This sort of stuff makes me laugh folks, they mix a little news with some misleading stuff and pray you wont notice
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/fashion/sundaystyles/16store.html?ex=1310702400&en=c73cf362b5775a6b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rssThe bite that downloading has taken out of CD sales is well known — the compact disc market fell about 25 percent between 1999 and 2005, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, a trade organization. What that precipitous drop indicated by the figures doesn’t reveal is that this trend is turning many record stores into haunts for the gray-ponytail set. This is especially true of big-city stores that stock a wider range of music than the blockbuster acts.
Industry statistics bear out the graying of the CD-buying public. Purchases by shoppers between ages 15 and 19 represented 12 percent of recorded music in 2005, a decline from about 17 percent in 1996, according to the Recording Industry Association. Purchases by those 20 to 24 represented less than 13 percent in 2005, down from about 15 percent. Over the same period, the share of recorded music bought by adults over 45 rose to 25.5 percent, from 15 percent.
Nice article, plenty of nostalgic moments for the older folks but the subtle references to Napster, silver CD's , and downloading all point to the usual wish of the recording industry to try to shift the blame for lower cd sales on to copyright infringing activities.
Lets look at this seriously, if I can buy the music I like from any of the legal download outlets at a price substancially below that of a CD why would I wish to walk down to the store ?
This then is the sorry truth of the legal downloading success story, the RIAA&Co are there purely to sell music in as many formats as they can and its not their concern if many of the record/CD stores go bust as they have no direct financial interest in them.
Its my belief this sort of article is merely written to pass the buck for selling the local record store out, legal downloads are now going through the roof in terms of market share percentages, but we wont hear this truth from those who profit either way, Good old RIAA.