the price of cds

imported_Lensman

Junior Member
Jan 10, 2006
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0
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?
 

Zim Hosein

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Super Moderator
Nov 27, 1999
65,324
403
126
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?

Yes.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,560
6,393
126
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.
 

imported_Lensman

Junior Member
Jan 10, 2006
19
0
0
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.

no sh!t sherlock, i know that, and thats not what i meant. the price of blank cds has to figure into the price of the actual cd.

over time, most things come down in price. DVDs used to cost 30 or more, some still do, but most can be had for about $20 or less, like you said.

CDs cost almost as much as a DVD does and I'm sure production costs for a music CD are many, many times less than for a DVD movie.

I would say the average CD costs about $15. they have cost that much for as long as i can remember. Its not like its still a fairly new media format or anything.
 

dabuddha

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
19,579
17
81
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.

True but when they first come out, the cost of producing the dvd/cd is factored into the sale price. And you know the cost of the dvd/cd in their early days was much much higher than today. Yet the prices are still the same.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,560
6,393
126
Originally posted by: dabuddha
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.

True but when they first come out, the cost of producing the dvd/cd is factored into the sale price. And you know the cost of the dvd/cd in their early days was much much higher than today. Yet the prices are still the same.

The prices that companies pay for the actual media that dvd movies or cd's are printed on is probably less than .05$ a piece. I really don't think that number changing from say .10$ a piece is going to affect the actual price of the item.

EDIT: for the record ... those numbers I pulled out of my ass are all guestimations.
 

dabuddha

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
19,579
17
81
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Originally posted by: dabuddha
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.

True but when they first come out, the cost of producing the dvd/cd is factored into the sale price. And you know the cost of the dvd/cd in their early days was much much higher than today. Yet the prices are still the same.

The prices that companies pay for the actual media that dvd movies or cd's are printed on is probably less than .05$ a piece. I really don't think that number changing from say .10$ a piece is going to affect the actual price of the item.

EDIT: for the record ... those numbers I pulled out of my ass are all guestimations.

You're thinking that the price of CDs (when they first came out) cost the manufacturer only $.10 a piece?
EDIT: I'm just asking because I have no idea how much they used to cost to make.


For some good ole fashioned propaganda, here you go

RIAA's explanation :roll:
 

Aquila76

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
3,549
2
0
www.facebook.com
I'm no economics expert, but I think it has to do with 'what the market will bear'. People have been engrained to pay $15 for a CD for decades now, that's what they're used to, and that's what millions of people continue to spend each month.

No business (especially an entertainment one and extra especially the music industry) is going to charge less for something out of the goodness of their heart at their wallet's expense.
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?

Yes.

I concur.
 

ShadowBlade

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2005
4,263
0
0
Originally posted by: Lensman
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.

no sh!t sherlock, i know that, and thats not what i meant. the price of blank cds has to figure into the price of the actual cd.

over time, most things come down in price. DVDs used to cost 30 or more, some still do, but most can be had for about $20 or less, like you said.

CDs cost almost as much as a DVD does and I'm sure production costs for a music CD are many, many times less than for a DVD movie.

I would say the average CD costs about $15. they have cost that much for as long as i can remember. Its not like its still a fairly new media format or anything.

im sure the price has gone down a solid 50 cents
as the price of blanks was never significantly above a dollar, and an extreme maximum for a single CD in a jewel case is approx. 50 cents now
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
The price is fine for the CD. IF iot was full of good songs. I hate buying a cd for one song (wich is why i do not buy them much anymore)
 

Lyfer

Diamond Member
May 28, 2003
5,842
2
81
Originally posted by: Phoenix86
Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?

Yes.

I concur.

QFT x 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999.
 

Cattlegod

Diamond Member
May 22, 2001
8,687
1
0
Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Inflation.

exactly

CDs today cost about 15 dollars where at our current price with inflation removed, they would have only cost 10.83 in 1995.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,954
4,540
126
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?
Your logic is flawed. When CDs first came out in the mid-80s they cost $20-$25 a piece. Now they cost around $15. Thats up to a 40% drop in the same time inflation has gone up 80% (Inflation numbers).

