Naxos announces a new 200-CD project (19th century violin)

[Harry Collier]

This is truly excellent news. There are so many violin works that never see the light of day, and it's great we have alternatives to the never-ending diet of the Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Bruch-1 and Sibelius concertos.

All praise to the entirely admirable Naxos. Those of us who began buying recordings back in the 1950s, 60s and 70s know that the so-called "majors" never even dreamed of such things. It has taken a new generation of recording companies to start expanding the recorded repertoire -- and at entirely affordable prices. So stuff that in your pipe, Norman Lebrecht, and smoke it.

Back in the 1950s and 60s -- when only big-selling mainstream repertoire was released anyway -- I reckon with the price of LPs at 36/4 (never mind trying to translate that unless you are British and over 50) the average worker could have bought around 5 LPs per week IF he didn't pay for tax, accommodation, food etc and used all his or her earnings for LP buying. Which is why my eyebrows shoot up at the weedy modern CD buyers who say: "$20 for a CD? That is extortionate"!

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

This is truly excellent news. There are so many violin works that never see the light of day, and it's great we have alternatives to the never-ending diet of the Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Bruch-1 and Sibelius concertos.

That's what I thought. I think I'll hold out for an 18thC violin box though.

[Brian]

Which is why my eyebrows shoot up at the weedy modern CD buyers who say: "$20 for a CD? That is extortionate"!

I'm a college student; I live for cheap. Sorry to disappoint you, though. Someday $20 for a CD shall be no problem for me. 

[DavidW]

Back in the 1950s and 60s -- when only big-selling mainstream repertoire was released anyway -- I reckon with the price of LPs at 36/4 (never mind trying to translate that unless you are British and over 50) the average worker could have bought around 5 LPs per week IF he didn't pay for tax, accommodation, food etc and used all his or her earnings for LP buying. Which is why my eyebrows shoot up at the weedy modern CD buyers who say: "$20 for a CD? That is extortionate"!

Yeah but the recordings were more valuable then, right?  I'm guessing there weren't as many available and they were harder to produce, ditto the hifi needed to play them.  It's easy and cheap to get stereo equipment, cds and mp3s.  What you're saying is not sound criticism of the buyer.  For this day and age, $20 a cd is extortion.  Back then it would not have been.

You have everything lined up right, but then you suggest that the conclusion is that the buyer has gotten overly frugal, when the actual conclusion is that the price of music has really dropped over the years.

[Harry Collier]

You have everything lined up right, but then you suggest that the conclusion is that the buyer has gotten overly frugal, when the actual conclusion is that the price of music has really dropped over the years.

The price of buying recordings has certainly dropped and dropped. Today's prices are very cheap for something potentially so valuable for so many years. This is why I can't understand people saying that although A may be a better performance, they are going to buy B -- because it's $3 cheaper! In an era when it costs me the equivalent of US$100 to fill my car's tank with fuel, the price of CDs that give pleasure for decades has become trivial.

[Florestan]

I can't understand people saying that although A may be a better performance, they are going to buy B -- because it's $3 cheaper!

Come visit Romania, my friend! Here, the price of a DG or Philips or EMI disc is 1/10 of the mean net salary which is about 300 Euros. Not everybody lives in the US. 

[Harry Collier]

Come visit Romania, my friend! Here, the price of a DG or Philips or EMI disc is 1/10 of the mean net salary which is about 300 Euros. Not everybody lives in the US. 

Well, I certainly don't !

[Florestan]

Well, I certainly don't !

Well, sorry, but US, UK... what's the difference in respect to the discussion at hand?

[m_gigena]

Come visit Romania, my friend!

He won't go there. If Harry's real prices are adjusted to gas, then it's obvious he will move to Venezuela

Taxi driver Jaime Tinoco works the streets of Caracas in a 1976 Chevy Nova that guzzles 19 gallons (72 liters) of gas a day. But he doesn't worry about fuel efficiency -- filling his tank costs just $2.30.

While US consumers struggle with soaring energy prices, Venezuela's gas is now the world's cheapest at 12 cents a gallon and Washington's regional foe, President Hugo Chavez, vows to maintain subsidies that keep fuel dirt-cheap.

Full article here

[DavidW]

The price of buying recordings has certainly dropped and dropped. Today's prices are very cheap for something potentially so valuable for so many years. This is why I can't understand people saying that although A may be a better performance, they are going to buy B -- because it's $3 cheaper! In an era when it costs me the equivalent of US$100 to fill my car's tank with fuel, the price of CDs that give pleasure for decades has become trivial.

That's a very good point.  Since cds are cheap, too much shopping is driven by quantity.  I don't have the time to really appreciate cds by bulk anyway these days, I used to be like that, but now I'll just selecting the recording that I really wanted to hear even if it's at a slightly higher price.

[Grazioso]

The price of buying recordings has certainly dropped and dropped. Today's prices are very cheap for something potentially so valuable for so many years. This is why I can't understand people saying that although A may be a better performance, they are going to buy B -- because it's $3 cheaper! In an era when it costs me the equivalent of US$100 to fill my car's tank with fuel, the price of CDs that give pleasure for decades has become trivial.

I think that may be in part because CD prices--at least for all the box-set reissues out there--continue to fall, leading one to exclaim about label X, "They're charging more than $3 per CD! What a rip-off!" You get used to that low, low price point and start to wonder, if all these great CD's with top artists and sound can be (re)released so cheaply, why shouldn't they all be? You start to feel like you're getting burned when you pay full price for some Hyperion (one of the "worst" culprits in that regard) or BIS CD that's been out for years.

That undoubtedly overlooks certain economic issues, but consumer psychology doesn't necessarily care for those

[The new erato]

I think that may be in part because CD prices--at least for all the box-set reissues out there--continue to fall, leading one to exclaim about label X, "They're charging more than $3 per CD! What a rip-off!" You get used to that low, low price point and start to wonder, if all these great CD's with top artists and sound can be (re)released so cheaply, why shouldn't they all be? You start to feel like you're getting burned when you pay full price for some Hyperion (one of the "worst" culprits in that regard) or BIS CD that's been out for years.

That undoubtedly overlooks certain economic issues, but consumer psychology doesn't necessarily care for those

I have no problems with full price issues, if they:

- contain valuable repertoire (not things that are done to death already) or valuable interpretative insights
- have top notch production standards
- have good notes and quality packaging.

That is, if a product is interesting and of premium quality, one may well price it for what it is. Sadly, menay full price issues fail to meet these criteria.

[Harry Collier]

That's a very good point.  Since cds are cheap, too much shopping is driven by quantity.

A very good point from you, too. I am alarmed about how many CDs I now buy per year; I can't possibly listen to all the CDs I own, and most of those I now acquire only get, at most, one or two listens. If CDs cost the equivalent of US$100 each, I might take a little more pride in buying and listening.

[Mark]

A very good point from you, too. I am alarmed about how many CDs I now buy per year; I can't possibly listen to all the CDs I own, and most of those I now acquire only get, at most, one or two listens. If CDs cost the equivalent of US$100 each, I might take a little more pride in buying and listening.

I'm sure this is the same for many of us. Which is why downloads don't make me feel half so guilty about excessive buying: no CDs on my shelf as visual reminders.

And my, aren't we very OT now.