IMAGI-BLOG
CDs: Bought. Sold. Repeat?
Submitted by imaginary liz on May 8, 2007.I'm guessing that most everyone reading this either buys a lot of cds, is in a band that hopes to sell a lot of cds, or both. So I'd love to get folks opinion on the latest legislation sweeping the nation (info thanks to ars technica and Boing Boing):
In Florida, Utah, and soon in Rhode Island and Wisconsin, selling your used CDs to the local record joint will be more scrutinized than then getting a driver's license in those states. For retailers in Florida, for instance, there's a "waiting period" statue that prohibits them from selling used CDs that they've acquired until 30 days have passed. Furthermore, the Florida law disallows stores from providing anything but store credit for used CDs.
We all know that record companies are scrambling to keep their iron fisted control over the industry. But has the used cd market affected the smaller labels and bands... and is this legislation going to further hurt cd sales?
Also, if your looking for really interesting reading on the filesharing piece of this discussion, smarty Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff eloquently spouted it.
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MC "Big Freak" Estey said on May 8, 2007:
Why make this a LEGAL ISSUE? Heaping legislation on consumers is just more corporate welfare state fuckheadery.
1.) Buy CDs from labels that give a shit about you.
2.) Burn the other ones down.
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imaginary dana said on May 8, 2007:
Complete insanity. Does this mean the waiting period to sell used CDs will be longer than the one to buy guns?
Proud to have been raised in Florida, yet again. Ugh.
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jan-i-licious said on May 8, 2007:
I am glad that things are finally getting to the point they should be at. Music for all, not for money.
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get yer kicks said on May 8, 2007:
while that's a noble sentiment, if music is free how are musicians supposed to feed themselves?
we'd just be moving from a model where labels screwed musicians to one where consumers do.
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Reviews
Erik Gonzalez said on May 8, 2007:
If the record industry didn't want an aftermarket that they couldn't profit from or limit, they would just have us buy songs by having the band call us on the phone and play the song once.
All this bollocks with filesharing and used CDs is the recording industry flailing like a dying fish because it can't adjust to the market. Hey, you want to sell you product on an easily reproducible digital format or on shiny discs that can be resold (hasn't this been happening since the dawn of recorded music?), then deal with it. Trying to fix things well after the fact is just going to make things worse. Innovate you jerks.