MP3 getting expensive?

[richardfinegold]

I was thinking of downloading some more music to my phone for my upcoming trip. In the past I have found some cheap MP3 deals, such as the Krips Beethoven set and the complete Schnabel Beethoven Sonatas, for $5 each. Today, every MP3 that I looked at on Amazon actually cost twice the CD counterpart.
Why have MP3 gotten so expensive ? Why do people pay twice as much for crappy sound?

[Conchis]

I was thinking of downloading some more music to my phone for my upcoming trip. In the past I have found some cheap MP3 deals, such as the Krips Beethoven set and the complete Schnabel Beethoven Sonatas, for $5 each. Today, every MP3 that I looked at on Amazon actually cost twice the CD counterpart.
Why have MP3 gotten so expensive ? Why do people pay twice as much for crappy sound?

I haven't purchased an MP3 for many years. Is this part of a general trend, also affecting popular music? It wouldn't surprise me if classical purchasers are more resistant than most to buying MP3s, so the companies aren't that bothered about a fall-off in sales, since the market is so small.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Just a glitch in the US? The Schnabel/Beethoven cycle is still £3.79 from the UK site.

[mathias broucek]

I wonder if we're looking at this the wrong way?

From "our" perspective, mp3 costing more than CD is nonsensical since the latter sounds better, has artwork/notes and can be ripped to mp3 on a computer

But..... for someone who cares more about convenience than sound quality then the mp3 is a BETTER offering as it is available instantly and can be downloaded from the cloud to multiple devices on-demand or streamed

[Conchis]

I wonder if we're looking at this the wrong way?

From "our" perspective, mp3 costing more than CD is nonsensical since the latter sounds better, has artwork/notes and can be ripped to mp3 on a computer

But..... for someone who cares more about convenience than sound quality then the mp3 is a BETTER offering as it is available instantly and can be downloaded from the cloud to multiple devices on-demand or streamed

Absolutely! That way of thinking is totally alien to me, though.

[richardfinegold]

Just a glitch in the US? The Schnabel/Beethoven cycle is still £3.79 from the UK site.

I wasn't rechecking the Schnabel, which is a great bargain, especially since for many historical recordings, the differences in audio quality from MP3 vs standard CD quality are trivial. However, many Furtwangler discs that I saw were more expensive as MP3.

[richardfinegold]

Absolutely! That way of thinking is totally alien to me, though.

I think Mathias has the answer and I also think it is crazy. So I will rip some of the music that I would have repurchased at a lower cost than CD to save myself the trouble. That would seem to lower MP3 sales.
It doesn't make economic sense. MP3 save the companies a lot of money. No pressing of discs, no storage, no returns, low bandwidth required; I would keep the price low until all Physical media give up the ghost and then start gouging the consumer.

[Nick Armstrong]

I almost fell foul of the tendency noted by this thread, when attempting to purchase further issues in the Stefano Molardi Bach Organ series on Brilliant Classics - I bought the first volume of the equivalent of 3 discs in lossless AIF format from The Classical Shop for £9.99 a month or two back. Looking to purchase Vol 2 or 3 this weekend, I saw a similar price and started the process, only to find that in fact each virtual CD was that price, so that the price for the album was in fact 30 quid odd. I baulked thinking that in time the later volumes may settle down to the price of the first.