Local branch of group-buying giant Groupon has responded to a need in the South African music industry with an offering that has the potential to revolutionise the music-buying process.
In countries such as Australia or America, industry specialists theorise that the recording industry has only been able to survive due to the fact that the iTunes music store offers tracks available for affordable, legal download. This is evidenced by the fact that iTunes is now the largest music retailer in the world, and has achieved pole position due to their ability to navigate the changing landscape of the musical industry. Internationally, easy access to online stores such as Amazon and iTunes means that rarely do consumers actually visit a physical store, the majority of music and DVD purchases is now being conducted online.
This is a trend that South Africa has yet to catch up with. And because it is not doing so, the growth of the SA music industry is being negatively affected. Groupon's pairing up with Look & Listen means that music fans will now be able to have easily accessible, varied, practical and more affordable options when buying music. Through this process they will also be helping to reduce the illegal downloading of music.
Look & Listen's MP3 download service, available at www.lookandlisten.co.za/mp3, offers over 1.5 million tracks - from South African and international artists, covering every genre.
