So let's see if I get this right. Music CDs were first launched way back in the mid 80s. They were more expensive back then to buy than the vinyl release. Which kind of made sense at the time – CD being a new technology and all that. The original CD players too were not so cheap. But what happened over time? Yes, the CD players started to plummet in price. But what about the CDs down in Golden Discs or Tower wherever? Did the price drop as you would expect? Like, ever? As we all know they NEVER did drop in price. On the contrary they went up in price. So was that because the cost of producing a physical CD increased (or at least did not decrease) for the record companies? Well, no actually. These things soon started costing pennies to produce (sure just look at all those free CDs the internet ISP companies give out to tempt you with, sure even the Sunday papers are giving them away now). And as CDs overtook vinyl as the music medium of the masses that thing called 'economies of scale' surely would have kicked in would it not and prices would have dropped even further? But that, remarkably, never happened. Music consumers world-wide were instead perpetually fleeced by those dominating the music industry. Like pirates of times gone they plundered the consumers without mercy and have been doing so for nigh on twenty years. So then technology advances a bit more and we all find ourselves in recent years with PCs in our colleges or offices or schools or homes. And what does the PC come with as standard? Hey! Our very own CD burner. So at first hand we see how cheap and easy it is to make a CD. And with an understanding of the sky-high prices consumers have been paying for CDs was it any surprise that many of them took to burning CDs of albums their mates had foolishly parted money for? And now the record companies are all wingeing because of the drop in sales of their massively overpriced ‘product’ and blaming everything (Napster, Cd burners, KaZaa, immorality of yuff of today, etc.) but themselves. Maybe the fault for their state of affairs was closer to home? Maybe fewer people thought it was worth Euros 18 of their hard-earned cash for a new CD? Maybe more people were seeking value for their music money? Such scenarios were never even considered by the record labels. Maybe something however is happening. For the first EVER in the history of the music industry a record label (Universal) has dropped the wholesale price of CDs (at least in the US) by $2. Twenty years too late if you ask me. And then some moronic commentators have the gall to call it a ‘bold move’?!?! More info here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3079854.stm any thoughts out there tobble