What Price Music?
Amy Harmon,
New York Times,
Oct 13, 2003
When CDs were introduced in the mid-1980s, the record companies re-released their old stock in the new format at double the price of the original vinyl. People recognize that, and they recognize that 99 cents a song is no real saving over the current, inflated, price. "Adjusting for inflation, it is about 10 times more than 45-r.p.m. singles cost during their heyday in the 1950's." People know this. Compared to the price of a coffee, a song is still cheap (though I don't know where people pay $US 3.99 for a Starbucks). But when you buy a coffee, you don't sign a contract, you don't face use restrictions, and you don't give your name, email address and credit card number. The proper cost for a song is closer to 9 cents than it is 99 cents, and the proper business model is an immediate, anonymous, restriction-free transaction. So we still have a way to go here.
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