Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

EMI, Sony laying off staff from Canadian music arms

KEITH MCARTHUR

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:32 PM EDT 04/03/07

Part of a global music industry shakeup related to declining compact disc sales and free music downloads ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. Rock n' the Boat from Canada writes: It's just so hard to create and record music and very expensive to do that but so easy and cheap to have the technology to steal it. I made the decision a couple of years ago to not download pirated music any more. This was after I had downloaded thousands of songs from Napster. My decision was not based on ethics (unfortunately) but rather on the bother of the crap that comes along with pirated music. This was my only reason for quitting the piracy. I am an amatuer composer and in my own way I do have an uderstanding of just how difficult it can be to write and record music and I still stole music because it was easy. I wish I could say my level of ethics was higher but this is not the case. If it were easy to steal money using technology then I am sure most people would be doing that also. The fact is that it costs a considerable sum of money and a lot of effort to produce a really good (if not great) record. The people that are engaged in this activity are in the main (I think) very hard workers. They would be very able to focus thier energy and get the job done, as it were. I think there is an illusion generated by the industry itself that it's all play and no work. I believe that it's a very demanding thing to be a top notch professional musician. At this writing I am still torn about even copying a CD for burning but I am going to try and stop doing it. The main reason I will do that is to see if the album is worth buying. If I like a record enough I will go out and buy it. The albums of musicians I cherish I have legal copies of, every one. Confessions of a music Pirate.........
  2. Gyula Voros from Hamilton, Canada writes: Numerous studies have shown that p2p has limited, if any, impact on sales of music. (See for example http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/1495/125/). The industry is pulling these amounts lost due to p2p out of their collective nether regions. There are many other reasons for the decline of big industry sales (such as the increasing popularity of other media such as DVDs, people having replaced their casette/LP collection already, the overall state of the economy). At the same time, Canadian independent musicians are doing better than ever.

    I'm getting a little tired of articles that present a one-sided viewpoint based on industry propaganda.
  3. Brian Van Ezel from Ottawa, Canada writes: Millions of people use p2p. I do no think there is a solution to file sharing.
  4. Gyula Voros from Hamilton, Canada writes: Rock, you do know that copying a CD for burning is completely legal in Canada? That every blank CD you buy, at least half the price goes as a tax to the recording industry for that purpose? It is not 'theft' but compensated private copying. (See Part VIII of the Canadian Copyright Act).
  5. 1938371 1938371 from Vancouver, Canada writes: As a teen in the 60's I recorded music off the only radio station, CBC, onto a cheap 5" reel tape recorder - buy few records even today, too expensive. Limited cd selection of an artist instore, $25 CDs and changing formats, copy protection especially (1, 2, 3 zone) movies is killing my desire to spend money here. Never downloaded a song or movie but last night at a restaurant with wireless internet I saw 3 Apples and a DAT machine, 3 college age kids and they were downloading or something. They said they hit several wireless locations a night. If people can get what they want at a decent price, they will usually pay for it. A $25 cd with only 2 good songs on it says it all! Even the old 45s only had 1 good song on A side! If you cheat the public long enough, they will take matters into their own hands!
  6. Midtown Bob from Toronto, Canada writes: omg they are laying off "dozens" of people. This could have a profound effect on the economy, even moreso than the belch that happened in global markets yesterday.
