DVD Prices

[phazedout]

Well rallytbk, I've given the 50 sci-fi classics a go, I'll let you know how I get on. Even if they're crap, there's bound to be some good stuff for $27 including shipping.
Phaze
on the "starting study again now" ID

[jcbatz]

Comparatively speaking, I find that DVDs are cheaper that CDs. I bought Season 6 of the Simpsons for $40. That is 4 DVDs. Buying 4 CDs would be more than that...

[nottenst]

Comparatively speaking, I find that DVDs are cheaper that CDs

Unless with those DVDs you have to pay outrageous fees for the music licensing. This of course reinforces that music and CD prices are completely out of line.

Neil

[David Panzer]

$13-$15 dollars for an album is a price range I'm perfectly fine with.

However, the cost for Imports is about double the range I listed.

[Garibaldi's Hair]

Comparatively speaking, I find that DVDs are cheaper that CDs. I bought Season 6 of the Simpsons for $40. That is 4 DVDs. Buying 4 CDs would be more than that...

Well, yes, because ...

one box set of DVDs = one budget for marketing, one set of costs for mastering, one set of costs for design and production of artwork, one set of costs for producing S6 of The Simpsons and extras, along with (somewhere along the way) costs recovered from showing the show on TV in the first place.

whereas ...

four CDs = four budgets for marketing, four sets of costs for mastering, four sets of costs for design and production of artwork, four sets of costs for producing the albums themselves, without any cost recovery from previous "versions" of the music itself.

Seems reasonable to me to assume that the DVDs will be cheaper every time.

[jcbatz]

Yes, I understand that.

It doesn't always work, though. I find, quite often, that a DVD of an opera is the same price (sometimes cheaper) than the same recording on CD. Production costs would be HIGHER on the DVD, would they not? And adding another disc to a CD set shouldn't double the cost of production.

Of course this only holds true on new recordings. Re-releases of older recordings are rather inexpensive in comparison.

[Garibaldi's Hair]

Yes, I understand that.

It doesn't always work, though. I find, quite often, that a DVD of an opera is the same price (sometimes cheaper) than the same recording on CD. Production costs would be HIGHER on the DVD, would they not?

Not necessarily. If the DVD was of a stage performance of an opera then you have the production costs of filming a production of the opera. For a studio recorded CD of the opera (as opposed to a live performance recording) production costs would probably be higher due to studio time, specialist recording, mixing and mastering engineers etc. So it depends on what is being compared.

Also if the producers are expecting to sell more copies of the DVD than the CD (or are attempting to encourage more sales of the DVD than the CD) then that will affect pricing philosophy on top of costs.

And adding another disc to a CD set shouldn't double the cost of production.

Absolutely, I interpreted yout description of 4 CDs to mean 4 separate CDs, as you had described a DVD boxset of The SImpsons, but just 4 CDs. My bad.

Of course this only holds true on new recordings. Re-releases of older recordings are rather inexpensive in comparison.

Exactly ... and there is a compelling argument that a boxset of a TV show already seen on TV and (in the case of The Simpsons) previously released on VHS is more reasonably compared with exactly that ... a "second run" CD, for want of a better expression.