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And I do, this is my average price through BMG mail order. Of course, if BMG gave me an average price of $4.00, they would again get my money.

current prices are outrageous

That's about what you pay now through a CD club. That would at least get me back into the retail shops as a buyer, not a browser.

When I was in college in Denver, I rarely paid more than $10 for a CD. On the limited budget that I had, I purchased most of the music that is in my collection right now at the local used CD stores. When Best Buy sold the new releases for $9.99, I bought a lot of new titles. Since they stopped that policy I have bought very few CDs from them.

Better quality,better selections,less selections and a reasonable price of $8 dollars

After 15 years of CD, why are we still paying $15-$16 each for them? The excuse used to be the lack of mass-producing CD plants to meet the demand. Now, it's royalty rates to the musical artists.

That way I would not have to wait to buy the promos, even though they are often less than $8.

Cost is a major limiting factor. But the fact that no local store carries a wide variety of classical music also limits my music purchases.

I would definitely buy more CD's if they were only $8! The $17 dollars places like Blockbuster or Camelot are getting for CD's is rape! What do those things cost the music companys to make? $3 at the most, they would still make a killing.

Now we're getting somewhere!

As a "starving college student," paying nearly $20 per CD can really limit the size of your CD collection---especially when one enjoys many different music genres, as I do.

Of course. I am in this to listen to music, despite the outlay of funds for equipment. Obviously, if the price was reduced, I would buy more, assuming the quality stayed the same (or better). No brainer. Anyone out there WANT to pay more for the same thing?

This is about the price I get from periodic specials from CD clubs (including S&H). It's the only time I buy from them. Unfortunately, the selection is limited. If all names were $8 I'd buy a lot more.

The industry promised in 1983 that the prices would drop as the economies of scale set in for manufacturing. I suspect that date came and left about 12-13 years ago.

What about vinyl ? If the new reissue vinyl cost the same $8.00/LP. I will buy lot more LPs !

I am only now getting into classical music. I have lots of CDs to buy, and would buy more at once if they were eight bucks a pop.

I am a subscriber so I thought that I should vote.

I receive lots of free CD-ROMs. Can audio CD cost that much more to produce (artist royalties, yes)? $10 US is my threshold for an impulse purchase; any more, and I stop and think. I wish I knew a site that allowed you to audition the first 60 seconds of songs on albums. I have grown resentful of spending good money ($16) for a highly reviewed CD only to find out it is not my cup of tea. In fact, if certain Stereophile writers "rave" it, I avoid it.

they are just too high priced considering sometimes you just want the recording of one song.

I guess $10 is the barrier. Once you go below that, you put down a psychological barrier and people will buy more. I do not think too much to buy a $7-9 CD, but I do have problems spending $15 for one. It is just how I am. I would buy at least 3 to 4 more CDs (probably spending more money at the bottom line) if they were priced about $8 dollars.

My answer must be prefaced with the understanding that $8 would only be a good value if it included a high enough standard of quality that made it worth buying in the first place. If it sounded like one of the budget cds from Kmart then why bother?

CDs are now my primary source of music, and I have built a collection through which I can enjoy many hours of listening. I would buy significantly more discs at lower prices for both my collection and for gifts to family and friends. Currently, except for the audiophile and special discs that I purchase once in a while, I will only buy discs during the "BUY 12 DISCS FOR A PENNY WITH NOTHING MORE TO BUY, EVER" sales. That's the only way that makes sense. I can't see how mall stores can ask $16-$18 for the same discs!!

I would probably buy a lot more music I would like to hear on occasion, but not at $15.99.

I buy CDs primarily for sound quality and if it is not available on vinyl. Recent CDs have been in the discounted or used sections. I have been very impressed with Stereophile's CD quality.

The main thing that I hate about albums is that not all the songs are nice. Most of the time, only 5 out of, say, 15 songs are what I want. Thus, if the prices of CDs drop lower than $8, I will definitely be inclined to buy more. Besides, the cost of pressing CDs is extremely low anyway.

I'd love to buy $8 CDs. My concern would be, would record labels doggie-style the masses with inferior product? Let's face it, the fact is that we audiophiles are the minority. The masses buy music from a more emotive point than we do. The fact also is that the majority is amazingly ignorant about sound quality and accurate (not overprocessed) recordings. Add to this the absence of standards in the CD biz. There's the loophole in a nutshell: audio ignorance guarantees profit. I wish I could say otherwise, but it ain't possible. It is getting harder and harder to find CDs that are worth the $13.99-18.00 super value price. I suspect that sound quality will take the express lane to poopsville.

Analog...so much more music!

While I would love to see CD prices drop to $8, compared to the rest of the world, Americans pay less than anyone else. Stop by Tower Records in London for a reality check.

Through my membership with a couple of music clubs, I pay about $9 for pop CDs. Would your $8 figure affect the rates for specialty CDs in the audiophile market?

This is of course referencing domestic releases. I would like to see imports in the $12.00 to $15.00 range.