SONY BMG Malaysia Entertainment has long opted to cut prices to make original CDs popular in a market dominated by illegal downloading and piracy.

From May last year, the label introduced a series of campaigns to stimulate the industry and woo consumers.

Leading the campaign was the “Essential Series 2008” comprising a mixed bag of compilations from various artistes including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire, Luther Vandross, Alison Moyet, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand, Terence Trent D’Arby, Ravi Shankar and Yoyoma.

Each CD is priced at RM29.90.

According to Sony BMG managing director Adrian Lim, the titles are carefully selected for being value for money. Pricing is competitive, catering to both retailers and consumers.
“The albums comprise classics and make valuable collectibles. To date, the campaign has received tremendous response, with sales at 50,000 units,” said Lim.

The Top 10 bestsellers include artistes such as Michael Jackson, Santana, Kenny G and Toni Braxton.

Due to popular demand, the “Essential Series” was re-introduced earlier this month.

Adding to the existing list are 16 compilations including heavy metal outfit Iron Maiden, Louis Armstrong, Toto and Alabama.

Between the two campaigns, there was another titled “The Best of the Greatest”, launched from early January until April.

Under the banner were artistes such as Santana, Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston Modern Talking, New Kids On the Block, Air Supply and Boney M.

The CDs were also priced at RM29.90 each.

The campaign will be re-launched during the holiday season between October and November.

New titles — numbering between 50 and 60 — will be added to the list.

The most recent promotion is titled “The Hot Stuff”, comprising new albums which are doing well on the United States and United Kingdom music charts.

Launched in March, the campaign comprises 40 titles from artistes including Leona Lewis, Sean Kingston, Foo Fighters, Chris Brown, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

The price of a CD has been reduced from RM49.90 to RM35.90, with the the promotion recording sales of 20,000 to date.

From as early as 2000, consumers

have requested the recording industry

offer more competitive prices due to other forms of entertainment — the Internet and DVDs — available.

Lim stressed that the sales of recorded music were way below their 1996 peak.

That year, the industry recorded RM315 million sales. Ten years later, the figure had slipped to RM87 million.

Some in the industry are arguing that the worst may be over, citing an increase in sales in the second half of 2004 and the first quarter of 2005, and a growth in the use of services such as mobile tunes, where users can buy legal music downloads.

Still, signs of a struggling industry abound: Last year, sales decreased by 20 per cent to RM67 million.

Lim stressed that the music industry has been similarly affected in other parts of the region.

The only way to stay afloat is to be consistent in pricing.

“Since most international labels are suffering from sales, Sony BMG has to be consistent in its pricing which is why the company keeps introducing fresh and interesting campaigns to attract customers.”



• BARELY months after a contestant of a reality TV talent show made her exit, the singer’s management company has to deal with “diva” syndrome.

News is that the talent has been refusing to join promotional campaigns due to “family commitments”.

The singer has said that her spouse must give his permission for her to be available.



• LAST Friday, the entertainment fraternity was shocked by news about popular ‘80s singer Nassier Wahab being admitted to the intensive care unit of a private hospital after he was nearly electrocuted at home.

Apparently, he was attempting to fix faulty wiring when the incident occurred. Nassier, popular for the sappy ballad “Sekali Ku Jatuh Cinta”, is in stable condition.

Here’s praying for his speedy recovery.