How the Recording Industry Killed the CD business

Spinning Into Oblivion - New York Times

Two former owners of an independent CD shop in New York City have written an op-ed piece for the New York Times explaining how the choices made by the recording industry have doomed the CD business and put the bricks and mortar music store out of business.

What is interesting is that these two music loving businessmen do not think that this demise was inevitable. They assert that it is a result of the mistakes made by record industry executives faced with the growing competition of music sharing networks and downloading. In their attempts to shut down internet piracy completely these record company executives have destroyed their own business.

Here's what they conclude:

"The sad thing is that CDs and downloads could have coexisted peacefully and profitably. The current state of affairs is largely the result of shortsightedness and boneheadedness by the major record labels and the Recording Industry Association of America, who managed to achieve the opposite of everything they wanted in trying to keep the music business prospering. The association is like a gardener who tried to rid his lawn of weeds and wound up killing the trees instead."

Have they learned their lesson? Check out EMI's new deal with Apple to allow their content to be sold on Itunes without piracy protection. Is this too little to late?

Chapter 7 Great Transformation

According To Paul Starr "Creation Of The Media" "Falling paper and production costs and the growth in advertising , along with improved transportation, enabled newspapers to cut their prices and extend their markets. in 1870, total circulation stood at 34 papers per 100 households; by 1900, it reached 94 and ten years later, it hit 121". (Starr pg 252) It is evident from the quote presented above taken from Paul Starr's The Creation Of Media that as the 1900's approached, growth in newspapers sales were rising. i think this rise was due to the fact that newspaper prices were reduced, thus making them more affordable. The growing number of advertiseing and publications was influential in the growth of communications in America.

Chapter 6 New Connections

It is surely impossible to imagine a world without the telephone. Without the invention of the Telephone living would be literary impossible, for the fact that the telephone is a extremely important and useful tool that is beneficial to the lives of all. The Telephone was introduced to America in 1876. "The telephone had its birth in America in 1876, coincidentally the year the United States celebrated its centennial , but it was not the accident of its natural orgin that by turn of the century led to far wider diffusion and development of the technology in the United States than anywhere else." (Starr pg 192). The innovation of the telephone was indeed a successful. When the Telephone was introduced is sole purpose was to improve the telegraph. but it turned that the telephone replaced the telegraph. If it wasn't for this invention we would truly be lost today.

Chapter Five The First Wire.

As the 1840's arised , more and more changes in technology began to arise. One reason for these changes was the creation of the telegraph. According to Paul Starr's "The Creation Of Media" "The Telegraph inaugurated a new phase in the history of communications, the rise of modern technological networks, and precipitated divergent national decision about the role of the state that outlasted the telegraph itself" (Starr, pg 153). The Telegraph provided faster connections for people in society everywhere. The Telegraph had a very important role in the business sector of America. What is interesting about the telegraph is that it was the America's first national monopoly, The Telegraph is referred to as the first electrical communications network."At the time the telegraph and telephone was introduced contemporary observers attributed to them vast social and economic effects and historians have tendedto do the same, often suggesting that the modern communications revolution begins with the telegraph"(Starr pg 154). According to Paul Starr it is evident that the telegraph began the communications Revelation. I can agree with this statement. i believe that the telegraph was a great emergence of communication. it enabled individuals to communicate in a more direct way, which is very beneficial when it comes to transferring data or news from one person to another.

Chapter 2 New Foundartions

"By the early 1800's European visitors to the United States were struck by the abundance of communications circulating among ordinary Americans. Newspapers were more common in America than anywhere else, even small towns and villages often had their own printers and newspapers" (Starr pg 48) The Creation of the Newspaper was a serious innovation that circulated throughout many towns in the United States. The spread of the newspaper was one that was quick. In my opinion the advances in newspaper print influenced other forms of communication to rise, one of these things was the postal system. The postal system was an essential part of communications for all during the 17th and 18th centuries. Like the newspaper, the postal system informed people about things they needed to know, especially by their loved ones. Although America and Europe was experiencing the great technological advances in the communication realm through newspapers and postal systems, there were still certain areas that weren't as lucky. One of these areas was Canada. Canada was not as advanced in technology. "Just across the Great Lakes in what was still British North America, postal service was limited, newspapers were scarce, schools were few. Canadian stemmed partly from varying cultural and colonial heritages".(Starr pg 49)

Chapter One "Early Modern Origins"

According to Paul Starr's " The Creation of Media" communications experienced s radical transformation during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. This radical transformation was greatly due to the fact that an advance in printing technology was emerging. " The market for print expanded , and the law of intellectual property began to take its modern shape. Most important out of these developments a new sphere of public information , public debate and public opinion emerged." (Starr pg 23). According to the quote presented above from Starr's book, Printing was a serious technological advance that all citizens in Europe and America experienced. printing caused the lives of many in society to advance. This from of communication allowed many to retrieve important information about their societies. They received this information through newspapers. "The advent of printing around 1450 is the paradigmatic example of change in information technology, yet it was equally a change in economic organization". (Starr pg 25) This quote above clearly states the fact surrounding the truth of how the movement of information technology changed many aspects in society for the better, especially in the economic sphere. The rise of print in America and Europe is truly a movement with some true importance in the development of the history of communication in our world.

Chapter 3 America's First revelotion

"Since the seventeenth century, the development of communications, particually of newspapers and postal services had begun to provide Europeans and Americans with regular information about the public world." (Starr. ch 3 pg 83). In this chapter Paul starr discusses the significant emergence of the newapaper. Without the actual emergence of the newspaper, the world of communication would not be as vast as it is today. for instance according to Paul Starr the newspaper industry began to blossom between 1790 and 1835. newspaper amounts rose from 106 to 1,258. Europe was where the newspaper industry began to grow. by the 1820's 50% of households had newspapers. i belive that without the emergence of the newspaper society would be lost. Newspapers are Americas verbal communicator as to things that are happening in this world. without them everything would be at a lost.

chapter 4

"Even Europeans in the early 1800's who admideered America's self government, prosperity and common schools were unimpressesd by American literature and culture". (Starr pg 113) This quote from Paul Starr.s book "The Creation of the Media" displays to its readers the changes in literatute in American in the 1880's. Also this quote examines the ideal that many Europenas had about how Thy were not happy with the direction that american literature was heading. The reason why many felt so distaisfied with the literature was because it was noticed throughout the society that nothing was being done since society's independance from the sciences and all other polltical aspects.