response 6 of 151:

Jun 27 17:50 UTC 2001

I stuck a response in the music conference (item:music,293) about the 
financial difficulties and possible bankruptcy of Tower Records.
Requoting from the L.A. Times: 
 
"Music merchants say sales are down 5% to 10% for the first six 
 months of the year..." 

The LA Times story mentions lots of causes for Tower's problems,
and for the general fall in music sales.  Curiously, Napster is 
never mentioned.

One wag somewhere (mp3.com/news, maybe?) argues that the falloff in 
music sales has accelerated as Napster has been fettered with 
filters, and as all measurements report that less and less music is 
being traded through the Napster system.  So, he argues, this shows
that Napster actually was helping drive sales of music. 

(That argument is probably about as valid as the argument that 
Napster was damaging sales in 2000...)