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Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Title:Welcome to the CD Notes Conference
Notice:Welcome to COOKIE
Moderator:COOKIE::ROLLOW
Created:Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:Fri Mar 03 1989
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1517
Total number of notes:13349

753.0. "CD Pricing Stories" by SPYDER::BRIGGS (Richard Briggs) Wed May 13 1987 12:10

    This really made my blood boil and is the perfect example of how
    CD pricing is totally unacceptable to the general public.
    
    Here in the UK we have had a series of compilation hit albums produced
    over the last three or four years. They are all double albums and
    contain about 25 current or very recent hits. They are all called
    'Now, thats what I call music'. Currently they are on the ninth. I went
    into our local supermarket where they had the No 9 LP alongside
    the CD and tape. The LP was priced at #6.50 (# = pounds). The CD
    was priced at #12.49. OK, I thought, thats about the standard price
    for a CD but this is actually quite good value because (I was looking
    at the track list on the LP cover) its got over 20 tracks on it.
    I'll buy it. So I picked up the CD. Whilst queueing at the checkout
    I looked over the track list again to find that only 16 of
    the tracks on the LP were on the equivilant CD! So, far from being
    a good buy it was decidedly poor value even for a CD. I really felt
    that by putting EXACTLY the same front cover on the CD as was on
    the LP the record company was out to con people.
    
    Needless to say I did not buy. More significantly though, its this
    sort of music that the majority of the record buying public buy.
    And its only when these people are 'converted' to CD will prices
    start to fall significantly. This is not the way to do it.
    
    Anyone got any other similar stories?
    
    Richard Briggs
    UK SWAS
    
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753.1Full length CD for $5.99PDVAX::P_DAVISPeter Davis (aka SARAH::P_DAVIS)Wed May 13 1987 15:155
    I've got a "good news" story.  Yesterday, in Strawberries in
    Framingham, I saw many copies of the 1976(?) Broadway revival cast
    recording of "Guys and Dolls" CD for $5.99.  That's the lowest price
    I've ever seen for any CD.  This disc was priced at $9.99 when it first
    came out (which, of course, is when I bought it.) 
753.2Sometimes you get the tracks...AQUA::ROSTBut are they friendly spirits?Wed May 13 1987 15:5236
    
    I have seen a few CDs which omit titles that are on the LP.  Often
    this is due to the LP running over 80 minutes or whatever the limit
    of a single CD is.  The record company, figuring noone will pay for
    two CDs cuts a couple of tracks.
    
    Sometimes, as in the case of "1999" by Prince, tracks disappear
    even though there is room, and that is just a ripoff.
    
    Anyway, here are some double-LP single CD albums that I have seen
    where the CD contains *fewer* songs:
    
    		The Kinks	"Come Dancing" (Arista best of)
    
    		The Jam 	"Compact Snap" (another best of)
    
    		Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Anthology (all volumes that
					            I have seen so far)
                                                
    		Prince		"1999"
    
    There are a few that do give you extras,though:
    
    		Jefferson Airplane 	"2400  Fulton St."
    			this best-of comes with 25 tracks on 2 LPs or
    			*35* tracks on two CDs.
    
    		The Lyres  	"On Fyre" this import CD contains the
    				entire domestic LP plus two EPs and a 45 
    				B-side (ten additional tracks) making it 
    				equivalent to a boxed three record French 
    				release. The CD sells at Newbury in Boston 
    				for three bucks less than the LP box!!
                                                              
    So occasionally there is justice.....
                                        
753.3everything but the best...STAR::BIGELOWBruce Bigelow, DECnet-VAXWed May 13 1987 17:0816
    Well, this is not your usual rip-off, but it was enough to convince
    me not to buy the CD...
    
    I have the LP of the soundtrack of "Close Encounters".  I really
    like it, and my favorite track is not actually on the LP.  The LP
    had a little 45-sized record inside of it with the theme as released
    for radio play (the one we all remember from when it was played
    twice an hour for several weeks), and this is my favorite.
    
    It seems that they decided not to put this on the CD; it only has
    the tracks from the original LP, without the radio version.  I decided
    it wasn't worth $15.99 to get everything except what I wanted most,
    especially when the radio version of the theme is available on several
    other CDs, including Telarc and Philips.
    
    Bruce
753.4PDVAX::P_DAVISPeter Davis (aka SARAH::P_DAVIS)Wed May 13 1987 17:5310
    I have an LP called something like "James Bond's Greatest Hits,"
    which contain soundtrack recordings of the title music from the
    first 13 films, plus various incidental music ("3 Blind Mice" and
    "Underneath the Mango Tree" from "Dr. No", for example).  All in
    all, 20 tracks.
    
    The CD version, released by the same company, contains only the
    13 title songs.  I consider that a rip-off.
    
    
753.5AUTHOR::MACDONALDWA1OMM Listening 224.28Fri May 15 1987 11:373
    Not to mentioon the lousy quality of the recordings ... the later
    ones seem okay (Live & Let Die, etc.), but the early ones sound
    better on the TV.
753.6Compact Disc Club Horror StoryNEBVAX::GOSSELINFri May 15 1987 18:1728
    I've got a horror story to add. I belong to the RCA Compact Disk
    Club, which after you fulfill your enrollment ageement (must buy
    two full priced disks, after getting three for a pittance to join)
    gives you a bonus certificate for each full priced CD you buy. The
    bonus certificate allows you to buy any full priced disc ($15.98)
    for half price (7.99). This policy also holds true for multi-disc
    sets.
    
