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.
November 9th, 2005 at 3:40 pm
Semi related- Last week, I learned that 19% of Canadians read a book a week. That’s a pretty good number, I think.
November 10th, 2005 at 11:49 am
Media is doing the equivalent of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, which means falling attendances in time.
Because we’re the walls, so to speak. And less is sticking.