Screwed again

CD settlement forces prices up.

OK, strictly speaking CD-WOW were breaking a law (I think, I can’t actually find proof of this anywhere, but I’ve not looked too hard), but considering the ‘threat’ to CD sales (which appear to be rising NOT falling) that the record industry keeps moaning about, you’d think they’d be glad that any CDs are getting sold at all.

In saying that, I’ve heard little from the BPI as it sits quietly in the background letting the RIAA take the spotlight in the battle against evil ‘downloaders’, so it’s hardly surprising that, when given the opportunity to prove they are still doing something they grab it with both hands. I should also temper this ‘rant-ette’ with the knowledge that CD-WOW

Thing is, as it stands at the moment, the record labels still get the same from each sale, CD-WOW will benefit from “any press is good press” and they will have the larger sales margin which has been enforced on them (I’m quite sure that the increase won’t ALL be spent obtaining CDs from other sources), so who is getting screwed in all this?

Ohh yes, the consumer.

In related news, whilst digging around to get some background to this, I came across some UK piracy figures (nice to see they are up-to-date…).
It should be noted that of counterfeit sales units were estimated to be costing more than double the value of pirate downloads in 2002, i wonder what that figure is now?