>First, the move to (sonically over-rated) CDs enabled the record >companies to raise their prices dramatically, from $9 per album to $16 or >so. At the same time, they forced artists to take less, telling them the >money was needed instead to help promote the new format.
And don't forget, when CDs first came out, the music cartel was wilding claiming that once it was accepted, it would enable the price of music to drop to about half that of audio tapes (which were at the time the "cheap" format for music, costing about $7 a tape since you got noticably lower quality than records and no cover extras like the art, pics, and lyrics). Of course, once people got used to the "phase in" higher price of CDs at $16 a CD... why on earth would anyone lower the price to $4 a CD and make a mear $3 profit when they can leave it at $16 (and higher due to "demand") and make a solid $15+ profit. -chris <http://www.mythtech.net> ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send a mail message with a SUBJECT line of "unsubscribe" to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