    Anyway, I sent in a bonus certificate in March for the two disc
    set of The Carpenters "Yesterday Once More" (no flames on musical
    tastes, please). The order arrived today - but instead of two discs,
    I only got one! At first, I checked to see if they crammed all the
    selections on one disc. No sir! Only one disc! Even the liner notes
    stuck in with this single disc refers to two discs! And the schmucks
    charged me 18.97 (with 2.99 of that for shipping)! I'm so angry
    I can't see straight....and now I'll have to fight with their totally
    ineffective Customer Service group to return this ripoff. Right
    now, the way I feel about this, as soon as I can straighten this
    out, me and RCA are gonna part ways. I can't believe that they would
    send this after two month's of waiting...what did they think, that
    I wouldn't notice the difference?? Geez....
    
    As far as the RCA Compact Disc CLub is concerned, my feelings are
    NEVER AGAIN!!!!
    
    
                                    Ken
    
753.7CD Club Math LessonAQUA::ROSTBut are they friendly spirits?Fri May 15 1987 19:0215
    Re: -.6
    
    The CBS club is similar, about $3 for shipping.  OK, take one disc
    at $15.98.  Get a second at $7.99. Add and divide by two.  You get
    $11.99, not great for a CD but not outrageous.  Now add $3 for shipping
    (including sales tax because its "shipping" not "postage") and you
    get $14.99!!!!!!! 
    
    The only deal you get is your "freebies"....
    
    Take your free ones, buy your two and quit.
    
    Then join again...
    
    It is the only way to deal with these turkeys....
753.8CBS <> RCACLONE::G_SCHULTZGeoffrey SchultzMon May 18 1987 14:188
    Re .7
    
    The CBS club has a much more reasonable shipping rate than that
    of RCA.  The 1'st disk is $1.67, the 2'nd and 3'rd around $1.00,
    and after that they're $0.67 each.  So, just save up your orders
    and place a big order.  But I agree, RCA is terrible!
    
    					-- Geoff
753.9There is Always an ExceptionAQUA::ROSTBut are they friendly spirits?Mon May 18 1987 14:307
    Re: -.8
    
    The trick with CBS is that the price goes down *only* if they all
    end up in the same box...if they have to ship an order of umpteen
    CDs in umpteen boxes you pay $1.67 umpteen times.
    
    A voice of experience.                                          
753.10Are we talking about the same company?CLONE::G_SCHULTZGeoffrey SchultzTue May 19 1987 14:086
    Re .9
    
    That's not my experience.  And I've received up to 8 CDs in 1 box.
    Also I know that if they're out of stock on something, you pay the
    reduced price when they ship it.
    						-- Geoff
753.11Another example...CHFV03::TODDTom Todd, F.S., Champaign, ILWed May 20 1987 13:5914
Could anyone explain to me why a particular CD will vary so much in price from
store to store?  In particular, I've been watching the releases of some of the 
Genesis concerts.  I ended up buying the 2 CD set "Three Sides Live" at Tape 
World at the mall in Nashua for $22.99 (regular price $24.99 with a $2 off 
coupon.  Since then I've seen it at prices ranging from $23.99 to $32.99.
The other two 2 disc sets I've seen ("The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" and
"Seconds Out") seem to have similar variations.

The feeling I'm getting is that the distributors are giving the stores a break
on the wholesale price, and greed motivates the store to price it at what the
market will bear.  Does someone know how this works?

Tom

753.12VLNVAX::KARLSONOnly 219 shopping days until Xmas!Wed May 20 1987 14:1714
    
    RE: .-1
    
    	You got it exactly.  The wholesale prices (for the most part)
    don't vary all that much.  The prices differences you're seeing
    are based on the stores pricing policy (read: greed).
    
    	How else do you explain, Rock N' Mania in Framingham having
    the Beatles discs at $16.99 (on day of release) and Strawberry's
    (which is about 100 yards down the road -- they *MUST* have the
    same distributor) having them at $13.99, and other prices have been
    reported from $10.00 to $18.99
    
    								-rjk
753.13One Example of WholesaleAQUA::ROSTBut are they friendly spirits?Wed May 20 1987 15:1720
    
    As far as wholesale goes, a friend of mine works at the Rounder
    Records warehouse.
    
    They have three wholesale prices:
    
    One to stores who deal direct with the warehouse.
    
    One for distributors (such as one-stops) who buy from the warehouse
    and resell to stores.
    
    One for artists who wish to purchase copies for resale through their
    own mail-order, at shows, etc. or for promotional purposes.
    
    The cheapest of the three is the artist price, $7.50 per CD!!!!!!
    
    The stores dealing direct pay something like $10, distributors about
    a buck less.
    
    Hope this helps.
753.14Import vs. DomesticCOOKIE::ROLLOWMurphy's Law applies.Wed May 20 1987 16:136
    The pricing differences in some of the Genesis CD's may be that
    the more expensive ones ($20.00+ for one disc) are the Virgin
    imports, while the less expensive are the Atlantic domestic
    versions.  The Virgin releases often preceded the Atlantic
    release by a year or more.