[Crispy]

Yoko Takeuchi, 28, who was lucky enough to get a ticket to the MTV awards show, says she has stopped buying CDs of her favorite artists. "My friends taught me how to download music from the Internet," she says. "It's easy, and best of all, it's free."

It's one thing to use MP3s and burn CDs, it is quite another to do it out of complete and blind ignorance of the issues it raises. Unfortunately, thing two is in play for the vast majority of people I have met. Americans, that is. As for the Japanese, I thought Japanese girls enjoyed more disposable income now than ever, and far more than their American counterparts.

Analysts cite factors such as an aging population and artificially high prices.

I'm glad the analysts have the guts to say that artifically high prices are a factor. Maybe there's hope for the Japanese situation yet.

[tokyojoe]

Japan's Music Industry Is Losing Its Groove

A recent survey found that "unappealing artists" was the No. 2 reason that Japanese teens are buying fewer CDs.

With the widespread use of CD burners and the prevalence of CD rental shops I think this problem will only get worse. The industry really shot themselves in the foot by agreeing to allow rentals. That`s why their prices are higher, they sell fewer copies because of the rentals.

[cstaylor]

Same thing with the dot-bombs. People are cheap, so trying to compete on price with the Internet as a shopping tool made about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.