Tag Archives: major label

All CDs from Universal to be cut to under $10

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If they did this a year or two ago, I’d say it’s long overdue. Now, it just seems like a desperate move to save a dying format. Universal says it’s a test, and they’re calling it the Velocity program. All CDs will be priced somewhere between $6 and $10, which is a pretty big price drop from the $10 to $12 usually seen in stores. There’s a chance that the lower prices will increase sales enough that they make significantly more money, but it’s basically just life support for the format. Expect the other major labels to do the same if it works, making physical media less expensive than digital!

Labels Looking to Spur Full Album Downloads with New Format

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CD Album DownloadTimes Online reports that Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI are about to release a new album download format that will include digital versions of all the materials that normally accompany a physical CD – lyrics, artwork, even video. The aim is to expand the sales of complete albums rather than individual songs. CMX, as the format is currently being called, will be launched in November – but only accompanying a handful of titles at the start.

Not surprisingly Apple was asked to support the format as a part of the iTunes Music Store, but declined. Instead the company is apparently opting to create its own format, codenamed Cocktail. Although it would be nice to have a standardized format agreed upon by all the major players, at this point in time I tend to think that any format supported by iTunes/iPod is going to end up being the the only format that matters – and since Apple is the only company mentioned here who has stated a preference for open, non-protected formats, that’s probably a good thing.