Universal to cut CDs prices to under $10 in the US

Posted by aubin on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 4:30 PM (EDT)

Billboard is reporting on a new initiative by Univeral Music Group to cut CD prices across their entire lineup. Starting in the next quarter and for the rest of 2010, the company will test lower CD prices. Single CDs will have the suggested list prices of $10, $9, $8, $7 and $6. The label plans to release deluxe editions at a higher price point. With Universal the largest music company right now, the move is likely to push prices downwards at the other majors as well.

Some of the active and catalogue bands on the label include AFI, Abandoned Pools, Angels and Airwaves, Be Your Own Pet, Blaqk Audio, Blink 182, Brand New, Forever the Sickest Kids, Kanye West, Karen O and the Kids, Klaxons, Lil Wayne, Lucero, Ludacris, No Doubt, Noisettes, Plus 44, Q-Tip, Rise Against, Sound the Alarm, Straylight Run, TV on the Radio, The King Blues, The Lonely Island, The Pink Spiders and The Starting Line.

Check out the full report here.

Bands in this story

AFI

Forever the Sickest Kids

Universal Music Group (44 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

thehandswillabide (March 18, 2010)

10 years too late

nick_s (March 18, 2010)

Exactly. It signals defeat more than anything else.

andimeanittoo (March 18, 2010)

they just thought of this idea? I think it's a good one but obviously nothing will save c.d. sales like the fat cats over there would like but still. "Hmmmm c.d. sales are on a huge downward spiral what can we do? OH lets make that 18.99 album with 9 songs on it down to 10.00 then maybe someone will buy it!" Yes I understand that a lot of work time and money goes in to putting out an album on a major platform but jesus christ I don't want to live in a world where I have to debate getting the new Jonas Brothers album or putting gas in my tank.

hashbrowns (March 18, 2010)

You have to debate getting the new jonas brothers or a tank of gas?

thepopeofchili-town (March 18, 2010)

and he means it too.

d_boons_ghost (March 18, 2010)

Once again, the dinosaurs move too slowly to stop the bleeding. This is a move that should have gone down like 4 or 5 years ago. Anybody remember back when CD players first came out and the big buying point was that CDs would be cheap? Better late than never, I guess.

Also, Abandoned Pools were pretty cool, despite Punknews' abysmal review of their last album.

istapledmyfoot (March 18, 2010)

about a decade or two overdue but this will be rad if it catches on. I still buy most of the music I listen to, but from amazon used, which, including shipping, almost always comes out to about $7 or $8 a cd. I would love to actually buy new ones for the same price..

Dante3000 (rich) (March 18, 2010)

Two decades ago it was 1990 and CD's were still overtaking tapes....

istapledmyfoot (March 18, 2010)

f. you got me..

skaboom (March 18, 2010)

Interesting. While it may increase the number of cds sold, I don't think it will help nearly enough to offset the lower profits per unit.

It will make Steve Jobs sweat, though. I wonder how iTunes and the like will fare, especially as they are raising the prices on digital downloads to the point that the physical product will cost less than the digital product.

655321 (March 18, 2010)

a lot of people view physical music as clutter though. They're happier with not being burdoned to store that cd somewhere. Also, they don't have to figure out how to rip and load the files into iTunes. If they just dl through iTunes, they don't have to learn how their computer actually works.

TheGimper (March 18, 2010)

Fat Mike... changing the industry.

aggropaul (March 18, 2010)

That was my reaction too.

TSOL (March 18, 2010)

Coasters are coasters...

nofxfan (March 18, 2010)

Most of these artists' cd's already sell for 10 and under in my area. I wish some of the afi cds getting a price cut included some of their older ones (on nitro), because most of the lp's in my area are $20-30, and the eps are about 20

kencollapse (March 18, 2010)

Why are they trying so hard to push CDs? Most people want downloads and collectors want vinyl.

d_boons_ghost (March 18, 2010)

I'd imagine it's because Universal and the like probably don't want to play Apple's game and they'd rather have control over distribution themselves. It makes "sense" from a business perspective to have complete control of your product, I guess, but they're just killing themselves.

AndyPonch (March 18, 2010)

That and I can't stand digital downloads. They're fine, but I prefer the CD over downloads and the vinyl over everything else. I like the CD as a backup in case the hard drive tanks.

