Double counting a double album for RIAA cert, is it right?

[strangegrey]

Frank brings up the argument of pricing, and while his position is logical I submit to you that the old system of pricing was wrong and that the new one is right. People were probably priced out of buying double CDs they wanted in the past and are now able to buy them because they are affordable. I think a CD should only cost 5 or 6 bucks and Wal Mart and the bands that they market are the pioneers in bringing music prices to where they should have been all along.

Well, Pricing (or a pricing model/methodology) isn't the issue I have here...measurement as a result of pricing is the issue. It's two very distinct and different things.

I agree with you that the old pricing model, cast down from the record labels over the past 30-40 years, is the old antiquated one. And the new profit sharing model is the way to go in the future, with respect to CD sales. However, that's NOT the point.

The point is not whether or not Journey has a right to sell their CD for a lower price....Or to sell 2-3 CDs for a lower price.



The point I am making, is that given the now large disparity of price points between similar product, that the system of measurement is flawed. One band selling 2 CDs at 12 dollars does not provide a level *MEASURING* base to another artist selling one CD at $17.49. If Journey wants to sell their music at $2 a pop...go ahead. Again, my problem is NOT with the price they chose to sell at.

It's with the measurement of sales/success that goes along with it.

In the past, almost all artists were forced to release product through a record label that required major label distribution. The result was that the pricing structure was uniform. With price a relative constant, measuring album sales was simply a linear equation of adding up the units.Price is NO LONGER a relative constant in the factoring of units sold. $6/CD is less than 40% of the competition's price point. That's not a fair measurement of success.


Again, I reiterate. If a band wants to get its product out there and sell it for less, more power to them. But it is not appropriate to measure their 'success' in terms of units sold, to *other* artists that operate (or more significantly, operated) under different scenarios.

[Saint John]

Bottom line to all of this is Journey made the right decision to sell CD's.

Agreed.

Do I agree on an artistic level - absolutely not. I think they sold their soul. But I'm sure it's not the first time. And you have to do what you have to do, depending on your goals and financial needs.

Kind of like Greatest Hits, Greatest His Live, Essential Journey, Greatest Hits Remastered and Greatestest Hits remastered+When You Love A Woman all being pretty much the same thing!!!

If Perry was in the mix, the money would have been there without all the extra stuff.

And I think we can all agree that we'd all like him to return but he simply can't sing the songs anymore.

And it sounds like they will do pretty well on the tour.

Assuming Arnel makes it through the tour they will make a boatload of money and see right around a MILLION fans. It will be their most successful tour in 20+ years.

Hopefully next time out they will take longer to write and not have to do some of the things they "had" to do here.

Agreed. I think Revelation was rushed and in parts you can tell. However, I completely understand their desire to get it done and hit the road. They did what they had to do. They get a pass this time. All in all, the product came out quite well.

[Greg]

Frank brings up the argument of pricing, and while his position is logical I submit to you that the old system of pricing was wrong and that the new one is right. People were probably priced out of buying double CDs they wanted in the past and are now able to buy them because they are affordable. I think a CD should only cost 5 or 6 bucks and Wal Mart and the bands that they market are the pioneers in bringing music prices to where they should have been all along.

Well, Pricing (or a pricing model/methodology) isn't the issue I have here...measurement as a result of pricing is the issue. It's two very distinct and different things.

I agree with you that the old pricing model, cast down from the record labels over the past 30-40 years, is the old antiquated one. And the new profit sharing model is the way to go in the future, with respect to CD sales. However, that's NOT the point.

The point is not whether or not Journey has a right to sell their CD for a lower price....Or to sell 2-3 CDs for a lower price.



The point I am making, is that given the now large disparity of price points between similar product, that the system of measurement is flawed. One band selling 2 CDs at 12 dollars does not provide a level *MEASURING* base to another artist selling one CD at $17.49. If Journey wants to sell their music at $2 a pop...go ahead. Again, my problem is NOT with the price they chose to sell at.

It's with the measurement of sales/success that goes along with it.

In the past, almost all artists were forced to release product through a record label that required major label distribution. The result was that the pricing structure was uniform. With price a relative constant, measuring album sales was simply a linear equation of adding up the units.Price is NO LONGER a relative constant in the factoring of units sold. $6/CD is less than 40% of the competition's price point. That's not a fair measurement of success.


Again, I reiterate. If a band wants to get its product out there and sell it for less, more power to them. But it is not appropriate to measure their 'success' in terms of units sold, to *other* artists that operate (or more significantly, operated) under different scenarios.

Very well said Frank! Makes perfect sense to me.

[Sarah]

You think I am under estimating the Walmart public? How many times have you heard about people going to an actual Journey concert and saying, "I didn't know Steve perry was gone..."?

Never...not once ever. Are you honestly telling me people couldn't tell the difference between him and Augeri??? lol...give me a break. They announce the fucking names of the band members at every show!!! It was the same people year after year after year attending. You're really insulting Journey fans in general and diminishing Perry's ability to stir the soul. Augeri, while good in his first few years, never came close to being Perry. At a minimum, well over 90% of concert goers knew that steve Perry was not on that stage.

Wow, you're missing them, then. I've had people from back on the lawn up to the second row asking me who the singer was and, during the 30th anniversary when they opened with pre-Perry songs, I had people TWICE ask me when Journey was going to come out and balk when I said 'this is Journey'.

Seriously, tons of people are still out of the loop.