CD Prices/Exec Take/Selling an iTunes Store Song?
September 4, 2003 in Articles
SFGate reports that although the recent crackdown and lawsuits have caused a 22% drop in downloading, the drop in CD sales actually accelerated during the same period. The BBC has an article with an EMI exec who gives the standard industry view on issues. But CNN Money has an article about Universal Music Group’s plans to slash their CD prices to $12.98 SRP, in an effort to combat piracy and bring consumers back into stores.
I think the CD prices should be $9.99. And, I think the industry needs to get behind such things as Apple Music Store and offer a REAL CD at a discounted price if people buy a certain number of tracks off the online site. So, say I buy 4 out of 9 tracks. I should be able to buy the REAL CD at a discounted price, say, $7 or so. I think the industry could really entice people to legally own a real album. A lot of people are more than happy just owning the Mp3 at whatever quality they happened to find it at.
One other interesting item. A guy is trying to sell his iTunes store purchase. Raises some interesting questions and issues……
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zed said on September 5, 2003
You hit the nail, again! CD’s came out in the early 80′s for me. The Tower in mid-town Manhattan had 20% of the store dedicated to the new medium. The average price for Jazz and Blues CD’s was $9.99 … It had some advantages over LP’s so I bought a lot of new and classic jazz titles. Working for a Major TV Network -they gave us a small discount & I also had the ear of many people in the Recording Industry. … most sales were -up. Getting a free sample is a sales tool going back to when a salesman went door-to-door with the Fuller Brush Company. If I could get a free download of an Eric Dano cut. I would be more likely to buy a well-priced CD. Am I the only one who sees this? If I were Clive Davis my “people” would likley say, charge as much as the “suckers” will pay! Will that mentality be the future for music on the NET?
Well, they said at the time that once CDs catch-on with “the public”, and, reproducing can be made more affordable, and, in greater number the “price point” will come down! That was twenty years ago. Since then the same CD’s went up 100% in price.
We learned from reading this jazz-sax.com website that the cost to re-produce (to make) a CD is approx. 15 cents.
I believe in free enterprise…so I felt “free” to boycott (buying) new CDs for the past six years. I get presents. But the point is that a CD like a CD Bluenote re-issue should be only 5 bucks.
This is an industry where Branford Marsalis does not have a major lable contract.
When Napster was hitting its peak