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Sony Corp.,the company that brought us the Walkman and parent company of music label Sony Music Entertainment, plans to shut down a CD-manufacturing plant in South New Jersey in March.
About 300 employees will be laid off once the 50-year-old Sony DADC plant in Pitman, N.J. is closed. Sony said it plans to shift CD-making operations to a facility in Indiana. The company moved DVD manufacturing from the plant about a year ago.
Lisa Gephardt, a Sony spokeswoman said in a statement: "In light of the current economic environment and challenges facing the physical media industry, Sony DADC is taking additional steps to reduce cost from our supply chain network in order to remain competitive.
Who couldn't see these kinds of closures coming? The music CD has become nearly a relic. The emergence of digital music and music players, as well as the rise of illegal file sharing, helped hasten the demise of the CD as the main music-distribution format.
The CD was a boon for the record industry. Not only did record labels cash in when music buyers replaced their cassette tapes and vinyl records with discs but the CD also helped prevent unauthorized copying--at least initially. CDs also discouraged people from buying singles and into purchasing full albums.
The plant closure is just another sign that physical media's days are numbered. In addition to music, the film and book industries are amid their own digital transformations. How far this goes is anybody's guess but books and DVDs are not guaranteed to stick around.
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About 300 employees will be laid off once the 50-year-old Sony DADC plant in Pitman, N.J. is closed. Sony said it plans to shift CD-making operations to a facility in Indiana. The company moved DVD manufacturing from the plant about a year ago.
Lisa Gephardt, a Sony spokeswoman said in a statement: "In light of the current economic environment and challenges facing the physical media industry, Sony DADC is taking additional steps to reduce cost from our supply chain network in order to remain competitive.
Who couldn't see these kinds of closures coming? The music CD has become nearly a relic. The emergence of digital music and music players, as well as the rise of illegal file sharing, helped hasten the demise of the CD as the main music-distribution format.
The CD was a boon for the record industry. Not only did record labels cash in when music buyers replaced their cassette tapes and vinyl records with discs but the CD also helped prevent unauthorized copying--at least initially. CDs also discouraged people from buying singles and into purchasing full albums.
The plant closure is just another sign that physical media's days are numbered. In addition to music, the film and book industries are amid their own digital transformations. How far this goes is anybody's guess but books and DVDs are not guaranteed to stick around.
Webmaster Forum | SEO Forum | Coding Forum | Graphics Forum</b>