Posted by Chad Bryant on 08/07/06 02:59

"Lord Hatred" wrote:

>> >> > Explain why, when cds came out the excuse for them being 15
>> >> > dollars
>> >> > was how they "cost so much to make".. yet now, as that has been
>> >> > shown to be a lie and anyone with a burner can make one for 5
>> >> > -10 cents..
>> >>
>> >> While I'm not trying to justify CD prices in any way, I'd like to
>> >> point out
>> >> that commercial CD's are made by a totally different process than
>> >> by burning
>> >> to CD-R. Commercial CD's are made by etching a set of pits into a
>> >> piece of foil which gets put onto a clear piece of plastic.
>> >> They're much more durable
>> >> than CD-R's, which can degrade to uselessness in just a few years
>> >> if they're
>> >> kept in the wrong environment. (A friend of mine in Hawaii has to
>> >> burn new backup CD's every year or so because of that.)
>> >>
>> >> I don't know how expensive it is to manufacture commercial CD's,
>> >> so whether
>> >> the cost is justified is unknown to me, but I can state with
>> >> assurance that
>> >> they are not the same as "burned" CD's.
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> > It's not only that. You have a lot of people getting paid for
>> > their
>> >work as well. Including the musicians who spent countless hours in
>> >the studios.
>>
>>
>> .10 cents a cd.. a long long way from the 20.00 pricetag
>
>
> There are also a hell of a lot of people getting paid. I agree that
> $20 is absolutely ridiculous. I refuse to pay that much for one. But
> there is a hell of a lot of work that goes into it. If it's a band I
> respect I pay the money for them. Why? Because they busted their ass
> to entertain me.

If I choose to purchase a CD, I either purchase it directly from the
label (an option with Sub Pop and other small labels), or I purchase it
from a local outlet that doesn't have much overhead. Part of the reason
many stores charge ~$20 for one new-release CD is that they have to cover
their rent for their tiny space inside some disgusting mall.

--
Chad Bryant
RSPW Hall Of Fame (Class Of 2005)
www.chadbryant.net

"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has
never learned to walk forward."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who
need strength in numbers. It tells people to go out and stick their noses
in other people's business." - Jesse Ventura

[Back to original message]