Fuddland

I’ve just received an email from those fine purveyors of cheap CDs, CD-WOW!:

The UK Major record companies through their mouth piece the BPI have unfortunately restricted the UK and Irish consumers right to enjoy the freedom of the World Wide Web.

As from this weekend, any CD ordered for delivery to the UK and Ireland will incur a surcharge as we are only able to deliver CDs manufactured within the EU (more expensive).

We will of course still be supplying UK and Irish customers but as of Sunday 25th January 2004 a surcharge of £2.00 (3.00 Euros) per CD will apply.

Delivery to the rest of the world will not be affected.

This was the first I’d heard of it, but it was reported by BBC Online earlier today, and according to an ITV News story from last week, Amazon and Play are also in the BPI’s sights, but this might not be such a clever idea after all.

The industry is in a tight spot, though, because it often acknowledges that Internet retailers have become an important source of revenue at a time of crisis over declining sales.

[In other news, the BPI plan to have their cake and eat it.]

I really don’t mind them driving up the prices of affordable CD suppliers — if they want to force me to download music for free instead of buying it at a reasonable price, that’s their call.

The following are entries which follows on from the above:

1. Music blues [onlysomuch - blog]. Excerpt: Over at Fuddland, David discusses price rises for online music. I can't help feeling that we've been here before... Back in the eighties, when the Sinclair Spectrum and its audio cassette software ruled supreme (well, for some people), I can...

2. CD-WOWed [Fuddland]. Excerpt: Excellent news: rather than just take the new regulations lying down, CD-WOW have managed to keep their prices as low as they were before January 25th. From their email: We've been able to remove the additional charges for deliveries to...

#1

Gordon | 2004 / 01 / 21 – 22:53

CD sales for 2003 ROSE last year (link on my site).

So now I’m just confused…

#2

David | 2004 / 01 / 21 – 23:02

Re #1: So they did. [Snagged the link from your site :)] Perhaps the BPI need to force down sales to make their case against illegal downloading and piracy stronger, and are hoping no one remembers it was they that put the prices back up again?

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