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Topic ClosedAnother victim of the 'Death of CD's'
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Points: 16449 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 15:57
This is a shame, I've got a number of good deals at my local FOPP,  guess I'll go up their soon to see if theirs any kind of closing down sale.
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Points: 8368 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 16:10
It continually amazes me that anyone would prefer an intangible digital copy of a song to a nice chunk of plastic with lovely cover art and liner notes to read. I just don't get it! I'm desperately afraid that all physical music media will go the way of vinyl and only be available in a few rare, understocked specialty stores. The fall of Tower Records was certainly a harbinger of doom.
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 16:29

^ online buying (Amazon,Play, CDwow, 101cd etc.) is the real cause of the demise of the high-street record store, not downloading. Not because they are cheeper, or more convienient (a 3 to 4 week wait for delivery is not convienient!), but because they offer a wider selection. I have given-up even attempting to buy anything other than "sale" items on the high-street, because the chances of finding what I buy online is slim to zero.
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Points: 20337 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 16:39
Living in rural Herefordshire, I just have no choice other than to buy online...we have a small Virgin store in Hereford (20 miles away...I go there about every 3 months), and something called Powerplay, but neither stock anything more obscure than Dream Theater, and always at top whack prices... why would I chose to traipse down there to spend £11.99 for Systematic Chaos, when I can find it online for £6.50??
 
It's a no-brainer, really...
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Points: 21596 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 16:48
Originally posted by darqdean darqdean wrote:

^ online buying (Amazon,Play, CDwow, 101cd etc.) is the real cause of the demise of the high-street record store, not downloading. Not because they are cheeper, or more convienient (a 3 to 4 week wait for delivery is not convienient!), but because they offer a wider selection. I have given-up even attempting to buy anything other than "sale" items on the high-street, because the chances of finding what I buy online is slim to zero.



From a prog standpoint the wider selection is really cool ... but the online stores are also cheaper and more convenient. Best of all worlds! Big%20smile




Edited by MikeEnRegalia - June 29 2007 at 16:55
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Points: 4252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 17:30
Though not a FOPP shopper, i rarely buy from high st. stores these days, they're just so expensive compared to Amazon and Ebay Ermm
 
HMV charge at least £10 for new releases, but old ones go for up to £17 in some cases.
 
 
 i downloaded one obscure cd once - the sound quality isn't the same at all.
 


Edited by mystic fred - June 29 2007 at 17:32
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Points: 2760 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 17:31
I enjoy buying CDs, and have stopped downloading through filesharing networks.  I'm trying to replace some of my .mp3 files.  It's just much more enjoyable to get a hard copy of the music.  Downloading usually lacks the excitement that purchasing a CD does.  
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Points: 7374 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 17:36
Since brick and mortar record shops are bombing and the internet is booming and downloading is the new craze, do you guys think that CDs will still be widely available into the future, even if you can only order them from the internet? I guess I mean, even though the actual, physical record shops are closing down, do you think CDs will still be manufactured, but just sold off the net because they don't justify a record shop?
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Points: 7003 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 17:36
Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

Tragically, UK based music retailer FOPP is to close all it's stores. It blames serious slumps in CD sales.

The London branch of FOPP sold shelves full of prog rock, for as little as £3.00, as well as latest releases. The company blames downloading for nose diving CD sales.

FOPP RIP

Sad news.

Does anyone here prefer buying CD's to downloading, or am I the last one?

 
As I work within walking distance of two Central London Fopps I've got mixed feelings about this; on the one hand, I still like to buy CDs although I also download from emusic every month, but on the other hand I won't be as tempted to treat myself to yet another prog CD or several following a bad day at work.
 
On balance, it's a bummer CryCryCryCry
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to the already rich among us...'

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Points: 19557 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 17:42
Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

Tragically, UK based music retailer FOPP is to close all it's stores. It blames serious slumps in CD sales.

The London branch of FOPP sold shelves full of prog rock, for as little as £3.00, as well as latest releases. The company blames downloading for nose diving CD sales.

FOPP RIP

Sad news.

Does anyone here prefer buying CD's to downloading, or am I the last one?

 
I'm not in favour of downloading, but lets be honest, the Musical Industry and big stores are victims of their own greed not of the downloading alone, which if used wisely may boost sells.
 
They still believe we're in the early 90's when they were the only ones who could release a decent CD, so they could put the price they wanted.
 
THEY DON'T HAVE THE MONOIPOLY ANYMORE, SO THEY CAN'T KEEP THE HIGH PRICES.
 
  1. Many bands work for independent labels who sale the albums via Internet.
  2. Some new bands sell their own albums
  3. SAny computer has a CD burner to copy an album.

The cost of a CD is lower than an  LP but still they sell the CD's 2 or 3 times what an LP costed, this is absurd. The cost of a CD with package, booklett, printing, mail and taxes is 1.75 pounds average (Without booklet it goes down even to 1 pound), let's see:

 
Quote
$1500    Business Set-up (dba, LLC, legal documents, bookkeeping)
$4200    Production fees
$12500    Engineering
$5000    New Gear
$750    Piano Tunings
$9300    Musicians
$3200    Mixing Time/Additional Studio costs
$900    Artwork
$1100    Mastering (more than usual because one tune had to be re-mastered)
$2000    CD Release Party
$6000    Manufacturing
$3400    Radio Promotion
$1500    Publicity to date
$3200    Advertising
US$ 54,450
 
This are the costs for a simple guy making his own albums, so for a big company the costs are much lower except in the already famous artists, but in this case they reach Gold or Platinuum easily so the costs go really down.
 
Lets think in 30,000 copies (Record Industry doesn't release less.
 
The cost per CD is US$ 1.8...................Why in hell are the prices so high????
 
