Petteri Pyyny
9 Apr 2003 15:55
The international recording industry association, IFPI, released the sales figures for year 2002 and according to those numbers, the worldwide CD sales dropped appx. 7 percent compared to the 2001 figures.
In the United States, the drop was even bigger, 10 percent. Obviously the recording industry is pointing its finger at the worldwide music piracy, most notably the digital music piracy in form of P2P networks (and obviously they don't even suggest that the widespread use of copy-protection mechanisms that make CDs incompatible with thousands of CD and DVD players, would have anything to do with the drop). But they surprisingly do admit that movie and game businesses are eating the amount of money people are willing to spend on music.
This year's figures hold no surprises," said Jay Berman, chief executive officer of the IFPI. "Widespread use of illegal sites, made easier with the growth of broadband access in the major markets, is affecting an industry that is also having to compete with increased sales of other entertainment formats such as DVD films and new video game consoles."
Source: News.com