Stayin' Alive — Or Trying To

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Take our word for it, you don't want to be in the record business right now. As downloading from the Internet gradually replaces browsing record-store aisles, CD sales have continued to fall--15% since 2000. But the flailing industry is trying to get hip to the new beat. A quick look at some recent developments.

Slashing CD Prices

Universal Music Group, the industry leader with 31% of album sales, unveiled plans to cut prices of its CDs as much as 30%--to $12.98 at retail for most discs. No competitors have followed suit yet, but they probably will. WHAT TOOK SO LONG?

Facing the Music

A new report from Forrester Research predicts that by 2008, 33% of music sales will come from downloads. Industry execs are finally waking up, the study says. WELCOME TO 2003

Fighting Piracy

The recording industry is expected to unveil an "amnesty program": illegal file sharers can fess up before they're hit with a lawsuit. But first they must destroy all their downloads. DON'T EXPECT CHEERS

Auctioning Seats

People still go to concerts, and Ticketmaster's revenues are up. But to fight scalpers, the ticket service plans to bust its price cap and auction its best seats online. LOOK OUT, EBAY