[plug] ABC 7:30 Report - comments anyone?

[James Devenish]

In message <1076879209.1972.25.camel at latte.internal.itmaze.com.au>
on Mon, Feb 16, 2004 at 07:36:49AM +1030, Onno Benschop wrote:
>         LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1043987.htm
>         Broadcast: 12/02/2004
[...]
>         Andrew Geoghegan reports.
[...]
>         ANDREW GEOGHEGAN: The popularity of free music websites such as
>         Kazaa has the music industry worried and for good reason.
>         
>         In the past year, CD music sales have fallen more than 17 per
>         cent while the industry claims it's losing $200 million a month
>         in royalties.

I wonder who "the industry" is? If you look at "six months ending 30
June 2003" as reported by ARIA:
<http://www.aria.com.au/news/stats2000.htm>

CDs (singles plus albums) Jan-Jun 2002: 24.14 million units,
dollar value 232 million units (dollars?).
CDs (singles plus albums) Jan-Jun 2003: 24.07 million units,
dollar value 233 million units (dollars?).

So, comparing the start of 2003 to the start of 2002, CD sales fell by
0.3%, and the dollar value increased by 0.6%. So, a flat market? Hardly
"CD music sales have fallen by more than 17 per cent while". Not sure
how to measure "losing $200 million a month in royalties". Note also
that the 'Percentage Change' columns indicate 2.56% overall increase in
units and 5.28% overall increase in dollar value. Also:

CD singles units dropped by 17.36%
Cassette units dropped by 51.3%
'Other' dropped by 81.84%

Wow...until you realise that figures like "81%" are from a total of 716
units, only accounting for three thousands of one per cent of total
units in the first place.

See also <http://www.aria.com.au/news.htm>.