    The article states "declining compact disc sales and free music downloads". Don't forget high ticket prices for concerts - $250 for a Police ticket.
    The music industry is full of shallow nitwits ( ever seen Canadian or merican Idol) .
  7. Geoff Shier from toronto, Canada writes: I have written and said for many years now that while I do sympathize with any business who sees a decline in revenues, especially a decline that is caused by unknown factors. My sympathy with the record companies is lessened by the fact that record companies are dinosaurs in their thinking. In the 70's there were five genres of music, top 40, rock, country, adult and classical/jazz/blues. There were the Bunkers on television, and we played board games. Today there are about 40 genres of music, there are thousands of television channels, DVD's, there are two types of radio, there is the internet, cell phones...Toronto alone now has four pro sports teams....simply put there are a lot of different sources seeking the same revenues. While recent decline in sales of media is easily blamed on P2P (of which I participate) and illegal downloads, the fact remains that the real challenge for record companies (and movie companies too) is to recreate their brand. The brand as it sits doesn't work anymore. Record companies feel they need to fight illegal downloads - they are probably right - but I have yet to see a record company try something else. Doesn't anyone remember the old adage, if you can't beat em, join em? Record companies must realize that they will never beat the internet, try as they might. Every week it seems we hear a record company say they are joining forces with so and so to create a better download community, yet in the end, we never hear or see anything else about it. It is time for the record companies to recognize their changing world, and while keeping up the fight, create an alternative - like your supposed new hit singles, BE ORIGINAL!!! Original isn’t sitting back, suing some parent who’s child is a pirate and saying “oh woe is me”.
  8. P Scott from Canada writes: DVD Sales came into the market at $40. Now you can buy new releases for $20, if not cheaper. CD Sales came into the market at $25. Now you can buy a CD for $20. Last time I checked, production has gotten cheaper, CDs cost a penny, and artists haven't increased their cut on the gross. See the problem?
    Yeah, blame p2p downloading.... studies prove a good portion of people downloading still buy the album. It's called "try before you buy". The record company needs to learn how to embrace it and use it as a promotional tool. Babies.
  9. Josh Tidsbury from Montréal, Canada writes: Regarding Gyula's comment: This is true that there is a levy on the media for "compensating" artists for the copying of their discs. But guess who gets the levy payments? Only the big artists held by the record labels. It's an unfair and unjust method of compensating our artists, and Canada needs to end that legislation and practice... it's just feeding more funds into those who don't need it, and leaves all of the small guys, who are also having their work pirated, out in the dark.
  10. Bryan Costigan from Leaside, Canada writes: There will always be piracy in the entertainment industry - If anyone is to blame it would be broadband internet companies for facilitating file transfer of large files at such quick speeds. But back to the underlying subject, there is no way to stop p2p file sharing. Realistically speaking, if full high quality movies and music are a few clicks away via Torrents and/or other p2p applications, no one could resist. With digital music players such as the iPOD, Microsoft's Zune and all the other mp3 players on the market, downloading music is really the only way to go. Artists, producers and all those involved in the entertainment industry aren't losing money whatsoever - they just aren't receiving numbers as high as they projected. For the most part, the general population would most likely download a song rather than buy the CD/DVD, unless they are die hard fans.
  11. Gardiner Westbound from Canada writes: .
    The traditional recording industry business model is irrelevant in the digital age. It is declining for the same reason blacksmiths failed; technology made their product is largely irrelevant. Adapt or perish!

