[lonewolfny42]

An interesting comment from The Eagles' Don Henley on this article about the band's upcoming, Wal-Mart-distributed album: "The Internet is a wonderful thing, but as a tool for distributing music, it doesn't matter if you can reach the whole world if your fans can't find you. The Internet has not worked out on a large scale for anyone I know. So some people are going with indie labels, which for the most part are distributed by majors. And some have gone with certain large coffee companies."

Life In The Vast Chain........

[Kim S.]

"Get out of my happy cab!"  My opinion of the Eagles is one thing I have in common with The Dude.  I do however agree that the internets potential to distribute new music is exagerated.  Basically I think its being used as a scapegoat to explain declining CD sales.

[dmckean]

"Get out of my happy cab!"  My opinion of the Eagles is one thing I have in common with The Dude.  I do however agree that the internets potential to distribute new music is exagerated.  Basically I think its being used as a scapegoat to explain declining CD sales.

I agree. The browsing experience online is also nothing like a real record store. Digital downloads don't offer a price advantage over CDs so why wouldn't you want the physical copy?

I also think the only thing keeping the record companies from selling record number of CDs is price. When I was a kid in the 80s cassettes were $5-$7 for brand new music and I bought tons of them. Kids don't purchase music on iTunes because they don't have credit cards. Basically, theres always been a lower cost alternative to the traditional album. First it was 45 singles then it was 8-tracks, then it was prerecorded cassettes. Now theres nothing. If you want the new music you have to shell out $15 for it or happen to catch it on sale at Target for $12.

[rajacat]

"Get out of my happy cab!"  My opinion of the Eagles is one thing I have in common with The Dude.  I do however agree that the internets potential to distribute new music is exagerated.  Basically I think its being used as a scapegoat to explain declining CD sales.

I agree. The browsing experience online is also nothing like a real record store. Digital downloads don't offer a price advantage over CDs so why wouldn't you want the physical copy?

I also think the only thing keeping the record companies from selling record number of CDs is price. When I was a kid in the 80s cassettes were $5-$7 for brand new music and I bought tons of them. Kids don't purchase music on iTunes because they don't have credit cards. Basically, theres always been a lower cost alternative to the traditional album. First it was 45 singles then it was 8-tracks, then it was prerecorded cassettes. Now theres nothing. If you want the new music you have to shell out $15 for it or happen to catch it on sale at Target for $12.

I agree. CDs cost too much. The blank disk itself only costs pennies whereas a vinyl LP must cost significantly more and is more expensive to ship. Why didn't the consumer benefit from the change to CDs? Greed . The record companies decided to maximize profits and not pass on the savings to the consumer and now they are whining because the music buyer is maximizing their purchasing power by downloading music from whatever source is available. The recording industry could marginalize illegal copying by lowering the price of a typical CD to $5.00 or so.

If the Eagles want to sell more albums they should drastically lower the unit cost to the consumer. This would also be beneficial from a public relations angle whereas now their name is associated with Walmart which will really irritate their old fan base and subject them to charges of hypocrisy.  Soon they too will be selling cars on TV. Don't they already have enough money for themselves and their heirs?

[ohenry]

...This would also be beneficial from a public relations angle whereas now their name is associated with Walmart which will really irritate their old fan base and subject them to charges of hypocrisy. Soon they too will be selling cars on TV...

Huh?  Hypocrisy?  Since when have the Eagles stood for anything BUT commerce?  I don't get it.

[rajacat]

The Eagles were products of the late sixties and seventies counterculture. I can't recall anything in their lyrics that has much to do with commerce. Please inform me!

[ohenry]

The Eagles were products of the late sixties and seventies counterculture. I can't recall anything in their lyrics that has much to do with commerce. Please inform me!

The Eagles are as counter-culture as Eagle Scouts; they're the darlings of top 40.  And, don't be so quick to jump me.  I'm not here to argue, I just wondered about your prospective.

[ohenry]

Hey Rajacat, What happened to the "Or don't you listen to lyrics?" comment.  Nice, quick editing.

[rajacat]

Hey Rajacat, What happened to the "Or don't you listen to lyrics?" comment.  Nice, quick editing.

