No. The big record labels are not dying. Album sales are UP. And at least according to Nielsen, the big four record companies account for 90% of those sales.[1]

No. The big record labels are not dying. Album sales are UP. And at least according to Nielsen, the big four record companies account for 90% of those sales.[1] Nielsen's methods of measuring probably favor established record companies over independents. But the fact remains: sales are UP among the big four in 2011. Price per album has of course dropped like a stone with the switch to digital. But so have distribution costs. And do you know what happened when the price dropped? The number of units sold went up! This is mad, MAD, I tell you, an outcome never even dreamed of by any economist ever. Their profits aren't quite as obscene as they used to be perhaps. But they are still making money hand over fist. This myth that the big record companies are dying needs to stop. It gives weight to their whining about piracy. Which is the real long-term danger. [1] http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120105005547/en/Nielsen-Company-Billboard%E2%80%99s-2011-Music-Industry-Report http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120105005547/en/Niel...