This sucks

[iMc]

Just got this email from CD-WOW where I sumtimes order CDs. It really does suck bigtime. I assume this will eventually apply to all online retailers of dvds, games etc as well as CDs. Its ridiculous how much extra we in the UK have to pay for things other countries dont get taxed as much on. Look at petrol for example. Things like this really get on my nerves.


"Dear Member,

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).

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

You only have a few days left - so order now!

Be quick to make the best of our current low low prices while you can still exercise your right to choose.

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.

Please Note - our prices of DVDs and Games will remain unaffected

Warmest Regards,
CD WOW!"

Im supprised i got through that post without swearing.

[Howard]

I can aid in the swearing.

****, ****er,. ****ard, ****!!!!!!!!!!

No wonder more and more people turn to P2P software as their source for music

[Shad]

Why do they continue to shoot themselves in the foot...

[iMc]

****ing BPI *****. Why cant they accept the fact that certain things are available to the public cheaper on the internet than in the high street. i hope the executives enjoy spending our hard earned cash on their mansions, boats and helicopters. Actually no i dont. they can sod off.

[directhex]

play.com are facing a similar legal battle, and may well follow suit.

european import restrictions mean you're not allowed to import things specifically to sell to the uk (as play.com et al do) from outside the eu, you need to source from within the eu, where wholesale prices are higher. the landmark case was tesco selling levi jeans at FAR below uk rrp by importing them - they lost the case.

hence case precedent, hence if the BPI do as their plans say (including taking Amazon to court for selling limited edition CDs imported, and doing RIAA-style suing of children & grandmothers) then all online stores will need to restrict themselves ovber this.

alternatively, use an online music store, like bleep.com

[iMc]

Originally Posted by directhex

alternatively, use an online music store, like bleep.com

or a P2P program

either way its not the same as having a nice shiny CD/DVD in your hands.

[directhex]

Originally Posted by iMc

or a P2P program

either way its not the same as having a nice shiny CD/DVD in your hands.

perhaps, but it's legal

though in the end, the artists get almost 0 money from cd sales.

and those "protected" cds are a funny joke on the part of the BPI & RIAA

i stopped buying CDs when they became mainstream - it's not my loss since i go to live shows to pay my dues to the people who worked to produce the music

[iMc]

yeah live shows are one of lifes greatest pleasures, if u find that a band ur really into is comin to the UK u have to go see them, its wicked!!

about artists getting almost no money from the sales........ thats what pisses me off the most. why buy a CD if its gonna hardly contribute to the band members themselves.

it sucks bum

[TeePee]

I've moved almost exclusively to P2P programs for all my entertainment needs these days. It's not all it's cracked up to be though. I'd actually like to buy a nicely packaged, shiny DVD or CD, or a game with manuals and stuff, but unfortunately the BPI and RIAA, as well as the Music companies and sturios/distributors have made it too expensive for me. This is the only reason I use MP3 and Divx, etc.

[Swafe]

dumbasses

people copy music cos its too dear - all these are , are the same CDs because there imported from Asia - WHY? because there cheaper over there - WHY? because they feel like it

they only charge us extorsionate rates (same cd, 2 quid more in UK than Asia) because they know we will pay it in our overbloated tax country. people have had enuff - cdwow have a large customer base now - same with play due to the cds people can actually afford to have - if there prices go up - plays do, as do the rest of the online retailers and then theres no point - there too dear, we cant afford them , piracy will go up again

and its there fault - if they lose 2 quid on a cd who cares? its a fact that the cheaper the price - the more units they shift - overall they will make more cds - however it will even out and they will make the same profit , they just dont realise it, so price them high, making people copy music, then they blame us, WHY its all your fault, they make us want something we cant afford to have, if they were decent prices then we'd buy then RIAA AND BPI CAN KISS MY H**** ***

[iMc]

what can we do...?

god damn

[Steve]

I still buy CD's now and then.

Ironically they end up as mp3's on my hard disk. I've not found any copy protection that's stopped me yet, lol.

The record industry really is, as somebody else put it "shooting themselves in the foot." They're going about it the wrong way.

[directhex]

it's not that you CAN't rip the protected cds - that's the point! they RIP fine on most machines, they just won't PLAY. that and they're a LOT more fragile than real cds, and audio quality is impacted by this (since there is no error correction on the discs anymore to cope with scratches)

[Steve]

I thought music CD's had always been mode2, hence no error correction ever?

[directhex]

http://www.chipchapin.com/CDMedia/cdda7.php3

[SilentDeath]

its sorta a good thing. the more ppl that download music, the closer it wil become to being legal (still extreemly far away) and when this happens, if it does, artists and music industrys will have to find better, nicer, ways of selling us there product