Well, we have all been saying it and here is a story that bolsters our argument. In this Denver Post story, they lay it on the line. Here is a snip from the article.
The best-selling "Chicago" movie soundtrack is available on CD starting at $ 13.86. The actual movie, with the soundtrack songs included, of course, plus additional goodies ranging from deleted musical numbers to the director's interview and a "making-of" feature, can be had for precisely $ 2.12 more.
Therein lies the problem for a critically wounded music recording industry: The "Chicago" CD looks like a rip-off, and the DVD looks like a steal. Nearly everything the record companies have done wrong in the age of downloading has been done right by the movie studios. America's love for movies is stronger than ever, while the nation listens to music with smoldering resentment.
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For every slight by the music world, there's a smarter parallel move by the cinema promoters: Not until 20 years after the introduction of the CD in the United States did a record label announce across-the-board price cuts that acknowledged consumer anger at paying $ 19 for one decent Justin Timberlake song. Universal will now drop prices on many CDs to below $ 10, a breaking point many buyers seem to accept. In contrast, the movie studios saw the threat from pay-per-view cable and satellite in 1997, when DVDs first arrived here, and slashed prices immediately. DVDs started between $ 19 and $ 24; today hundreds of great titles are available in the $ 10 range. With "Pirates of the Caribbean" still taking in great business in theaters, a two-disc DVD version will arrive before Christmas for $ 18. People listen to the average CD many more times than they watch a DVD. Yet CDs are languishing in stores and DVDs are flying off the shelves. How to see this other than sheer music industry incompetence? |
The article finishes up with some pretty good commentary: The CD format saved the business for 20 years because consumers had little choice but to replace vinyl or tape copies with CDs to keep their libraries relevant. CD makers knew they were borrowing from the future the day the last Bob Seger 8-track gave way to a new CD, but did nothing to expand their market on radio or among new buyers.
Record label missteps are legion. But solutions are at hand: Let go of whole-disc sales and create a dollar-per-song online service as good as Apple iTunes. Make it universally available, with all the independents signed up.
Bring Ticketmaster to heel and make live music accessible and fun again. Allow file sharing for a $ 50 to $ 100 annual license. Woo 40-year-old buyers as if they were 16.
Most of all, spend less on lawyers and more on creative thinkers. You can't subpoena success.
Couldn't
have said it any better myself. By the way, Ticketmaster is out of control, I
recently went through the gauntlet of ordering tickets for a Vegas show
online and was not a happy camper. You get to look at the number of seats you want, say 2 then have 2 minutes to open another window to look at seating arrangements and decide if you want them. Or you lose them and have to start the process all over again from scratch. This includes filling out a long form along with your credit card info and this is on a purchase of nearly 400 dollars! Now I read where Ticketmaster is reserving a number of the the best seats for an Ebay style auction. They are going for hundreds of dollars each to the highest bidder. It's like if you aren't rich your out of luck for live entertainment. Thanks Denver Post!
Source: denverpost.com