    .
  12. Bryan Costigan from Leaside, Canada writes: Gardiner Westbound - I agree with you whole heartedly!
  13. E C from Vancouver, Canada writes: During the first 2 months of 2007, there has not been any good cds to buy so it is not surprising why cd sales are declining. there is now only one big music store in Vancouver called HMV. Futureshop cant be considered a music store...and A&B sound has become so lame now (they will gone within a year.) In 2006 and prior years, i bought a lot of cds (over 700) because stores had a good selection of cds to choose from. I have Now, the selection of good quality cds is decreasing...it is so disappointing. HMV seems more interested in hiring security guards to harass shoppers than offer them a superior selection of cds to choose from, they also seem more interested in being a dvd store than a music store. Virgin Megastore was so much better as they offered 3 floors of music cds but now they left Canada.

    I prefer cds as the sound quality is so much better and that I can copy the songs to my computer. I will never pay money to download music from the internet.

    So if the record companies want increase revenues then they better improve the selection of cds in vancouver. I want to be able to go to a store and browse the entire music cd catalogue...i want to see over 100,000 different cd's in store. I want to see more imported cds from the UK....Canadian music sucks..
  14. Mike Duncan from Toronto, Canada writes: This is news?
    These layoffs happened over 3 weeks ago (EMI Canada) and almost 2 weeks ago (Sony Canada).
    Up to date reporting to be sure!
    Why didn't the Globe do a story on this while it was happening? Sony Canada closed it's doors 2 Mondays ago and invited all of its employees in to tell them if they had a job or not.
    This should have been a story 2 weeks ago.
  15. PG from BC from Canada writes: Musicians will allway's exist no matter what happens to huge greedy entities such as sony, They will earn thier living the old fashioned way, its called live music. They will promote themselves on the internet and at live venues, if people like what they hear they will show up in droves.
  16. Alexander Slimnich from Canada writes: The solution? Get rid of the blank media levy. Right now, we pay a hefty fee (about half the cost of blank CDs) for the right to copy music for personal use. Since I'm paying for this priviledge, I have no qualms about using it to download music from P2P programs.
  17. Richard Daystrom from Canada writes: Boo hoo. There's probably a bigger economic impact when Walmart or Superstore opens up in your suburb. When you spend $20 for a club pack of steaks there at least you know that you'll like all 8; I doubt anyone can say the same for music CDs.
  18. Fiona Nisbet from Canada writes: People think stealing music doesn't hurt indivual people but it does judging by these layoffs.If people aren't spending money on CD's in Canadian record stores that is hardly any incentive for musicians to play concerts in Canada.So get out and spend money on CD's and instead of stealing music.
  19. Frankie @^_^@ from hamilton, Canada writes: These music companies dont get it. I DONT WANT TO SPEND A SMALL FORTUNE FOR 1 GOOD SONG ON A CD. I thought cds were to go down in price with time. Its not happening. I guess the greedy companies want to squeeze all they can out of consumers pockets.
    Myself, I listen to good ol FM on my sound system. I just dont need to buy a cd and put it on a shelf to collect dust.
    So all yu suckers out there with 100 or 200 cd collections....you have just made these companies richer. And buy the way, what are you going to do with your cds,start a radio station hahaha
  20. Tony . from Waterloo, Canada writes: You know, despite all the talk about digital downloads, competition from other media or anything else, I think that a MAJOR part of the issue here is simply plain old competition within the recording industry.

    Unlike some others who whine about the quality of music, I think that we're getting some outstanding new music released, particularly here in Canada. The trick is, it's not getting released on major labels. More and more I'm seeing really good bands signed up to smaller labels. And it's not just "indie" stuff anymore, even decently popular artists seem to be sticking more with smaller labels. Digital music and the internet have definitely been a boon for these bands and their labels. It allows them more exposure and easier distribution of their music (either as a digital download or simply ordering the CD that never would have made it to the local HMV).

    When you get right down to it, I'm not sure that the recording industry is really all that different from anything else. In the face of rising competition and improved products from competitors, the big labels are going to have to respond by improving the quality of their own products and being more nimble and quicker to adjust to changing market conditions. If they can't do that, they're going to lose market share.
  21. Paul who is from Vancouver, Canada writes: Sony BMG is the last company in the world that should be complaining about declining CD sales.

    If sales of CD's in the United States tumbled 20 per cent in the last five weeks of 2006, the 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal is responsible for a big part of that.

    Most honest people who trusted Sony BMG and legally purchased any one of their infected CD's only to have their rootkit automatically install on their computers and interfere with normal Microsoft Windows functions, open security holes for viruses, and call home to the Sony mothership every time a Sony CD was inserted won't make that mistake again.

    Sony Pictures Entertainment US senior VP Steve Heckler:

    "The industry will take whatever steps it needs to protect itself and protect its revenue streams...It will not lose that revenue stream, no matter what...Sony is going to take aggressive steps to stop this. We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. We will firewall Napster at source - we will block it at your cable company, we will block it at your phone company, we will block it at your ISP. We will firewall it at your PC."

    It sounds like the honest "individual user" has decided to transcend Sony BMG.
  22. Jimbo Jones from Hamilton, Canada writes: 1. There isn't that much good music out there -- another CD that sounds exactly like the last with a completely generic and interchangable over-produced 'artist' is hardly the way to stimulate sales 2. The record companies merged several years back and dumped the medium to lower sales artists and heavily invested in the clones mentioned in #1, thus choice and variety got flushed down the crapper 3. The record companies are large corporate entities whose only real concern is profit, and when large corporate entities want to increase the profits the pink slips tend to fly freely. The justification will not be stated as greed but will be whitewashed with a scapegoat. 4. The record companies have completely missed the boat on technology time and time again (FM radio, audio cassettes) and digitial music is no exception. Instead of helping to pioneer the technology and manners in which to incorporate it into their business models they have used their collective might to sling the proverbial feces (read lawsuits and court challenges) all the while crying foul and releasing less and less palatable music.
  23. Geoff Shier from toronto, Canada writes: To Fiona:

    With all due respect to you, people ARE buying CD's. People are buying less CD's at lower prices - How many less we'll never really know, as record companies release sales in terms of revenue not units. CD prices have fallen dramatically over the past number of years, so record companies revenues will (and have) drop as a result. Record companies are, as Gardiner Westbound and I pointed out, dinosaurs in their thinking. They have to date refused to react to the change in the world, instead they choose to stew about it. If the Blacksmith knew now what he/she didn't know then, perhaps he/she could have adapted to the changing times and still been around to reap the benefits.

