Classical Notes: July 24, 2007 Archive

Why buy the cow if the milk is free?

Posted at 12:15 PM on July 24, 2007 by Don Lee (4 Comments)

Of course I'm biased, but the news that radio negatively affects record sales just doesn't make sense.

Yes, it's true that if you've got a radio you don't need to buy records in order to hear music. But I'd argue that unless you have a radio you're much less likely to want to buy records.

I have a feeling that radio creates the biggest share of the market for recordings. When I buy a CD it's most often because I've already heard the music or the particular performance, usually on the radio, and I like it so well that I want to listen to it whenever I choose.

While we wait for experts to weigh in on the validity of this research, how about some anecdotal evidence: Does radio encourage or discourage your record buying?

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