LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for ARSCLIST Archives


ARSCLIST Archives

ARSCLIST Archives


[email protected]


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ARSCLIST Home

ARSCLIST Home

ARSCLIST  July 2009

ARSCLIST July 2009

Subject:

Re: Plastic or cellophane?

From:

Michael Biel <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:11:51 -0700

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (108 lines)

From: Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>
>> If a CD has the sticker across the top or the "holograph" sticker
>> on the side in the case of early CD's, it can be considered
>> "unopened," especially if it's still in un-damaged shrinkwrap. 
> Just to be clear -- I obviously meant unbroken stickers = unopened CD.

I think many of us know that this is not a valid assumption on unwrapped
CDs if the only closure is the top title-strip sticker, or the earlier
"dogbone" hologram sticker across the center of the right side of the
jewelbox.  With the top title-strip sticker, most jewel boxes can be
opened without damaging the sticker by slightly loosening the bottom
hinge and lifting the cover up.  With the dogbone you had to loosen both
the top and bottom hinge.  If they used BOTH it was difficult to get the
disc out, but the industry was stupid enough to discontinue the side
dogbone when they initiated the top title strip.    

The large independent book store in Lexington, KY, Joseph-Beth, has an
excellent CD department and they will audition CDs for you, like in the
old days of the 78.  Although they now have the players that feed you
the audio from an internet service that uses the barcode to identify the
CD so they no longer have to open it, for many years they would open the
CD for you and play it at the counter.  Their price stickers were
peelable, and they would then remove the original wrap, and open the box
by loosening the hinge.  If you didn't buy it, they would put the CD
back with the undamaged title strip or dogbone into one of those
re-sealable envelopes that was mentioned, and put the price sticker back
onto it.  They were still going to be selling the CD as "New", and the
sophisticated clientele they have understood,  but the store realized
that if it remains unsold they would not have return privileges to the
company since it is unsealed.  Every year or so they would have
wonderful sales and many of these unreturnable CDs would be at a huge
discount.  I got many great things there over the years at these sales,
as well as at full price.  And I never partook of them opening a CD for
me, but I did check out the insides before buying any of the discs which
had been opened.       
 
From: "Steven Smolian" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Marketing sealed CDs on the net via Amazon and eBay involves
>>> their policies regarding truth in advertising, not a bad idea.
 
This, of course, should also be a concern of that bookstore, but the
clerk would explain the situation to anyone who would ask.  I have
occasionally bought "Used -- As New" or "Used -- Excellent" CDs and DVDs
from an Amazon marketplace seller and gotten a sealed package. 
Sometimes they actually are new, but some of them have a notation that
they reseal the used discs they sell.  If they have a retail outlet,
that helps keep them fresher.     

>> By the way, one of the running and enteraining mythologies
>> of the record business is that there are many unpleasant
>> higher-ups around the industry supposedly "responsible"
>> for the annoying sticker across the top of the jewel case.
>> Higher-ups particularly hated are said to be specifically
>> responsible for the kind of sticker that won't peel off
>> easily and leaves sticky residue behind.

That was the major problem with the hologram dogbone, and a slight
problem with the title strip if they include a silver hologram strip. 
But most title strips come off cleanly.  If they don't it usually is an
indication that the disc had been stored or shipped in a too-warm
environment, or that it is very old.  Otherwise I like the title strip
because it is often more readable than the spine, and makes it easier
for me to browse with my so-so eyesight.  

That is also why I LOVED the longbox.  It raised the disc up higher and
closer to my eyes so I didn't have to stoop over as much.  If designed
properly, the longbox was a superior marketing device.  The person who
killed the longbox is easily identifiable.  He was Wayne Green, editor
and publisher of Digital Audio magazine.  He maintained a very vocal
campaign saying that the landfills were being filled with discarded
longboxes.  I once had a chance to tell him how wrong he was because
when he published computer magazines like "80 Micro" he never complained
about computer programs that came in large booksized boxes with inner
cardboard stiffeners but only contained a floppy disc.  Those were and
still are disgraceful. 


On the other hand, I have never discarded a cardboard longbox.
Illustrated boxes were part of the packaging just like picture sleeves
for 45s and book dustjackets.  They have to potential to become far more
monitarily valuable than the CD itself, just like what happened in the
45 and book worlds.  A first edition of a book that is worth $500
without the dust jacket might be worth $1500 with.  A 45 might be worth
$2 but the picture sleeve might be worth $10.  I was not too crazy about
the generic cardboard box that showed the jewelbox in windows at the
top, but I have saved them also. The hard plastic longboxes that the
store opened with a "key" and reused did not add anything to the
landfill waste until they were discarded by the millions when Wayne
Green forced the industry to stop using longboxes.  The forth category
of longboxes was the plastic clamshell which gave the consumer four
surfaces to inspect in the store.  The booklet was taken out, so you
could see its front and back.  That exposed the disc, so you could look
at it, as well as see the trayliner back.  This was a very good selling
technique.  Some stores just stapled these closed and they could open
and reuse them if they wanted to.  The heat-sealed ones -- such as
Polygram used -- were often tough to open and were environmentally
wasteful in those pre-recycling days.  But I liked them in the stores.

The Europeans on this list are probably wondering what I am talking
about because the longbox never seemed to hit in Europe.  Most of the
stores I saw in the 80s there had unsealed CDs with the disc behind the
counter.  We could read the booklet like LP buyers used to read the
liner notes.  Very civilized.  

But pretty soon the only place to buy will be on the internet!!!

Mike Biel  [log in to unmask] 

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.LOC.GOV

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager