French music sales down (again)

On the eve of Midem in Cannes, the French industry body has released worrying figures. "The 2007 fall is between 15 percent and 20 percent probably around 17 percent, with the market for gross sales worth less than 800 million euros," Christophe Lameignere and Herve Rony, respectively chairman and managing director of the country's recording industry body, SNEP, told AFP. This represents a staggering 50% drop since 2002. The drop-off is accounted for by a drop in ringtone sales. In all, the Internet represents just 10% of sales. Although this is increasing, it is doing so less than in previous years.

Former Pink Floyd manager calls for new music business approach

On the eve of Midem former Pink Floyd, Marc Bolan and Baaba Maal manager Peter Jenner has called for a new approach to the music business. On the MidemNet blog, Jenner explained the changes that the industry is going through as a move towards "a mass of international niche markets, rather than a world of national mass markets". He called on all the various players (such as labels, managers, publishers and broadband companies) to put aside their differences. "The historical antipathy and baggage that all the sectors carry around with them, combined with their desire to protect their existing businesses, has had the affect of completely frustrating anyone in the new digital distribution business trying to build a new 21st century business legally," he says. This was clear 10 years ago already when the first Internet players began approaching the music business and were largely rebuffed. Mobile companies also spent a lot of time and energy trying to find ways of working with the business, expressing considerable frustration when the tricky issue of rights was raised. Yet these same issues are still largely unresolved, as the regional pricing structures on iTunes demonstrate.

Jenner's solution is not a new one, but is becoming increasingly likely. Given that there is a very definite swing away from paying directly for music, whether it be for downloads or CDs, Jenner echoes many industry insiders in calling for "a solution based on actual consumer behaviour... one that allows access to music in a way that addresses how people engage with music today. A seemingly reasonable solution looks to be a system where each customer with a broadband subscription... would pay a small monthly fee to compensate creators and rights-holders for any unauthorised use of music that might occur via their subscription." He suggests about £2/€2.67 a month. I think the way he puts it as compensation rather than acquisition is wrong, but it is probably the most feasible solution on the table today. One of the unsung heroes of downloading, eMusic.com, is a subscription service, for example.

For the complete article, visit Midemnet Blog.

RailEurope and TGV simplify trains to Cannes

TGV has decided to simplify things for people travelling in Europe by train. The Raileurope service will now fall under the banner of TGV, the high-speed network that connects France, Belgium, Germany and Holland. I just had a quick look at the prices from Paris, which range from €43 to about €92 one-way depending on time and the availability of promo prices. The journey takes about 5 hours but has the enormous advantage of bringing you straight to Cannes station, a 10-minute walk to the Palais. So you skip the 40-minute trip from the airport and the extra expense. If you have never taken one, the high-speed trains are a great way to travel. Check for available times here

Smoking ban in Cannes?

Heaven for some, hell for others, the smoking ban in cafés, restaurants, "bar-tabacs" and casinos that was introduced in France on January 1 obviously affects Cannes as well. The big question is how vigilantly will it be applied? French cafes and restaurants globally tend to be pretty smoker-friendly. But if a country as strong-headed as Ireland has learnt to comply, I can't see why France can't. On the practical side, Cannes has many terraces that smokers can use. Some of the bars spill into the streets anyway. So smokers can rest assured that there should still be a way to catch a quick puff.

In case you get involved in a discussion with restaurant owners, here are two figures worth remembering: the fine for smoking can be up to €450; and the fine for the owner is €750. Don't expect too much indulgence from them.