This time, with ice cream!
To cause even more alarm, online sales, which Billboard ropes under the umbrella of "nontraditional" outlets -- a category that also includes coffee shops and concert venues -- are not growing at the pace they once were. They're increasing, yes, but they're slowing. This holiday season, nontraditional sales were up about 9%. They were increasing at a faster pace last year, when nontraditional retailers were up 15%.
The result? Retailers will be bringing in fewer CDs. In their place, expect everything from DVDs to BluRays to toys to ice cream.
Ice cream? That's right, as Christman notes that Sacramento-based Dimples Records is now devoting floor space to the dairy-based dessert. "I can make a 50% margin on ice cream, while on CDs I can lose two bucks," the magazine quotes Dimples' co-owner Dilyn Radakovitz as saying.
Christman's column gets even bleaker, and the issue, which is only available online to subscribers, is worth picking up, offering a quick and readable overview of the current state of the business. But the end result is a retail landscape that will sell nothing but the top-selling artists, and, well, that's it. Earlier this year, it was reported that despite the massive success Wal-Mart scored with its AC/DC exclusive, the retailer would likely be cutting back floor space for CDs.