On 27/09/06, Tom Fine wrote:
Hi Don:
I don't know how many times I've said this, but I will one more. NICHE
PLAYERS can and do keep going profitably. But they own a tiny
percentage of the back catalog in this world. I'm guessing that Naxos
sells fewer total copies in a year -- of all their products -- than
one Billboard top-100 release.
Naxos have 3000 titles on sale, and reckon to press around 25000 of
each. I guess that amounts to sales of several million discs a year.
But sure, interesting music is a niche. Everything is a niche. Sales of
chocolate chip cookies and pizzas greatly outnumber sales of top-100
CDs.
For an archivist, the releases with small sales are more important than
the big sellers. If a disc sells several million copies, there is no
urgent need to preserve it.
Conservationists concentrate on Giant Pandas rather than house mice.
They are set up with a business model
where small quantities work. It's been ever thus with small labels.
But, again, as I said many times, most of the back catalog in this
world is owned by 5 major mega-glomerates and small quantities fit
their business model now less than ever.
Which is why they are doomed.
Regards
--
Don Cox
doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx