GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS IN INDUSTRY CRYSTAL BALL

If you’ve got a cryogenic freezer, you might want to think about taking an ice-cold nap for a couple of years. According to a just-released report from the London-based Informa Media Group, global music sales will have a retail value of $28.2 billion this year, down from $30.9 billion last year, and drop to $28 billion next year. All that will change in 2005, thanks to the promise of this new invention called the internet. New music downloading services, which won’t be new in 2005, will provide growth for the business in a quick two years.

That’s actually a short time—unless you have bills to pay.

Said Informa analyst Simon Dyson: “The music industry is in a bad way at the moment, but the continued fall in the value of music sales is certainly not irreversible. The success of the new download services proves there is a viable market for legitimate digital sales. In fact, we’re working with the music industry on a new slogan to generate consumer excitement. What do you think of ‘The Net: It’s Not Just for Porn Anymore!’?”

The report also predicted that global Internet sales, including sales from retails sites and downloads from buymusic.com and iTunes will reach $3.9 billion, up from $1.1 billion last year. However, Dyson told Reuters that digital music sales will always be a niche sector, accounting for a low double-digit share of overall sales.