Newspapers and Cinemas Continue to Tank
Chris Anderson has a good summary of what’s up and what’s down in the world of mainstream media. Here’s what’s down:
- Box Office: down by 7% this year (tickets per capita have fallen every year since 2001).
- Newspapers: circulation, which peaked in 1987, is declining faster than ever and is down another 2.6% so far this year.
- Music: Sales are down another 5.7% this year; although digital downloads (still just 6% of the business) are climbing nicely.
- Radio: down 4% this year alone, continuing a multi-decade decline.
- Books: down by 7% in 2004 (but see comments below for discussion)
I was under the impression that newspaper readership peaked in the mid-seventies, though Anderson says it was 1987.
Meanwhile, Cory Doctorow likens your local cinema to a police state.
