What CD Sales Teach Us About the Future of Work
Those of us of a certain age remember the compact disc. At the turn of the century, consumers bought about a billion of them per year. Even if you only liked a single song, you grudgingly paid $16.99 for one simple reason: there really wasn't another choice.
Of course, we know what happened to the CD: Thanks to Napster, the iPod, iTunes, and early streaming services such as Grooveshark and Rhapsody, rare is the individual today who will plunk down any amount of money for a physical album. I used to show my students a picture of a Discman. Only a handful could name it. Today, CD sales have dropped 97 percent from their halcyon days:
(If you think that DVD sales have followed an eerily similar trajectory, trust your judgment.)
It'll only take a moment.
