What’s Wrong With Consumers?

CBS jumps back into the music business - Dec. 15, 2006:

Mark Fratrik, a vice president with BIA Financial Network, a financial and strategic consulting firm for the media and communications industries. … But Fratrik said it would not be a good idea for CBS to use its radio stations to get more exposure for the musicians on CBS Records. He said the radio business is now highly formulaic. So it would not be in CBS’ best interest to feature relatively unknown artists while all of its competitors are playing “top 40″ musicians. “Radio is so incredibly competitive that if CBS actually did favor their own artists instead of more popular ones, they would pay in terms of lost listeners. That would be a tough thing for CBS Radio to shoulder,” Fratrik said.

What’s wrong with the “fill-in-the-blank” business is the business thinks that the people with the decisions are nothing but eyeballs, ears, and wallets. They would prefer that there be no decision at all - think subscription service.

Maybe the 20%+ decline in the CD business is due to the increase in formulaic “art” spreading across the globe?

Anyone know of a comparison showing the decline of music sales with the spread of Clear Channel radio stations?