RIAA CONSUMER PROFILE SAYS ROCK, BOOMERS NOT DEAD YET

They may both be looking towards retirement, but Boomers and their beloved Rock still hold sway at the cash register, at least according to the RIAA 2000 Consumer Profile.

Rock & roll is still far and away the leading genre in the record industry's $14.3 billion business, with 24.8% of sales, though it is down from a high of 34.8% in 1991. Rap/hip-hop was at 12.9%, up from last year's 10.8%, marking a ten-year high. Other genres included Country (10.7%), R&B/Urban (9.7%), Pop (8%), Religious (4.8%), Jazz (2.9%) and Classical (2.7%).

Meanwhile, buyers 45+ now represent 23.8% of total sales, more than double 1991's total of 11.8%, though slightly down from last year's 24.7%, with the next leading group 15-19-year-olds at 12.9%.

Full-length CDs remain the format of choice, garnering 89.3% of the pie, with full-length cassettes at 4.9%. Figures on downloaded MP3 files were not broken out.

Traditional record stores remain the leading choice of consumers, claiming 42.4% of the total market, though the "Other Stores" category, which includes electronics superstores like Best Buy, is catching up, representing 40.8%. Tape/Record Clubs trailed with 7.6%, while the Internet is up to 3.2%, a rise of 33% over the previous year's total of 2.4%.

Meanwhile, the male buyer represents 50.6% of the market, the female consumer 49.4%. Females have grown from 45.9% of the market in 1991, while males have dropped from 54.1% that same year.

Said RIAA boss Hilary Rosen: "It's encouraging to see a consumer profile as diverse as the vast array of works released in 2000. But nowhere near as much fun as kicking Napster's butt in court."