Not that they haven’t already…
But I was just in the music store today, and I saw a big Pearl Jam display. Turns out that their new promotion is selling 78 different CD’s of various live concerts on somesuch tour. And of course, they all sell for $18.
I really wish I had thought of that.
$18!
That’s a friggin joke.
The last 2 CD’s I bought was one for $12 that had 54 songs on it and another for $5 that had 30 songs on it.
Hooray for capitalism.
I don’t buy cd’s often, but in the last few years it seems that the prices have gone up a dollar or so each time. The last couple cost 18$ each.
I wonder if the increase is directly due to (or at least being blamed on) Napster and it’s sisters, or if those responsible for the price hikes even realize that they are only further promoting the use of free services like Napster. I am not 100% sure on the demographics, but I think that those in their teens and early 20’s are the biggest purchasers of cd’s, and by jacking the cost higher than most in that group can afford is just bad marketing strategy.
Pearl Jam has done several unorthodox things during their time. I remember when they boycotted TicketMaster and sold their concert tickets via smaller retailers.
I think that that many live albums is a bit much, even for a diehard fan, but I’m surprised no one else has thought of something similar earlier.
Sure there are some live albums, and unplugged albums, but giving fans the choice of hearing various concerts from all over the world will only make them want to go to a concert when the band comes around that much more, and live shows are where a band makes their money.
I’d heard about this, and this thread seems a good place to ask: Anyone know anything about the different CDs? Has there been word on which are the best? I seem to recall hearing that there’s one they recorded in Poland that’s really good. Anyone else hear anything?
If the masses are correct, ::stiffled laughter:: then this search on Amazon should give some answers.
78 versions of Once???
[hypothetical argument]
Person A: “Crazy Mary from the Toronto, Canada [LIVE] CD is Soooo worth the price of the disk!”
Person B: “March or October?”
Person A: “Duuude!”
[/hypothetical argument]
Well, for 18$ or so a pop, I’d sure want better and more varied cover art than what they appear to be offering there.
I’ve only been to one PJ concert, and I’ll give them the fact that they sound great live. IMO a band that sounds as good live as it does on a cd after studio editing and mixing is a good band, musically and talent-wise.
However, Vedder spent half the show I went to ranting about this and that and bitching about how the kids up front were getting smushed by the kids in the back pushing forward. Kept stopping the show to do his thing, totally ruined any flow the show might have had.
I’d hope that most of the stuff like that would be edited out on these cd’s, I don’t like it live, I sure don’t want to have to listen to it on a cd.
My heart goes out to all the poor bootleggers who will be driven into bankruptcy by this publicity stunt. 
Seriously, I can’t figure out what PJ is up to with this. Most hard-core fans don’t spend THAT much money on bootlegs, they may buy 2 or 3 shows but then trade tapes/CDRs for the rest. Only the richest and most neurotic fans would actually buy all 78 live CDs.
Still, it’s a cute trick.
The Concert CD’s were just for release in the countries they were recorded in. So, I suppose the higher price is due to the fact that they are import CD’s.
The concert in Dublin, for example was releasedover here for about $9. Some of the concerts in Germany were more expensive.
[slight hijack]
If you’re paying 18$ for a cd then you’re paying too much. Go to the little crappy looking independent stores for the best deals. I buy at least a cd a week and pay on average 12-13$ for each. Not just old stuff, new stuff too. Camelot and Blockbuster will have you grabbing your checkbook, and then your ankles if you buy from them.
[/slight hijack]
For the record, I don’t buy $18 CD’s. In fact, I don’t buy anything less than $11. But all these concerts were in proximity to where I live (Indianapolis). There were Indy, Colombus, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston and Philly concerts available, so they certainly weren’t imports. Just ripoffs.
I don’t think Pearl Jam expect to sell many copies of any one cd. That said, they must have figured out how to lower their unit cost somewhere.
Pearl Jam’s concession to their label could come in 2 ways (I don’t think labels make concessions to artists unless they are way huger and more dependable than Pearl Jam):
They could cut costs on the actual recording process (I assume they’re basically selling high-end board tapes).
And they could skimp on the production of the print portion of the cd. I assume the booklet is smaller, less art, 1 or 2 colors instead of 4-color art.
I understand the cost to print the disk itself is approximately $1.00/copy, so there’s not much fat to be trimmed there.
I think it’s a pretty expensive souvenir, and I think it reeks of vanity.
I think it’s a marvelous idea. The idea is not to collect all the CDs. More along the lines of picking up a copy of a show you attended, or being able to hear a live show or two if they didn’t play in your neighborhood.
Years ago, myself and a friend of mine actually discussed this concept. How neat would it be to see a band tear it up on stage, and then be able to go home and buy a copy of that performance.
On the financial side, I seriously doubt this cost them too much, probably less than a normal CD release. The issues with CD costs are never about production costs, it’s 99% marketin crap. They did little or no marketing with these CDs, more than likely because they knew it was a concept which would get people talking (which it obviously has), and they could let word of mouth carry the hype.
Oh yes, if you paid $18, it’s too much. Got the two shows I bought for $12.99 a piece
I think it’s a marvelous idea. The idea is not to collect all the CDs. More along the lines of picking up a copy of a show you attended, or being able to hear a live show or two if they didn’t play in your neighborhood.
Years ago, myself and a friend of mine actually discussed this concept. How neat would it be to see a band tear it up on stage, and then be able to go home and buy a copy of that performance.
On the financial side, I seriously doubt this cost them too much, probably less than a normal CD release. Outside of production costs (and chrome spot is right, these are just board tapes, with extended crowd noise breaks, warts and all), the issues with CD costs are never about manufacturing costs, it’s 99% marketing crap. They did little or no marketing with these CDs, more than likely because they knew it was a concept which would get people talking (which it obviously has), and they could let word of mouth carry the hype.
Oh yes, if you paid $18, it’s too much. Got the two shows I bought for $12.99 a piece.