Rich Fiscus
19 Jul 2007 21:08
Disney owned Hollywood Records is hoping to boost CD sales by introducing a new format they're calling CDVU+ (pronounced CD View Plus) which includes content which can be downloaded from the internet. The content will include song lyrics and band photos.
Hollywood Records senior vice president of marketing Ken Bunt says "We really believe if you're going to give consumers what they want, we should do it in a way they're used to." Given the number of websites that already provide free lyrics and pictures, though, it remains to be seen if consumers will consider these "extras" worth paying for.
U.S. CD sales were down nearly 20 percent in the first half of 2007, at least partly due to ever increasing competition from video games, new home video formats, and downloadable media.
Instead of trying to breathe new life into the aging CD format, it might be wise for big entertainment companies to put their research and development funding into a viable replacement. With Disney already backing Blu-ray for hi-def video, a format which supports audio far superior to CD, that might be a good starting point.
Source: Reuters