I'm Depressed - Record Stores

Well crap. My days of going to the record store appear to be pretty much over. For years, well since 1974 for Pete's sake, going to the record store has been one of my priorities and joys of my life. In the last couple of months the price of new LPs have gone way up and are now even more expensive than overpriced CDs. There is no way I can justify $18.99 and up for a new LP. I really wanted the new Lindsey Buckingham LP but the price is $24.99 for the new LP including a bonus CD. Please. How many of these do you think the record company is going to sell? I realize that the price of oil is a factor in all of this and the LP is on 180 gram vinyl and the packaging is nice, but a music nut needs to buy more than just one LP every month.

For example, let's say I purchase, at my local independent record store, new LPs from Buckingham, Mudcrutch and U2 (the four newly pressed, remastered reissues), I'm doling out around $170.00 for SIX records!!! Add in the cost of gas to and from the store and the total eats into the grocery budget.

Vinyl LP sales were on the upswing as an alternative to high priced CDs. I cannot get myself to believe anything other than the idiotic record companies noticed this and raised prices trying to cash in on loyal customers that actually care about music. The record companies seem to intent on ruining their own industry. I've never seen anything like it.

So, it looks like I'll be sticking to emusic for new and obscure tunes and scrounging around for used LPs in various dark and dank locations, which is actually kind of fun. But I really will miss the trips to the record store and all of the socializing that went along with it. I'll probably still go now and then, but the last time I visited one, going through the records just made me cringe.

Seperate rant - The price of a music CD is outrageous. Right now I can purchase the last James Bond movie, Casino Royale 2006, on DVD for $16.00. The production cost of the movie was $150,000,000. The new Replacments reissues, with one exception are $17.00. The production cost for the reissues was probably no more than $10,000. What's wrong with this picture is obvious. Price the Replacements reissues at $7.99 and I buy them all. At the current price, I buy none of them.

Until next time, whenever that might be,

Peace

Update on the rant - now the going rate for new vinyl has gone over $20.00 per LP. 2-19-2010