CD packaging getting cheaper?

Are vinyl records more costly to produce? I read that back in the '70 during the gas/oil shortage, oil used in vinyl production became more coslty so the record were made cheaper/lighter. Something along those lines anyway. Don't know if that still holds true these days, but that could be a factor. It might be more expensive to produce a vinyl album and cardboard sleeve than a plastic cd, so that need to charge more.

Also, with vinyl being more of a niche market these days, retailers probably feel like they can charge more for vinyl because they know collectors will pay. The whole "supply and demand" thing.

Vinyl records are more expensive to produce. The vinyl itself is more expensive than plastic/metal of a cd and the packaging is much more expensive. As MG71 said, it's a niche product made for collectors and audiophiles and as such, there is no economy of scale with vinyl. You will NOT save money collecting vinyl, unless you stick to old records, and even those are going up in price.

I like to collect old vinyl and newer issues that look interesting to me. Some old albums are difficult to find in mint condition and new vinyl might be the only choice.

I've heard somewhere that there's only one vinyl production plant in the states? Is that true?

corplhicks wrote:

I've heard somewhere that there's only one vinyl production plant in the states? Is that true?

http://www.totalsonic.net/vinylplants.htm

That makes more sense. I was lied to.

I can verify cds are made of a thinner plastic.Not only the compact disc itself but also the CASE. A couple of years ago, I scored Violent Playground's THRASHIN BLUES on disc. Not only the disc itself was slightly thicker in diameter- the case itself was heavier. Look at any cd you have from the 80's if you have the original package. then compare it to a modern release. You'll be amazed at the difference in quality.

I have to question if there's really a justification for crap product when it comes to the disc quality (sometimes total garbage in new releases) and the packaging. Economically-speaking, we're still technically in a recession, but manufacturing costs and shipping costs haven't, as a rule, gone UP since the 80s. If anything, they're still DOWN when you consider how much easier it is to not only cast around for good deals in manufacturing but also how many options there are for getting merch from A to B. With the bigger labels, you'd assume this is even MORE true.

It bums me out a bit when you consider that labels were being run by people who were businessmen, but were also fans of music, so they were willing to find a compromise between the two. At this point, I think it's safe to say that the majors across the board are businesses first and fans need not apply. It's a pretty short-sighted approach and probably has a LOT more to do with downturn in physical music sales than piracy or iTunes. If you don't respect your own product, damn sure your customers won't see any reason to take up the slack.

exact33 wrote:

i think jewel cases are getting cheaper and more flimsy too. I don't care for digis much but these newer jewel cases break pretty easily.

I agree on that one. I got a package the other day with 5 cds, all in jewels. Of those 5, 4 of them had the teeth broken all to hell in the center holder. The cds fell out when I opened the cases.

Some of the newer "The EMI Years" or "The Harvest Years" comps coming out (Saxon has one, for example) are in those fat 4-6 cd jewel cases and I've received more than a few utterly shattered. The plastic is definitely a lot more brittle.

Actually the best jewel cases are the old school ones that are not "see thru". The ones with the dark gray or black centers never broke or lost teeth and held the disc pretty well. As for vinyl records from what I understand even in the mid 80's when CDs sold for 17.99 the were much cheaper even then than vinyl.

Interesting article on the cost of manufacturing vinyl

http://mojitomastering.com/hot-wax-when-does-it-make-sense-for-a-band-to-press-vinyl-records/

And another but I haven't read the whole thing yet.

http://www.urpressing.com/180g.php

mikeinfla wrote:

Interesting article on the cost of manufacturing vinyl

http://mojitomastering.com/hot-wax-when-does-it-make-sense-for-a-band-to-press-vinyl-records/

And another but I haven't read the whole thing yet.

http://www.urpressing.com/180g.php

Wow. That's waaaaay more expensive than I expected.

CD packaging is definitely getting cheaper. Jewel cases break constantly and even the cardboard digi-packs are getting super thin and easy to rip. :-/

My main gripe about digipacks are when the teeth break. Worse than that though are the "envelopes" they use in place of digipacks where the discs are tightly gripped between two pieces of cardboard. Definitely a recipe for disc destruction.

I usually take the discs out and put them in plastic sleeves and just keep them next to the digipack.

That's definitely the point I'm reaching. Every once in a while, you see a deluxe box set that uses the concept, but actually gives the discs enough room that a little care keeps them from getting scratched, but it still makes me cringe to see that in something I just ordered.

I ripped the cardboard digi on my new Skid Row disc the other night as I was taking it out of the wrapper for the first time. It's a tiny tear, but still. F**k.

Ugh. Had that happen with my copy of Jerry Cantrell's Degradation Trip. I'm sure the twitch I developed in my right eye was entertaining as hell to onlookers, but I wasn't enjoying myself.   

Anyone seen the packaging for the new Tom Petty album? Good God! I've seen Watchtower pamphlets with more reinforcement than that junkyard cardboard cover. Reminds me if those cd samplers my dad would get in the mail with his subscription to done smooth jazz magazine. Cheap.

corplhicks wrote:

Anyone seen the packaging for the new Tom Petty album? Good God! I've seen Watchtower pamphlets with more reinforcement than that junkyard cardboard cover. Reminds me if those cd samplers my dad would get in the mail with his subscription to done smooth jazz magazine. Cheap.

That's a shame. I get indie releases getting that treatment, but for all of these legacy artists who bitch about MP3 ruining music... How about packing your albums in something that'll survive the week?

Exactly. Pizza boxes would be more reliable.

My brand new, fresh out of the wrapper Accept album came pre-ripped for my displeasure. The little tabs that hold the booklet in place was torn before I got a chance to. Which means some 8 year old Chinese kid ripped it during the assembly process.

If I ever take that planned tour of Chinese sweatshops like I've talked about all these years, there will be hell to pay!!

I may be able to top that, but at this point we're comparing war wounds...

I picked up the Roger Taylor "The Lot" set pretty close to when it became available in the States. If memory serves, I got it through Amazon UK after they ran a second batch of the sets to correct a raft of issues with both the printing of the book and the discs themselves (bad audio, wrong tracks, etc.). Basically, I'm a fan, but I was braced for issues from the start.

So, to give you an image, this is one of those "proper" book box sets, where you have a hardcover book with the discs mounted inside surrounded by a hard slipcase.

Well, I get my copy and I find a bunch of hte pages are crimped and even slightly torn. Yep, you guessed it, someone in the assembly room tried to jam the book into the slipcase and missed. They made up for their bad aim with enthusiasm though, judging from the damage.

I checked with Amazon to see if I could just exchange for another copy, but they had fulfilled their orders and no further stock was available, so it was a refund or nothing. Fortunately, they did end up kicking me a 25 or so dollar partial refund for the damage, which at least meant I got a killer price on the set overall, but it does make me wonder about the quality control in some of these places.

I've also been finding that there is an increase in audio glitching in some sets I pick up - skipping in the audio that's in the data itself, not due to surface damage on the discs. That's always a disappointment.