    The other point that many are making is true too; the quality of the product out there is pure poppycock. Take a look at the top 100 CD's out there as we write. The industry is riddled with mediocrity and mindnumbingly boring drivel.
  24. Desmond Stevens-Guille from Calgary, Canada writes: I too am tired of the music industry propaganda, blaming illegal down loads for the loss of sales. Like a previous comment, they are being like the old black smith; adapt or perish. The companies have refused to embrace that, they have prefered to litigate instead of innovate.

    I do have over 500 CD's (sorry, not a radio station), and use iTunes with my Ipod. I have no illegal downloaded songs, all of my 14 down loaded songs I got them legally, purchased from Apple. Most of my CD's span the 70's - 90's; I love to hear new current music, but there is something that the music industry is not talking about - the content and originallity in music in the last 10 years has been really flat. There are some bands today that have some bright spots, but nothing like the output of the late 70's and 80's. No doubt this is why bands like the "Police" will have touring success this year, all their 80's music was creative, original, and that was what sold so many CD's then. I am still amused when I hear old AC/DC tunes at bars, 25 years later, with a new generation enjoying it.

    The shift in the music industry being more corporate has snuffed much of the artists creativity in the last 10 years. Illegal downloads may have skimmed a bit, but the real problem is that no one wants to buy boring, corporate model recycled music. The music industry has to look at them selves, instead of blaming the customers and the new technologies for their losses!
  25. adam to the b from trawna, Canada writes: Bryan Costigan from Leaside, Canada writes: If anyone is to blame it would be broadband internet companies for facilitating file transfer of large files at such quick speeds.

    ---- so if i get into an auto collision, it's the gov'ts fault for making a road, and jeep's fault for making the vehicle i drive?

    you think pirated movies and pirated music are the only large files being tossed around?

    i hope you're using rogers, they're more than happy to throttle your account for you.

    Fiona Nisbet from Canada writes: If people aren't spending money on CD's in Canadian record stores that is hardly any incentive for musicians to play concerts in Canada.

    ----- i haven't purchased a cd for a few years... i still go to concerts. maybe it'd be more incentive for aritists and their label to play shows - more revenue
  26. matt l from toronto, ontario, Canada writes: studies have shown that the highest volume downloaders also spend the most on cds... i've downloaded an album on a whim, based only on curiousity (spoon's latest) and ended up loving the band so much i've bought every release they've had at retail. without a chance to hear it free and test it out, the band and their label would have lost a great deal of my money.

    if i download something and love it, guess what... i buy it. if i download something and it sucks arse, i don't buy it. this hasn't denied any other person a copy of the album, has not removed one copy of it from a retail shelf, and is no different than borrowing a copy from a friend or listening to it at their home and deciding it's not for me.

    the more the industry moans about illegal downloading, the better i feel about doing it. their failed business model is not our problem.
  27. Jim Mohagan from Canada writes: As has been rightly pointed out here, the music industry is responsible for its own downfall. The stats are clear: retail CD sales are dropping and paid downloads are increasing.

    The fact is that many young bands are bypassing the century-old business model - studio recording, manufacturing, retail distribution and marketing - and recording their own music on computers and distributing it themselves over the internet.

    The music industry is so caught up in their vested-interests mind set and fighting each other for desreasing market share that they haven't read the writing on the wall. Last year Apple - a computer company - was the fourth largest music retailer in the U.S. and some major acts are releasing new material through Starbucks - a coffee company.
  28. Marc D from Canada writes: What Rock'n'the Boat (first comment) doesn't know is that because of the licensing model we have in Canada, downloading music for personal use is legal in Canada. We pay extra on each and every blank CD, tape, and other media for the privilege. Artists I know then get money from this program, so it seems to work. Just because the RIAA (an American organization) is trying to impose a US style ownership system around the world doesn't mean that the rest of the world has followed suit.

    EMI, SonyBMG and others have conspired to keep CD prices high. When we went from vinyl to CD, it cost much less to cut the CD, but prices went up anyway. Now EMI is saying that to take off DRM, which in and of itself breaks Copyright Law by denying fair use. They've lied about the damages of piracy, electing to blame piracy for their financial woes rather than their own incompetent, unimaginative management.

