What would improve CD’s

Besides the costs (20 Euro for a cd is far too expensive), Id like the cd's to contain no specialities.

No hidden tracks

No dvd with extra featurretes

No extra songs (include them in the set or discard them, if it isn't good enough for the album don't waste my time on it, extra's on a seperate cd please. if I'm interested and I think it's worth it I'll buy it)

JUST THE MUSIC PLEASE

As for the art work, I like a good albumcover, somehow it tells something about the music, if not the musicians

Please add the lyrics, though sometimes meaningless it helps one to get through the music like a guide, for me important.

But again not to many extra's, it's not a novell or a picture book like a family album, just enough to support the music. I know there's much to say about a band and it's influence, but leave some mysticisme to the band. 

I don't mind bonus tracks but sometimes they really annoy me.  Take Time and a word for instance.  Three of the songs appear on the album twice, as orignals mixs or single versions, whatever.  but really, who gives a f**k ?  Why do I want to hear the same song twice.  Or even three times, as this is what happened on my version of closer to home by grand funk railroad.  I don't care about radio or single or orginal versions!  Give me the list of songs with no repeats and if you're going to tack on extras, make them different from the orginal lineup! 

Oh, and I voted for artwork.

Velvetclown wrote: I agree, who need the single edits !!!

Yep, I agree too. But I have found an exception that proves the rule: the US single version of 'Hocus Pocus' which is tacked onto the end of the 1994 album "The Best Of Focus" absolutely rocks. It's quite different from the original, which of course is also on the album. But it's the only example I've ever heard where I've been pleased a "bonus" single has been stuck on the end of a CD.

With Amazon.UK selling burnable CDs for 10 quid a hundred, i.e. 10 p each, then you have to know a recorded CD has to be the same price. So the packaging, advertising, artist royalties and significantly the price are disproportionately large. (In the Uk CDs are sold wholesale into the shops for £8 to £11 each!!!).

In my other life as a materials engineer, and about ten years ago I asked the MD of Nimbus Records, how much it cost them to manufacture a recorded CD. He was quite candid, and told me the company at the time were sub-contracted by EMI to press up most of the remastered Pink Floyd albums. His company were selling each CD to EMI, fully packaged for ~60p  and being pressed to knock 10p off that price (they did). Ten years later I'll put a small bet on  fully packaged CDs being 30 to 40p each - what 50 to 70 US cents.

My other frustration is the diabolical jewel case - makes an excellent case study (no apologies for the pun) for design students , i.e. what not to design, what plastics you shouldn't use and how a process can make  bad much worse. Gramophone magazine published a long technical letter of mine on the subject in the late 80's - clearly  little change in 15 years.