The actual blank CDs have never cost the manufacturer much. A drop in price of the cheapest part does not reflect much in the overall price of an item.
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
I usually pay 11.99 at Target and Walmart - are you the fools who buy albums at FYE and other overpriced music stores? I think that 12 bucks is justified.
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?

You're drawing two comparisons that have nothing to do with each other. The price of blank CDs has nothing to do with the pricing of an album of music - there is no correlation.
 

JDrake

Banned
Dec 27, 2005
10,246
0
0
Originally posted by: Lyfer
Originally posted by: Phoenix86
Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?

Yes.

I concur.

QFT x 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999.
x12
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,396
8,559
126
the value of a dollar has gone down, so the price of CDs has gone down.

the license fee for a CD to sony and phillips costs more than the raw materials themselves. afaik, it has been constant.

Originally posted by: dullard
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?
Your logic is flawed. When CDs first came out in the mid-80s they cost $20-$25 a piece. Now they cost around $15. Thats up to a 40% drop in the same time inflation has gone up 80% (ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt">Inflation numbers)</a>.

The actual blank CDs have never cost the manufacturer much. A drop in price of the cheapest part does not reflect much in the overall price of an item.

don't bring facts into this discussion
 

Dubb

Platinum Member
Mar 25, 2003
2,495
0
0
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Originally posted by: dabuddha
Originally posted by: purbeast0
Umm ... because when you buy a CD you aren't paying for the actual media, you are paying for the music. why the hell do you think video games cost $50 and DVDS cost $20 (respectively) even though they both use DVD media?

again, you aren't paying for the actual media ... you are paying for the content. i thought this was common sense lol.

True but when they first come out, the cost of producing the dvd/cd is factored into the sale price. And you know the cost of the dvd/cd in their early days was much much higher than today. Yet the prices are still the same.

The prices that companies pay for the actual media that dvd movies or cd's are printed on is probably less than .05$ a piece. I really don't think that number changing from say .10$ a piece is going to affect the actual price of the item.

EDIT: for the record ... those numbers I pulled out of my ass are all guestimations.

what pisses people off is that the record companies switch excuses to keep justifying silly prices.

late 80s/early 90s

record execs: "cds are $15 a pop because it's new technology and it's expensive to manufacture. if you don't want to pay that much you can buy the cassette or vinyl for $8"

consumers: oh, fine, I guess they'll come down eventually.

mid 90s

consumers: "hey, what gives, cd prices never came down, even though it now only costs pennies to make them"

record companies: Oh, well, we've had to spend more on things like music videos, so there's costs other than production bundled into that. but don't worry, things have stabalized, so expect prices to remain constant. So really with inflation it'll push the actual cost down. BTW: we've pretty much stopped producing cassettes, and vinyl will only get released as even more expensive limited editions. cds are cheap! really.

consumers: hmmm, whatever. I don't like it. I'm looking for coupons.

a few years back:

consumers: WTF? prices are going up faster than inflation. including promotion, production, distrobution, and paying everyone involved, a cd still costs less than $2 per disk for you. Yesterday I saw the spiderman dvd for $12 and the soundtrack was $18. aren't dvds newer and more expensive technology? aren't movies far more expensive to produce, promote and distribute than cds? what's going on? you tricked us. can we sue for price fixing? we can? great! too bad the settlement for tens of millions of dollars really doesn't hurt them at all, and all I got for the hundreds of dollars I overpaid on cds was a lousy $13.xx. bastards.

record companies: wait, wait! you're not paying for the media when you buy a cd, you're paying for the content. Really! we mean it. it's all the intellectual property! downloading is illegal! uh, um, we'll sue you back!

consumers: I might still be listening if you gave the artists more than 3-4% of the profits. screw off.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
62,130
17,945
136
Originally posted by: dabuddha
For some good ole fashioned propaganda, here you go

RIAA's explanation :roll:
So I suppose payola is hidden under some other marketing cost :p
But there you have it, straight from the horse's mouth, the most expensive part of the CD is the money they spent to convince you you needed to buy the CD. Most of which is probably a waste. But they've got a marketing department to support.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: Lensman
why hasn't the price of music CDs gone down?
CDs have been the same price forever. The price of blank CDs has gone down drastically over the years.

Is this just proof of the greed of the the record companies?

Yes.

:roll:

Why would you expect the price of CDs to go down? I'd expect the price to go up from inflation, which I don't think it has.