    So go away EMI, SonyBMG and the RIAA. Let the independents do it right. Let the artists actually own their own work, rather than, thanks to amendments to copyright law the you pushed through, simply being considered the same as a bricklayer or ditch digger, working hard to make you richer while they depend on you for everything since they don't actually OWN their own art.
  29. Chris Brand from Canada writes: Well the good news is that the indies (i.e. the Canadian companies, rather than the subsidiaries of foreign companies) are doing great, according to all the reports.

    And the lackluster digital sales ? Perhaps if they offered a product that was more attractive than the p2p networks, they'd sell more. I saw a great quote recently - "I'd rather pay for a DRM-free download than get a DRM-infected one for free". The fact is that as people learn more about these DRM systems, music infected with them looks less and less attractive. The decline in sales of these files corresponds directly to the increase in customers' understanding of what they're buying.

    The connection between the two ? Most of the indies will sell you a DRM-free download.
  30. Joe Osborne from Toronto, Canada writes: The music industry never wants to accept part of the blame for their predicament. When vinyl went away, so did the 45 single which was always the cheapest means of obtaining a song. Sure there were cassette and CD singles for a time, but the industry never pushed them. The resaon? Because they wanted everyone to spend their money on the CD album, and I guess for awhile we did just that. I must have purchased about 400-500 cds during the nineties, but I was always angry that I had to purchase 10 songs I didn't want in order to get the one I wanted to hear. If the music industry had been smart, it would have jumped into the download business the second that Napster started to make some noise. But no--it just sat on its hands until the revenues dropped and then made the brilliant decision to start suing people for downloading. Although they were legally within their rights to do that, their decision couldn't have been a bigger PR disaster. Now we have turned back the clock and the music industry is faced with a generation of buyers who primarily wants songs, not albums. Perhaps its time the industry simply accepted its fate. It can still be profitable, but it must face reality; like any business, just because you made X dollars yesterday doesn't mean you should automatically make X Y today. You have to understand the market and plan accordingly for the future--that's what successful businesses do all the time.
  31. ivan ivanovich from United States writes: The major label business model is what is to blame here. Only a small percentage of artists signed to a major label actually recoup costs and turn a profit. The quality of the music and musicianship has tanked in the last couple of years (or over the last decade...). Almost all the new and innovative music is being released on smaller independent labels. I, for one, have no love for the compact disc. There are four major labels right now, in the late 80's there was around thirty. The major label system is too top heavy, too big and too slow to compete in the 21rst century digital age. One of the greatest hitmakers, Motown, was run out small house in Detroit - studio and all! I say we should stop letting the RIAA and CRIAA tax us (through blank media levies) and meddle with the music business for the benefit of a few large and useless corporations. Let the majors crumble.
  32. M Haman from Vancouver, Canada writes: IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!

    I was the one who bought a ton of CD's in the 80s and 90s. Then I did something weird, I kept listening to them. They haven't worn out today yet, since I listen to them off of my hard drive and the originals are in the closet.

    Then, about 2 years ago I decided I would never buy another SonyBMG CD, purely based on their astonishing disregard for my computer equipment and their rootkits. Then the RIAA started suing people, and Sony was part of that little group of thugs. So, it was dead easy to boycott RIAA as well as SonyBMG.

    Since I am at the end of the baby boom generation, I find that little of the new music attracts me and I prefer to listen to "oldies but goodies". Classical music, old country, classic rock, and off beat stuff. You know ... the stuff indie music is all about.

    So, I signed up for eMusic and get a ton of music every month that is entirely to my own tastes; in exchange I don't need to buy plastic CD's that sit in my closet, that might contain viruses placed there by the music industry, and contain the one good song I paid $18 for.

    Now, the stats say that apparently I am a pirate or everyone else is. I don't think people are all that different from me, I don't think I am the "only good egg on the planet". Most likely, a lot of otehr people are doing the same thing.

    They are being wise with their money, they are buying fewer CD's of music they don't want, they are listening to music from the library (those filthy crooks GIVE MUSIC AWAY, haha), buy older music online for cheap, or buy it used at garage sales or used stores.

    It's all my fault that SonyBMG and EMI are reducing staff, and all I can do is say is "GET OUT AND STAY OUT".

