[Dixielandjazz] Downloads and CD sales decline as Streamed Music Soars-- NYTimes 7-3-2014

[Paul Kurtz Jr]

This is indeed some sad statistics for me. You couldn’t prove by my 39,200+ music library that sales were declining, but I guess with the speeds being obtained on the Net, it’s now easier to listen to a specific track when desired. 

At the same time, there may be another reason for declining sales. In my case, for instance, i’ve finally almost fully replaced my LP/CD library with digital material on my computer. Of course, I simply imported the CDs which I’d already bought. But, it took a great deal of time to find my LPs, one by one, as they came on-line with Amazon or Itunes. Now, as I was finding that material, of course, I found many, many other things to buy and did so. At this point, I’m sort-of catching my breath after a long, long 5.5-year journey. 

I would say that the slow-down can be attributed to economics to some extent. I just don’t always have the money to take a flyer on a group. I still do, based on what I hear on on-line jazz radio stations. I’ve found, for instance, a lot of newer big band music by well-known big bands like Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band and by lesser-known aggregations such as The H2 Big Band and The Northwest Prevailing Winds. I’ve been able to add a lot of brass quintet music, concert band music, and a little rock-’n-roll of interest. There does come a point, though, where you have to have the music out there to buy it. I find myself veering between newer music I find and older music I don’t have. 

I’m still doing my part, though, spending $60 in the last 2 weeks on new material. It’s still enjoyable and I don’t think I’m done yet. One thing I have done is send Amazon and Itunes LP selections I don’t have digitally, trying to get them to go ahead and create them. Given the cheap storage these days, it’s a win for them to hold the material out there and wait for us to buy. One economic note: Itunes pays 64 cents on the dollar for music to the producer which, to me, is good. I think of all of the packaging and marketing in the past that went into LPs and CDs and I’m betting this is as good or better than before. 

Hope these little tidbits help others with a better musical experience. 

Paul Kurtz Jacksonville, FL