How to Sell CDs--or Not
Most people think that the CD is finished (my office mate won't shut up about it), but there are still some who hold out hope that the format will endure. Instead of blaming the steady drop in sales of hard-copy music on digital downloading, these true believers have set their sights on retailers. Peter Kafka's argument is simple and to the point: the big-box stores, which sell the most CDs of any retail category, don't give recordings enough space. If people can't find music, Kafka argues, they can't buy it. Coolfer blogger Glenn Peoples provides a more nuanced view, writing that retailers aren't properly using the space they do devote to music. For Peoples, stores need to adapt to the changing behavior of most consumers, who have come to see music as an impulse buy. At the same time, labels need to provide retailers with high-end product to satisfy the small but steady demand of hardcore music fans, and retailers need to put the effort into properly merchand...