From Inside Radio:
Think radio airplay helps drive record sales? Not so says University of Texas at Dallas Professor Stan Liebowitz who argues the airwaves negatively impact CD sales by as much as 20%. Contrary to what radio has always thought — his research suggests radio airplay is a “displacement” for the sales of music. The more time listeners spend tuned into the dial — the less likely they are to buy pre-recorded music. Liebowitz says listening to the radio is a “substitute for non-specific music listening that might otherwise have used sound recordings.” Liebowitz’s study comes at a time when record labels have started pushing to nix radios’ royalties’ exemptions — which if successful — could seriously affect stations’ pockets.
It’s unfortunate to see Inside Radio giving PR to this ridiculous study, which I have already debunked in this blog about three weeks ago.
So spread the debunking around and stop contributing to the PR agenda of the music industry.
Maybe it will provoke some clear and level-headed thinking instead of deeply flawed and biased spin.