    To the indie labels of Canada, if you are indeed seeing better sales as various statistics indicate, then that is at least partially my fault too!

    I am fine with all this. Totally, completely fine.
  33. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from Vancouver, Canada writes: Gyula Voros from Hamilton, Canada

    I buy my blank CD's and DVD's in the US as they are cheaper to start with; plus no SOCAN levy. Since this is a levy, it is subject to GST. So, you paying GST twice. Also, since it is a levy being collected on behalf of a non-government organization rather than a tax, this levy cannot be collected at the border.
  34. Shamus M from Canada writes: The 5 largest music companies and three major chains in the US were found guilty in court of law for price fixing CDs in the 1990s. (Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, Bertelsmann's BMG Music and EMI Group, plus retailers Musicland Stores, Trans World Entertainment and Tower Records) and they expect us to feel bad.

    http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2002-09-30-cd-settlement_x.htm
  35. gordon foster from Canada writes: If I buy a CD at all it's a NAXOS. I like the recordings, the packaging, the liner notes and the price, and it just tickles me pink that they're Canadian. When the Hot Trax store here in Daegu took out its listening booths to put in a hat boutique, they also established a NAXOS section. This after half the imported music section disappeared to make room for the newly legal Japanese pop. Now the DVD and video section is gone, but the NAXOS section is still there. Recent recordings of exceptional musicians performing the works of great and under-appreciated composers for only eight bucks? I've never purchased a dud. Something to think about, EMI!
  36. Alexander Slimnich from Canada writes: "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?" - Thomas Hesse (President of Sony BMG's global digital business division)
    Well, obviously Canadians do, Mr. Hesse.. that's why we have no interest in buying your malware infected junk.
  37. Jim Mohagan from Canada writes: "Since I am at the end of the baby boom generation, I find that little of the new music attracts me and I prefer to listen to "oldies but goodies'"

    M Haman from Vancouver, you are the prime market for CDs - that's not a judgement. The majors have enjoyed surfing on the revenue of re-selling these titles over and over again to the same customer, through vinyl, cassettes, CDs, etc., without having to incur any recording or mastering costs.

    It's interesting that although there has been a constant decrease in sales of CDs overall, last year there was an increase in Classical and Country CD sales. Which means there was an even steeper decrease in other genres. The key battleground is contemporary hits, and because of the youth skew there, it is moving from physical products to online.
  38. David Simon from Canada writes: You'll notice the music industry's troubles started at about the same time they released the soundtrack for 'Titanic'. Fitting.
  39. Mike Duncan from Toronto, Canada writes: gordon foster from Canada writes: If I buy a CD at all it's a NAXOS. I like the recordings, the packaging, the liner notes and the price, and it just tickles me pink that they're Canadian

    Um...Gordon? NAXOS is not a Canadian company. That being said, they do record a number of very talented upa dnc oming Canadian ensembles and soloists.
  40. M Haman from Vancouver, Canada writes: Jim Mohagan wrote:

    "M Haman from Vancouver, you are the prime market for CDs - that's not a judgement."

    More accurately, I WAS a prime candidate and I did buy a lot of CD's in the 90s. Now, I have stopped and gone 100% indie label downloads in MP3, or used CD's. Typically, my music is now classical, bluegrass, and country. Sort of like the statistics say the trend is.

    It's not piracy that is causing the changes, its people behavior and over abundance of music while the prices for CD go up and up.

    Songs are worth 25 to 50 cents each to me, and I expect to use them wherever I want, and select the ones I want. That's what Internet really offers to the customer; increased value rather than increased price.

    The time are a changin. Again.
  41. Not right or left from Canada writes: I say the quality of music has a more pronounced impact on music sales. I listen to classic rock from the 60's, 70's and 80's because it is a lot better than todays garbage.
  42. Will M from Maritimes, Canada writes: Yah! Sony is doing badly, not just in behavior! That'll learn them for picking on the honest customers with their root kits, price fixing and suing minors. I am sorry to those who have lost their jobs but I believe the company is unethical. And sorry for not going into it further but it should be common knowledge by now. Mind if I have the levee back on all the CD's that didn’t go to pirating? ...and they have the balls to call us thieves!

Comments are closed

Thanks for your interest in commenting on this article, however we are no longer accepting submissions. If you would like, you may send a letter to the editor.

Report an abusive comment to our editorial staff

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.

Back to top