Did I miss some announcement? I've been finding old Sony records--Chieftains, Sinatra among others--whose tracks are 49 cents, given album prices at $6.49.
I've been noticing that lately, too. I thought maybe they had always been like that and I just hadn't been looking around much (plus, I took about a month and a half off from emu). Between those and some that I've seen at 6.99 and 7.99, emu is quickly becoming indistinguishable from Amazon for a lot of stuff.
Interesting - we are not supposed to have album pricing in the UK yet, but Bad Thoughts example is £8.40 - well over $11, whilst on Amazon it is £7.49. OK some of us still have grandfathered plans with a good bonus, but new members do not get a bonus. The price creeping up like this does make me wonder about emusic in the future, which is why I am getting as much as I can before we get the majors and the inevitable price increases.
I have noticed multiple examples of "new" releases - new to eMusic, not new music - coming in at higher album prices the last 2 months, from $6.49 to $7.99. There were some Sanctuary Fontana releases, like John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, that I think were over $7, "reissues" of old albums, and I just see the price and move on. There's a "new" Bo Diddley album, something like Bo Diddley's Beach Party(?) that I think came in at $7.49 at eMu, $7.99 at 7dig, and $8.99 at Amazon, so so much for their 25% cheaper nonsense.
The Spekk label got removed from emusic and then re-added with a new distributor, so all of their albums are new; those that have album prices are all $5.99. So it seems to be a per label or distributor thing. Is there any pattern to which labels the more expensive additions are from?
Could it be that the new deal for the labels under the new system involved the labels/distributors being able to set the album-only price, and that a number of labels are choosing the use that to push the prices up to parity or near-parity with Amazon et al?
Here's an example from this week - this album by Renaissance - not only is it $7.79, but they have the nerve to label it a deal because the measly ten tracks individually would add up to $7.99. The better part of "new" releases from yesterday I had interest in were at least $6.49 or higher, with the exception of some acts that aren't exactly on the major label radar. Even the new Los Tiki Phantoms is $6.49, not somewhere I'm willing to go.
And yet someone over on the other boards is complaining about people pointing out cheaper prices elsewhere. If eMordac wants to delete the thread, they can do so. But there have been far more harsh threads about them than "releases x, y and z are cheaper somewhere else."
I love how the kool-aid drinking fanboys deride other customers feelings about eMu's business practices by saying it's just a business, and then turn around to say how others are being unkind/unfair to eMu's business.
All in all, however, it seems like the emu forum has gotten better. Not as much over-the-top sniping and trolling. Still ain't worth much to be over there, but it's nice to get some answers from the mods from time to time and exchange some recs with people who haven't yet seen the light and joined up here.
I do agree with Jonahpwll on this.There have even been one or two quite interesting threads on jazz , for example, recently. One common theme for those seems to be that many/most of the posters are here too. The ethics thread is proving quite interesting - but I do wonder if the OP is trying to get some research for an article, as he is a journalist. Is that ethical?! Also I have been pleased to get a quick response to one of my requests for additions - two albums I asked for last week appeared earlier this week. The cynic in me would say that is coincidence, but I'm not so sure...
I would hop in on some of the recent discussion if I didn't have to pay to take part. The "ethics" one in particular got me going. The instant someone talks about consumers not having "innate" rights but takes for granted that lifetime+70 years for copyright is A-OK I'm ready to pounce...
people who haven't yet seen the light and joined up here.
I've noted this before, I think, but one reason I still enjoy the emu boards is the explicit tie among all posters of a subscription and easy access to the same catalog (except for regional differences). Here, the sources are varied, and I don't have a complete idea who here is a subscriber and who isn't.
Comments
Could it be that the new deal for the labels under the new system involved the labels/distributors being able to set the album-only price, and that a number of labels are choosing the use that to push the prices up to parity or near-parity with Amazon et al?
I love how the kool-aid drinking fanboys deride other customers feelings about eMu's business practices by saying it's just a business, and then turn around to say how others are being unkind/unfair to eMu's business.
"What a bunch of muldoons!"