Saturday, April 4, 2009

High retail prices

It's no wonder music retail outlets have been closing left and right in recent years. Sure, downloading music is a big part of sagging sales. But high CD prices also play a role. I was in Borders last week because I had a CD/DVD coupon. Not only was the selection pathetic, but some of the list prices were laughable. $18 for Bruce Springsteen's latest?? I also saw 12 CD copies of some "American Idol" also-ran taking up unneeded shelf space. Sometimes, when I need a catalog title for an act I'm covering, I'll run into Best Buy. That store has taken WalMart's idiotic lead in reducing CD shelf space, so I rarely find what I'm looking for. At least Best Buy doesn't devote half their space to Latino music (nothing against the genre; I think rock, country, pop, etc. should all should be equally represented).

Everyone should patronize Record Store Day on April 18, where most independent music retail stores will be giving away promos and offering exclusive releases. Wish I could, but that's Day 2 of the Coachella Festival.

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