Any new artist can release 10 or 20 thousand CD's and sell them in US5.00 to US$ 7.50 and still gain some money that will be multip´lied in the gigs.
 
The big companies don't have a monopoly anymore, they can't keep the prices, don't think in Prog albums sold at 3 pounds, because this is not the meat for a store, a store gains in the thousand of POP  or RAP CD's they sell at US$ 15.00 to $ 20.00
 
Their excuse is: "Less than 10% of CDs are profitable, and these profits ideally must cover the costs of the others."

Why in hell must we pay their ineficient system of finding artists?

So yes, downloading has affected the industry (Specially in singles), but a survey studio http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3052145.stm proves that a downloader buys more albums than a non downloader.

So if there's somebody to blame is the greedy musical industry, not that I condone the illegal downloading, but it's not the only factor.

Iván
 


Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - June 29 2007 at 17:47
            
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Points: 7456 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 17:52
Originally posted by Syzygy Syzygy wrote:

Originally posted by Blacksword Blacksword wrote:

Tragically, UK based music retailer FOPP is to close all it's stores. It blames serious slumps in CD sales. The London branch of FOPP sold shelves full of prog rock, for as little as £3.00, as well as latest releases. The company blames downloading for nose diving CD sales. FOPP RIP Sad news. Does anyone here prefer buying CD's to downloading, or am I the last one?

 

As I work within walking distance of two Central London Fopps I've got mixed feelings about this; on the one hand, I still like to buy CDs although I also download from emusic every month, but on the other hand I won't be as tempted to treat myself to yet another prog CD or several following a bad day at work.

 

On balance, it's a bummer CryCryCryCry


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Points: 890 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 18:11
Personally I've always hated the CD with its crappy plastic cover that cracks before you get it out of the shop, its condensed artwork and sleeve notes, the reading of which requires an electro-microscope and a bottle of Optrex, and the fact that a packet of king-sized Rizlas takes up so much of the surface area that no space remains on which to skin up in any practical way.
On the other hand, at least it's a tangible three dimensional piece of ownable sh*t, and not some ethereal, incorporeal coded nothingness, which I wouldn't pay you for.
 
 
Bring back vinyl. That was something worth having.


Edited by emdiar - June 29 2007 at 18:13
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Points: 8368 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 18:34
There's a chain of record stores in Massachusetts called Newbury Comics that have recently started putting huge numbers of CDs on sale for $10 or less. I'm not talking about the crummy bargain bin stuff you find in Virgin Megastores, but lots of really good classic Cds. I assume they have lowered their prices in an attempt to compete with online retailers, and I suspect it's working. I now buy many mnay more CDs than I ever did before, because I can get them at half the price. I think if more stores adopt this policy, they will not be doomed entirely.
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Points: 15535 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 19:12
I'm also pro-CD.

Tangible objects to me give me a better thrill of getting a new album since I have to make a journey into the central london to use what little money I have to get as much stuff from used record shops as possible.
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Points: 143 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 21:12
I'm not in the UK so this doesn't directly affect me, but it's been happening to the local music stores where I live, too.  It makes me sad, because I, too, don't ever like just having the CD.  I currently am far too poor to be purchasing CDs, and I'm afraid that once this is no longer the case (it'll 4 years or so, probably) there won't be any decent local stores left.

A friend told me the other day that she, too, likes having CDs but sometimes she just "has to have" a song...right then...so she buys it off iTunes.  How silly!  I've gotten like that about certain songs before, too, and the wait just made it that much better when I finally did take the CD home and play it.
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Points: 1907 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 21:49
I download my music, and then buy the Vinyls because i feel the CDs are lacking in "package", and I cant play vinyls on my iPod
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Points: 1494 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 22:06
I like some legal downloads (such as emusic.com) because now I have an iPod and it's so much cheaper. If it were not for emusic's incredibly cheap prices, I would not have nearly as much music exploration. It's hard to see why someone would pay $10 for a download, but when it's $1.50...
 
I think also Amazon.com is driving these places out of business because it has a larger selection, discounted prices (more physical shops sell at MSRP, which is for suckers), and free shipping that only takes a week or so.
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Points: 166183 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 29 2007 at 23:51
Cry
 
Any place that sells prog CDs (beyond DT, PT, etc) should never close.
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
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Points: 3928 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 30 2007 at 03:58
Fopp were not bad for prog- the one near me wasn't so good for it, but the Bristol and Bath stores had a fair amount of Canterbury, Krautrock and some Magma albums amidst the usual symphonic legends.
 
Most of the less well known prog I get though is from a nearby record fair- got one today, funnily enough- or occasionally 2nd hand stores. Usually, stores near me have the latest Inside Out label releases but only a few copies of those- once they are gone, that's it really.
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Points: 4252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 30 2007 at 04:17
Originally posted by emdiar emdiar wrote:

Personally I've always hated the CD with its crappy plastic cover that cracks before you get it out of the shop, its condensed artwork and sleeve notes, the reading of which requires an electro-microscope and a bottle of Optrex, and the fact that a packet of king-sized Rizlas takes up so much of the surface area that no space remains on which to skin up in any practical way.
On the other hand, at least it's a tangible three dimensional piece of ownable sh*t, and not some ethereal, incorporeal coded nothingness, which I wouldn't pay you for.
 
 
Bring back vinyl. That was something worth having.
 
vinyl is back - if you look carefully   Wink
 
i used to love browsing in record shops - the new "just -in", section, the used section (most lp's were about £1.50), and if you saw anything you fancied they'd put it on for you...now how's that for service? Big%20smile
 
my old shop is still there after 45 years - i might  go there today!
 
happy hunting!
 
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