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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Not Lame <popmusic@notlame.com> |
| Subject | CD's for sale...below cost, every day, all day |
| Date | Wed, 19 Nov 2003 17:03:28 -0700 |
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> got my copies from DeepdiscountCD.com and deepdiscountdvd.com
>
> Naked was $11.98 and George was $19.98 both with FREE SHIPPING!
>
> If you haven't got it yet...this is a pretty good deal!
>
> Doremi Fasolatido
Pretty good deal? It's a *great* deal! An unreal one, too for those of us
in the business of trying to stay in business selling music we care about.
What a totally upside-down business this is now, not that this suprises me
in the least bit---see it every day, for years now even.....Not Lame's
wholesale on these:
$12.87
And
$20.18
respectively
That is WHOLESALE, folks, not retail.
I would venture to guess that Best Buy was a few dollars less than that,
too...hop into the car, folks. Outside of the Best Buys of the U.S., the
above companies business models are not that far different as they are just
building up customer databases and information that they will pawn off and
sell to some large retail corporation down the line as they are not in the
business of caring about music, but in the business of building customer
information to sell more shit we don't need to(okay, I'm exaggerating),
which equals equity and value on the public market front. They are not
making money selling cd's at these prices, fact...they biding time until
they get bought up with good old fashion positive cash flow taking their
owners to the promised land.
Sure, we all think the consumer wins...and they do. But it's a good old
fashion pyrrhic victory, it really is. (Definition of 'pyrrihic victory': A
victory won at such a great cost that it is tantamount to defeat). Not
that too many on this list would care or feel inclined to empathize as we
all are looking to save money where ever possible, I understand. I do, too
...... but I'd really, really like to think and believe that if I was not
doing what I do for a living, that there's no way I'd saunter on down to any
of these chains to pick up such releases.....man, buying music for folks
like us *has to be* about more than saving a few dollars as the music biz
navigates through this storm of technological advancement, even in a crappy
economy and tough times.
The Day The Music Died.....when was that? *When* was that? Because it sure
is doing just that as music fans download left and right, value music as
practically next to nothing and look only to support faceless corporations
or shallow business models designed to make their owners wealthy beyond
beliefe....this, despite there being more great music to listen to than
ever. All right, I'm exaggerating with drama, again....but it *feels* like
this on many days the last few years, even though it may not be the case.
Yes, I/we/Not Lame make a living trying to sell, market, release, etc. new
and old music, the type of music most folks in the music biz don't care
about...someone has to, right? Why is such a bad and dirty thing for company
in the business of selling music to make a living by, god forbid, selling a
CD for more than it cost them to pay for salaries, rent, taxes, costs of
doing business, etc.? Shocking, I know. Not Lame and other music
retailers, we deserve to burn in hell. :-P
Not Lame has been making an impact on selling independent music by bands
discussed on this list for 8 years now......we were one of the first and
only companies in 1995(the only other one I'll give a nod to doing it before
NL there is Big Deal) to put out releases and proudly call them 'power pop'
and shove it up on the net and connect folks, like so many of the early
Audities list members, together with a common bond. But the impact on
how the many companies(a large majority of which are struggling to stay in
business now) that truly innovate, care about the music and its development
and proliferation into culture, create careers for folks who love music and
the companies that invest real money to that end....well, resigned,
frustrated 'fuck' is all I can say. Fuck.
Consumers, music fans(sic) now have the expectation for REAL music retailers
to sell music at a LOSS---or they don't get their business. Why? Because
there are so many companies who are selling music at less than what it costs
them because music is just part of the marketing mix to sell other stuff.
Pity Party? Heck yeah, I'm pissed today...i'll feel better tomorrow. For
now, I'm just human and I'm sick of seeing this crap hurt everyone I know in
the business of trying to create music(the musicians), sell it(the real
music retailers) and who put their hard-earned money(to large of a list to
go into) on the line every day to keep it all coming to folks whose hobby is
finding great new music.
Peace Still But Pass The Bong,
Bruce @ Not Lame
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