Dante3000 (rich) (March 18, 2010)

I would even take downloads if I could get an easy lossless file download. But nobody uses Apple lossless and iTunes doesn't do Flac....I mean, you can convert it but that's work.

squelch84 (March 18, 2010)

Supply and demand. Supply is up an demand is down, lower prices. Supply is down and demand is up, raise prices. Which is why over the last ten-fifteen years, vinyl prices have slowly gone up and CD prices (finally) are going down.

The Industry is still waiting for some new physical product they can sell, rather than try to make the current downloadable product work to their advantage. It takes big corporations a long time to really see trends through, especially when it's huge conglomerates working off a business model that was put into place well before anyone who reads this web site was born.

They're already dipping their toes in the vinyl market, issuing limited run versions of some releases. In time, we might even see a slight return to vinyl with the caveat that a digital download will be available... just like the indie labels have been doing for a few years at this point.

jacknife737 (March 18, 2010)

because they make more from cds than digital downloads.

And nobody really buys vinyl, at least not in the numbers that the majors would need to turn a profit.

bryne (March 18, 2010)

Meh. I'm still gonna buy vinyl instead.

Dante3000 (rich) (March 18, 2010)

Meh....I dunno, if I'm in a record store and I'm looking at a used CD for $6 or a new one for $10, I don't really know if it's going to sway me to get the new. Of course if there are no used CD's and the new one's $10, I probably won't buy it at all. At least if it's a Universal CD.

Mammoth (March 18, 2010)

Come on, wouldn't you pay $10 to hear the voice of God? I'm sorry, Tom Delonge.

Dante3000 (rich) (March 18, 2010)

You can't put a price on that. It's like putting a price on a rainbow, or a kitten...A kitten that shits rainbows.

jaydischord (March 18, 2010)

Don't know about a kitten shitting rainbows but i once did see a gypsy catch a donkey that was about to shit a rainbow.She had this huge fucking net something similar to a butterfly net only much bigger.Bored.

ZachLeg (March 19, 2010)

He puts albums out for free now

TSOL (March 18, 2010)

Used CDs you're not guaranteed to find what you want. Never saw the appeal of used CDS though. Doesn't give anything to the artist, and it's more of a hassle than just downloading a V2 scene release, which is near cd-quality. Maybe it's cause I have not seen any appeal in CDs since the 40GB Ipod came out 6(?) years ago.

nofxfan (March 18, 2010)

Is this only in the u.s?

Riff88 (March 18, 2010)

Is this for real? It looks like an attempt to stop piracy. Good Idea.

anyway, guys check out my punk website WWW.GREATPUNKROCK.WEBS.COM

Toodles!

IanIsSuperRad (March 18, 2010)

I was going to check out your website until you said "Toodles!".

fox82 (March 18, 2010)

The only good band in that list is The Lonely Island. All the others suck. That is all.

d_boons_ghost (March 18, 2010)

You don't like Q-Tip or Lucero? Fuck, man, I still get down to No Doubt once in awhile.

jaydischord (March 18, 2010)

Couple of points.

1. Why just the US?.... cd's in the UK are ridiculously over priced.
2.The cost of making a cd (including booklet, plastic case etc)is less that 3 quid($5).
3.I will continue to get my cds (unless i find an obvious bargain) through other means.
4.--------------------------
5.My back hurts from working today.
6.Chips sarnie would go down a treat right now.

dlangl4 (March 19, 2010)

This isn't an 'initiative.' This is a clearance sale because now they are overstocked with antiquated products.

Wesley_Snipes (March 19, 2010)

It's free on what.cd

broceratops (March 22, 2010)

If only they'd put on a freeleech once in a while.

5feetunder (March 19, 2010)

Awesome news. Then I can finally afford to complete my Kanye West.
That guy's singing technique is nothing short of amazing!

5feetunder (March 19, 2010)

Should have said ...my Kanye West collection.
So much for trying to tell a (lame) joke...

jaydischord (March 19, 2010)

1/10.

UrkMan (March 19, 2010)

Can't really complain about cheaper ways to buy music, but what is really killing the music biz is the lack of good, new bands coming out. I would say at least 90% of new musical artists are just pure crap nowadays.