Physical CD Prices Now Lower Than Digital Downloads?

[Jason Dunn]

<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//dht/auto/1290302842.usr1.png" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I'm starting to see a pattern emerge with more frequency when it comes to physical CD prices versus digital downloads: the purely digital versions of songs, when packaged in album form, are more costly than the physical CD. It doesn't happen all the time, but today I found it twice: once, with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/dp/ref=pe_71760_17659790_pe_07/B004B4ROJG" target="_blank">Lee Dewyze album</a> shown above, and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Glee-The-Music-Volume-4/dp/B004BH5U3A/ref=dm_ap_alb6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1290302895&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank">Glee Volume 4</a> album. In both cases, the physical CD is $2 less. This makes me think that record companies are willing to make less profit on physical disc sales in order to prop up falling sales, but I wonder what it says about us as consumers - is it worth paying more for the instant gratification? Or is it more that buying a physical disc and ripping it is a hassle and it's easier to stick to being purely digital? I wish Amazon offered Amazon Prime in Canada, because then there'd be no shipping costs and I'd easily select the physical disc option every time.</p><p>What about you? Do you still prefer to own a physical CD, or is it worth it to pay slightly more in order to have the instant gratification of a physical download?</p>

[whydidnt]

This is one of those things that demonstrates how badly the media companies have botched the digital transition. Instead of embracing a potential new business opportunity they have fought it every step of the way by encumbering their product with DRM and unreasonably high prices. When you consider how much more expensive it is to produce and deliver a physical product, it's ridiculous.

I encountered this with eBooks a little while back, there was book I was interested in, searching Amazon, I could pay $9.99 for the Kindle version, or have the physical version shipped for $4.99. When you consider the costs of delivering a book compared to the digital version is just made no sense, but then you hear how publishers are setting prices on electronic versions, but not on physical versions and understand. The physical version is subject to the laws of the market, if it doesn't sell, the retailer will drop the price to sell it. Electronic versions don't "sit in inventory", so there isn't the same kind of incentive to reduce the price of less popular items. Couple that with big media's insane fascination with trying to cripple any new method of consumer consumption and you have the messed up pricing you mention.

[Jon Childs]

Is does seem kind of backwards. Although I only get half a dozen or so CDs in any given year so ripping them is not a problem and I do like to have the physical CD as a backup. So this pricing model is fine by me. :)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

That's why I haven't bought a music CD in... years. Still on my Sony boycott mind!

[Rob Alexander]

Yeah, I've seen this more often lately. Waiting means little to me, so when I see that, I just order the CD and rip it. All things equal, I'd go for the CD anyway. Not only is it a physical backup, but I also rip it to a flac file (lossless) at the same time as making the MP3 so that it's easy to change formats in the future should the need arise. The main reason I don't do it that way all the time is that I usually only want 3-4 songs from a CD, so it's still cheaper to download.

[Darius Wey]

What about you? Do you still prefer to own a physical CD, or is it worth it to pay slightly more in order to have the instant gratification of a physical download?</p>

I tend to go for the cheaper option. For albums that are at least a year old, I can usually find the physical CD in brick and mortar stores or online for $10 AUD or less, which is quite a bit cheaper than iTunes' asking price. Also, as gratifying as instant downloads are, there's still a sense of satisfaction to be had from pulling the shrink-wrap off a new CD and ripping it.

[Sven Johannsen]

What about you? Do you still prefer to own a physical CD, or is it worth it to pay slightly more in order to have the instant gratification of a physical download?

At the moment it is fairly simple for me. If I want the whole CD, I buy the CD. If it is just a song or two, I download. I'll even buy the CD if I find I like more than a couple of the songs. That can actually happen with Zune Pass, as I can listen to the whole album without actually purchasing any track. I find I like having the physical media as 'backup'. I back up my digital media to physical media as well.

[Phronetix]

I favor the download. It isn't even close for me.

I do not want the physical disk. It represents more stuff, more clutter to me.

And I get to listen to it nearly instantly.

[JulieBrenna]

At the moment it is fairly simple for me. If I want the whole CD, I buy the CD. If it is just a song or two, I download. I'll even buy the CD if I find I like more than a couple of the songs. That can actually happen with Zune Pass, as I can listen to the whole album without actually purchasing any track. I find I like having the physical media as 'backup'. I back up my digital media to physical media as well.

This is exactly how I view it as well. I also take into account how much I like the group in general too. Generally speaking you are supporting the band a it better by buying the <a href="http://cd5duplication.insanejournal.com/440.html" style="color: rgb(44, 76, 117) ! important; text-decoration: none ! important; cursor: default ! important;">cd</a> because its more profitable usually. Also its nice to have a physical backup like you said - sometimes it having that <a href="http://juliebrenna.weblog.com/2010/11/27/questions-to-ask-when-developing-a-music-cd-project" style="color: rgb(44, 76, 117) ! important; text-decoration: none ! important; cursor: default ! important;">compact disc</a> around just makes sense.