化為六月息

-----【譯文初稿】-----

酷玩樂隊(Coldplay)的最新專輯〝玩酷人生(Viva La Vida)〞，不僅在英國發行首日的銷售量高達十二萬五千張，更在發行三天後榮登全英專輯榜冠軍。英國官方暢銷榜公司(The Official Charts Company)總經理馬丁‧泰爾伯特 (Martin Talbot)則對此表示，酷玩樂隊新專輯在英國的銷售量，正好是這張專輯受歡迎成度的指標，而發行這張專輯的百代唱片公司(EMI)，對於這樣的銷售佳績一定很高興。

酷玩樂隊的上一張音樂專輯〝XY密碼(X&Y)〞，在英國發行首週就熱賣四十六萬五千張，是酷玩樂隊出道至今最為成功的一張專輯。隨著最新專輯〝玩酷人生〞在英國開出紅盤後，百代唱片公司與該公司總裁蓋‧翰斯(Guy Hands)，將他們的注意力，轉移到美國這塊全球規模最大的音樂市場上，結果銷售成績一樣令人滿意。

百代唱片公司目前是全球第四大音樂唱片公司，不過在去年2007年時，原先在百代唱片旗下的重量級藝人保羅‧麥卡特尼(Paul McCartney)與電台司令(Radiohead)紛紛跳槽，而目前仍在該公司旗下的酷玩樂隊與羅比‧威廉姆斯(Robbie Williams)，也傳出跳槽的可能。

隨著網路盜版，對於傳統實體唱片銷售衝擊的日益劇增，許多流行歌手紛紛考慮投入另一塊有利可圖的市場，例如巡迴演唱與販售周邊商品。此外，歌手保羅‧麥卡特尼則是大膽的與咖啡連鎖店星巴克(Starbucks)合作，而電台司令則是透過使用者決定價格的方式(pay-what-you-want)，把最新專輯〝彩虹裡(In Rainbows)〞放在網路上，讓樂迷付費下載。

酷玩樂隊也搭上這波數位音樂的熱潮，將新專輯內的首支單曲〝紫羅蘭山丘(Violet Hill)〞，免費放在網路上供樂迷下載。根據報導指出，一共有兩百萬人次下載了這首單曲。

隨著實體唱片市場遭受衝擊，在今年一月份時，百代唱片宣布裁員二千人。就像其他唱片公司一樣，百代唱片正試圖尋找新的數位音樂銷售模式，好跟上瞬息萬變的市場需求；而這個任務，則委由先前在線上虛擬世界公司第二人生(Second Life)與谷歌(Google)服務的執行人員來負責。 



※ 正式定稿與影像：「新唐人電視台 ─ 娛樂新幹線」

※ The original article was taken from Reuters Website.  ( 原文取自路透社網站 )




-----【原文對照】-----

INTRO: Coldplay album tops the UK album charts in just three days.  "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends" topped Sunday's (June 18) album chart, according to The Official Charts Company which tracks record sales in the United Kingdom, even though the record was released on Thursday (June 15) rather than at the start of the week. 


STORY: Coldplay(酷玩樂隊) sold 125,000 copies of its new album on the first day of release in Britain, a solid tally industry experts say should be music to the band's ears and those of its ailing record label EMI(百代唱片).

"Coldplay are an international act ... and these sales figures in the UK are the first indication of how the album will be received, and EMI will be very pleased," said The Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot.

"X&Y(XY密碼)," Coldplay's last album and most successful to date, sold 465,000 copies in its first week in Britain. EMI, and its boss Guy Hands, will now turn their attention to the world's biggest music market in the United States, a more important barometer of the album's success when it is released there next week.

EMI, the smallest of the four major record labels which was taken private last year, lost two of its biggest acts in 2007 -- Paul McCartney(保羅‧麥卡特尼) and Radiohead(電台司令) -- and representatives for Coldplay and Robbie Williams(羅比‧威廉姆斯) also suggested they may look elsewhere. 

Pop stars are considering alternatives to traditional record deals as Internet piracy and declining CD sales mean touring and merchandise are often more lucrative than the music itself. McCartney launched a venture with coffee chain Starbucks while Radiohead offered their latest album "In Rainbows" over the Internet on a "pay-what-you-want" basis.

Coldplay followed the recent trend of digital initiatives by giving away "Violet Hill(紫羅蘭山丘)," the first single from their new album, for free over the Internet. Media reports said the offer was taken up by two million people.

Like other labels, EMI is seeking to develop new models of distributing music digitally to keep pace with rapid changes that are eroding physical sales. The company, which announced up to 2,000 job cuts in January, has appointed former executives from online virtual world site Second Life and Google.