Hi Rod:
The market doesn't care about the elderly listener. It's the kids who call the shots. CDs are
increasingly irrelevant to them. The tipping point will come when the CD market is reduced to where
there aren't economies of scale to mass-produce at typical market prices (anywhere from less than $2
in many-disc sets to about $10 for a single new-release CD in a jewel case with a nice booklet). The
reissue market has already gotten the haircut -- only many-CD sets with relatively cheap packaging
and pricing far south of $10/disc can produce enough demand to justify the manufacturing costs. Soon
it will be that way with new-release material, too. There may be a lingering burn-on-demand market,
at a premium price. Some people say the CD is gone in 5 years, I think it will take more than that,
but it's submerging. Duped cassettes were doomed the day the first CD rolled off the line and the
doom accelerated the day the first standard in-dash CD player got installed in a mainstream-priced
car. We now have cars with iPod USB hookups, BlueTooth to stream audio from cellphones and satellite
radio, all part of the standard equipment package. As often as not, you have to pay extra for a
shiny 5" disc player!
Keep in mind, I like surround sound and SACD's and I still have hundreds of Laserdiscs and a
stockpile of players. I'm just talking about inevitable market trends here, not my personal
preference.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roderic G Stephens" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Early digital recording history -- a couple of followups
At our neighborhood Costco, Sony Blue-Ray theater audio sound systems still include the SACD format,
so if that kind of customer is into that kind of multi-channel/speaker big sound and willing to pay
for it, perhaps they can sustain the SACD as a result. As a SACD lover, I'm glad the hits keep
coming, but yes, I finally got rid of my Laser-disks too when the player died. But, from what I see,
the standard CD is still viable because of the ease of playing for older listeners just as the
cassette lasted for the same reason.
--- On Wed, 11/7/12, Randy A. Riddle <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Randy A. Riddle <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Early digital recording history -- a couple of followups
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 9:45 AM
I look at SACDs as the audio equivalent of the Laserdisc. That format
survived several years with a hefty catalogue aimed at a specialty
audience, primarily through mail order.
SACD has been a failure as a mass market item - the discs and players
only appeared in national retail outlets like Best Buy for a few
months before disappearing.
On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 12:28 PM, Roderic G Stephens
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Tom, you seem to be writing off the SACD as a dying animal. From what we've been seeing on
> http://www.sa-cd.net/ new releases keep coming, so does that mean that they (the record companies)
> are getting the message?
>
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