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In Reply to: CD Costs posted by Mike Craig on October 29, 1999 at 10:06:13:
Sorry, I must disagree with you - at least in the sense that CDs cost less. The major lables for Rock, Jazz, and Classical use to be about $12.00 with the imports running up to $18.00 - in normal outlets like Tower Records. They are even more expensive in Tower (Sam Goodies, Blockbuster, Virgin, pick your favorite record outlet chain) today - $14.00 to $22.00. Where you can save money is buying through CD Now or Amazon (of course through our support your local asylum page). If not for these large buying and selling outlets it would be pretty rare to find a place (that can stay in business) selling CDs at a discount of more thatn a buck or two. To give you an idea of what CD could and should cost look at the budget discs like Naxos and Laser Light - makes one go hmmm....The cost to make a CD is well known to be considerably lower than the cost to make an LP - yet CD was and always will be more expensive (audiophile remasters not included). One more item - the new releases are more expensive because the big recording houses are squeezing more profit from every facet of production causing prices to increase in general (why shouldn't they its a captive audience). The money is not going to the artists through royalties - it is going to the stockholders keeping share value high.
I do think your spot on as far as music for entertainment value - though live music surpasses recorded for my priorities.
Bottom line - greed. I think advances in the technology has lowered the cost to manufacture the CD. That is what I was getting at. If a label has old tapes in its library, it can simply make cheap CDs and release. Thus the lower priced series containing the same recordings I used to pay twice as much for. Also look a "bargain" classical CDs. They don't have to pay big bucks for big name conductors and associated symphonies and many of the recordings are superior. Unfortunately for those of you in the pop field, it is pay the price, and in that respect you are getting ripped off. But the anticipation for lower priced CDs was based, I believe, on technological efficiencies which have occurred. I think we are talking the same thing just using different points of view.
nt
What Tower Records charge for CDs is criminal. Here in NYC the same opera set which sells for approx. $53 can be found for $41 at J&R Musicworld everyday or cheaper at Amazon. Whats worse is the number of "imported" recording that Tower sells in its classical department. A 2 disc debussy piano recording (DG label) I bought a year ago at J&R for $21 is listed at $41 or $44 at Tower; and just because its labeled "Imported"!!! and for the same aluminum CD!!! There is no argument that warrants that kind of price difference.The bottom line, as Oakroot has stated, is that it doesn't cost that much to manufacture CDs, promote and advertise, and pay the artist (who I believe only gets like $1.00 for each CD sold! at best); the rest is all profit for the record company. Why do you think all these artists are trying to sell direct to their fans thru the net? They can manufacture their own CDs and mail order or just have people download from their websites for a fee. Either way it would be more profitable for them.
Jose
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