/

55 minutos ao volante (EUA)

September 21, 2005

“Tied to listening to the same stations for the most part, data gathered over the last five years reveal little change in where people listen to the radio. The lone shift here has been a steady climb in car listening over the past five years. Why? The most likely explanation is cultural. People are driving more. Data from the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicate that the average driver spends 55 minutes behind the wheel every day“. (nota: 2. The statistics bureau does not have trend data on this figure. But its data do indicate that that 87 percent of people use their personal vehicle, as opposed to public transportation or some other mode of travel, when making daily travel. Daily travel, as the bureau defines it, includes commuting, shopping and errands and social or recreational trips (visiting friends, relatives, etc.). )