posted on Jul, 31 2009 @ 08:39 AM
Actually, Sony have been on the artificial respirator for several years now. They canned 80,000 workers last year (that's not a typo: 80,000 layoffs
around the world). They're laying off more this year. They are going out of business, the question is when.
Personally, I think it won't be soon enough. They completely destroyed the music business. For those of you who remember the music business before
Sony came into it in the mid-80's, it was a completely different world. Back then, bands would get development deals. Meaning the label would support
them for up to five albums, explecting very little to no sales, while the band took this time to develop their style. Development deals don't exist
anymore. It all works on a trimestrial scale; if you've cost them more in the last 3 months than what they made; you're out. For those who don't
know, U2 had a development deal. In today's market, they would never be signed.
Sony was behind the switch from vinyl to CD (again, for those who have never listened to an analog sound system, although CD's are more practical,
they don't sound anywhere as good as vinyls). At the time, vinyls sold for around 9.99$ while the CD came in at 19.99$ The CD was much more expensive
to produce (4$ vs around 0.25$ for a vinyl). Until the following year when a new, cheaper process was invented to make them. The manufacturing price
went down to about 1$. But CD prices never came down. When Sony saw this, they started buying out labels. In the mid 80's there were over 450 major
labels, now there are only 3.
That's why you have no diversity in today's market. That's why talented artists get overlooked in favour of artists who can sell.
They're also doing the same thing in the film industry.
As for their audio and video components. The trinitron tube was the best on the market. But most manufacturers used it and sold their TVs, with that
same tube, for hundreds less than Sony did. Along with the Beta-max camera, that's the only piece of equipment Sony ever made that was high-range.
Everything else they've ever made has been mid-range at best.
Today it's even worse, I'm not convince they even make mid-range anymore. Their audio components sound pretty bad. They're made in China like all
others, yet they sell for much more than everybody else's. They rely on their brand name.
Hopefully, when they go out of business, we'll see a return to better components, better sound and, especially, better artists.