DubMC queried several "world music" labels about the impact on world music of changes at Tower Records and other major CD retailers. Here is Part One of the responses. Make sure to read down to the hilarious response by Yale Evelev of Luaka Bop. The questions we asked them:
I hear Tower Records is filing for bankruptcy (again), Virgin fired all their local world music CD buyers, and Borders is once again reducing the size of their world music sections (and using the space for greeting cards). Is this all true? How is this impacting the world music market in particular? Is the CD dead yet? If not, how long do you give it?
Labels respond...
Dan Storper, Founder/CEO, Putumayo World Music:
Yes, it's true that most record stores are cutting back on the depth of catalog titles they stock including world music which also reduces sales. At the same time, we all recognize that there are just too many releases for record stores to stock and that choices are being made, not always based on actual knowledge of potential. No retail buyer buys CDs that they expect to sit on the shelf, but results are often so mixed, oftentimes stores expect to make most of their profit from co-op charges rather than sales.
Though the marketing is shrinking and the top world music CDs are soundscanning about 15% less than a year ago and probably 40% less than five years ago, I think the CD will remain the primary way consumers over the age of 30 listen to music for the next five to ten years. At the same time, the ease and speed of downloading and lack of availability of much world music, means that downloads are going to be more and more significant over the coming decade.
Every day turns over a new digital outlet... and now more world music players are emerging. Here we talk to Stefan Prescott who has taken his garage sale bin searching, DJ-serving, taste-maker-making brick and mortar store and hung out a digital shingle called Dance Tracks Digital. He says, "Although we were known as a house music brick and mortar store we always pushed Brazilian, Latin, and African dance music. Now we have been able to expand on this in the Digital arena as there are not quite as many budgetary restrictions and so we have been able to build on a solid customer base offering/tempting them into core obscure dance music." And you thought DubMC was making up all this long tail stuff. Read the full Q & A...