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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.
Are CD prices too high? Does pricing constrict the amount of music you purchase and listen to? After reading the responses to last week's question, it seems appropriate to ask if you would buy more regular CDs if the price dropped substantially---let's say to around $8 US per disc at retail.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!!
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.