Posted by Mr Bigun on 08/07/06 03:16

On 07 Aug 2006 02:59:21 GMT, Chad Bryant <chadbryant@tardsmack.com>
wrote:

>"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.


True.. but the same "not price fixed" routine applies to Wal-Mart,
K-Mart and other retail outlets..

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