# Why is the new U2 album so expensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201 "2004-11-29T20:06:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/1 "2004-11-29T20:06:06Z")
I was at Best Buy today and saw the new U2 album and it was $19.99. At first I thought it might be a special edition, but I couldn’t see anything special about it and there wasn’t a cheaper version. Why is it so expensive? It is not a double album. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/2 "2004-11-29T20:09:46Z")
Well, Bono says Apple didn’t pay the band for use of their images for the iPod ads, so I’m guessing the fans will have to foot the bill. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/3 "2004-11-29T20:14:23Z")
Because people will be more than willing to pay that much for it. ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/4 "2004-11-29T20:16:41Z")
I would guess that U2 have quite a bit to gain from being associated with the mp3 player of choice (probably moreso than vice versa). Has Bono suggested that they should have been paid for this, and this is the justification for the high price of the album? ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/5 "2004-11-29T20:20:18Z")
Unsolicited Advice: Stop buying CD’s in retail stores. You can pre-order any title online and save alot of money. Proof: U2’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” [Buy.com](http://Buy.com) $8.99 FOB mailbox Amazon 10.99 (Freight depends on order ) B&[N.com](http://N.com) 9.78 (Freight depends on order ) [Walmart.com](http://Walmart.com) $8.84 [Overstock.com](http://Overstock.com) $8.99 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/6 "2004-11-29T20:24:17Z")
> [@snorlax](#): > > I would guess that U2 have quite a bit to gain from being associated with the mp3 player of choice (probably moreso than vice versa). Has Bono suggested that they should have been paid for this, and this is the justification for the high price of the album? Not that I’m aware of. Apparently, the band is a big supporter of the iPod, hence the mutual benefits of each using the other’s name and images. As for the price of the album, I’m sure that’s up to the record company. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/7 "2004-11-29T20:27:40Z")
If you keep a running list of books you want to read, you can actually take advantage of the low online prices by waiting until a CD you want comes out to order your books. Order in groups of four or five books at once, and Amazon will usually be willing to bundle them into one package. Your shipping drops to a single-digit percentage of your order cost, and everyone (except the retailers) wins! ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/8 "2004-11-29T20:34:29Z")
There’s a [Limited Edition](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00068IOWC/qid=1101760381/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-0505990-8425544?v=glance&s=music) (which is probalby what you saw) and a [regular edition](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006399FS/qid=1101760381/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-0505990-8425544?v=glance&s=music). The regular edition is much cheaper; I picked it up at Target for $9.98. (BTW, IMHO, it’s a lot like most U2 albums, one or two really good songs and the rest is kinda boring…) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/9 "2004-11-29T20:44:57Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > There’s a [Limited Edition](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00068IOWC/qid=1101760381/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-0505990-8425544?v=glance&s=music) (which is probalby what you saw) and a [regular edition](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006399FS/qid=1101760381/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-0505990-8425544?v=glance&s=music). The regular edition is much cheaper; I picked it up at Target for $9.98. (BTW, IMHO, it’s a lot like most U2 albums, one or two really good songs and the rest is kinda boring…) Yeah, what tremorviolet said. Their new album was released in multiple versions like a Honda Civic. DX model- Just the 11 song CD $9.99 LX model- CD and DVD $19.99 EX model- “Limited Edition” CD and DVD $29.99 ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-new-u2-album-so-expensive/277201/10 "2004-11-29T22:39:22Z")
An included DVD is one of the few bonuses I will actually pay for.