Or don't you listen to lyrics?"

[ohenry]

Not often.

[rajacat]

The Eagles were products of the late sixties and seventies counterculture. I can't recall anything in their lyrics that has much to do with commerce. Please inform me!

The Eagles are as counter-culture as Eagle Scouts; they're the darlings of top 40.  And, don't be so quick to jump me.  I'm not here to argue, I just wondered about your prospective.

They weren't always top 40. Various groups that have represented an alternative view to the dominent consumer culture have made the top 40.

[ohenry]

From Wikipedia:

"Their first album, Eagles, was filled with natural, sometimes innocent country rock, and yielded three Top Forty singles."

[dmckean]

It doesn't matter what's in the lyrics, the Eagles were the first band in the 90s to charge $125 for their reunion tickets when the rest of the industry was charging $40.

[dmckean]

"Get out of my happy cab!"  My opinion of the Eagles is one thing I have in common with The Dude.  I do however agree that the internets potential to distribute new music is exagerated.  Basically I think its being used as a scapegoat to explain declining CD sales.

I agree. The browsing experience online is also nothing like a real record store. Digital downloads don't offer a price advantage over CDs so why wouldn't you want the physical copy?

I also think the only thing keeping the record companies from selling record number of CDs is price. When I was a kid in the 80s cassettes were $5-$7 for brand new music and I bought tons of them. Kids don't purchase music on iTunes because they don't have credit cards. Basically, theres always been a lower cost alternative to the traditional album. First it was 45 singles then it was 8-tracks, then it was prerecorded cassettes. Now theres nothing. If you want the new music you have to shell out $15 for it or happen to catch it on sale at Target for $12.

I agree. CDs cost too much. The blank disk itself only costs pennies whereas a vinyl LP must cost significantly more and is more expensive to ship. Why didn't the consumer benefit from the change to CDs? Greed . The record companies decided to maximize profits and not pass on the savings to the consumer and now they are whining because the music buyer is maximizing their purchasing power by downloading music from whatever source is available. The recording industry could marginalize illegal copying by lowering the price of a typical CD to $5.00 or so.

If the Eagles want to sell more albums they should drastically lower the unit cost to the consumer. This would also be beneficial from a public relations angle whereas now their name is associated with Walmart which will really irritate their old fan base and subject them to charges of hypocrisy.  Soon they too will be selling cars on TV. Don't they already have enough money for themselves and their heirs?

I was really hoping we'd finally see $5 CDs when DVD Audio and SACD were released but it didn't happen.

[Hicks]

Hogwash, Radiohead just banked a couple million off of internet sales, and they did it without the help of any outside corporation.

[TheChairGuy]

Not sure what all the fuss is all about......Target has had exclusives before and Paul McCartney released his at Starbucks on Starbucks label in June, Hear Music.

Fact is, as I heard Billy Joel say recently, it's the 60's and 70's music relics that are controlling the music business these days (the ones selling out large concert venues and often garnering huge CD / online sales).  These music 'relics' are just shopping themselves smartly around for the best payoff before their light dims 

On a related front, whereas all music acts were once booked thru a few large concert promoters around the country, various acts are now negotiating directly with Live Nation, the largest outdoor concert site owner in the country, and cutting out the promoter.

As Dylan famously penned..."and the times they are a changing" 

John

[soundbitten1]

The Eagles....Happy Together ?

no ... that would be The Turtles .   

[BrassEar]

The new Eagles CD (exclusively at Wal-Mart) is a double CD of all new material for $11.88, which is $5.98 per disc.

If most CDs were priced at retail $5.98, the music industry would be doing just fine. When I was a kid making minumum wage (around $3.50/hour) I remember buying LPs for $3.99 at MusicPlus retail stores. Now minimum wage is in the $7.50 range and retail CDs are twice that.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Well hell. Second page and we havn't talked about "THE MUSIC". 
I bought the release because it was:
#1 New Eagles
#2 Cheap enough. (VERY rare I pay full retail for CD's)
#3 Double disc

I thought the cheesy paper 'jewel case' was half-assed, but actually I listen to the disc, not the case.

I like the release. Sound quality is good. Have only listened once, but impressed so far.

Bob