I went into Best Buy yesterday just to kill some time before my doctor's appointment and I was very surprised at the number of CDs they were selling for $4.99. I'm talking original albums by well known artists. I picked up "Rock Me Tonight" and "Just Like the First Time" by Freddie Jackson, "Lady Soul" by Aretha Franklin, "Bella Dona" by Stevie Nicks, "Dancing On the Ceiling" (Deluxe Edition) by Lionel Ritchie and "Like A Prayer" by Madonna . There were so many, I just didn't have the time to go thru them all. For someone who is looking to build their CD collection, it was a treasure trove!

So, Im wondering. Brand new CDs for $4.99. Are the record companies trying to get rid of their CD catalogs so they can gradually faze out the format in favor of MP3s? I asked one of the salesmen at Best Buy and he said that's exactly what it is. He said the newer Best Buys barely carry CDs at all and the ones that still do are trying to get rid of them. So, if you have a Best Buy near you that sells CDs, check them out.

Nevermind.

[Edited 7/6/12 13:05pm]

kitbradley said:

I went into Best Buy yesterday just to kill some time before my doctor's appointment and I was very surprised at the number of CDs they were selling for $4.99. I'm talking original albums by well known artists. I picked up "Rock Me Tonight" and "Just Like the First Time" by Freddie Jackson, "Lady Soul" by Aretha Franklin, "Bella Dona" by Stevie Nicks, "Dancing On the Ceiling" (Deluxe Edition) by Lionel Ritchie and "Like A Prayer" by Madonna . There were so many, I just didn't have the time to go thru them all. For someone who is looking to build their CD collection, it was a treasure trove!

So, Im wondering. Brand new CDs for $4.99. Are the record companies trying to get rid of their CD catalogs so they can gradually faze out the format in favor of MP3s? I asked one of the salesmen at Best Buy and he said that's exactly what it is. He said the newer Best Buys barely carry CDs at all and the ones that still do are trying to get rid of them. So, if you have a Best Buy near you that sells CDs, check them out.

Best Buy is closing 60+ stores this year, this has been going for awhile with music and music dvd's in their stores. Basically the game they played has now bitten them in the ass. They catered to the "new release" audience from day one and they drove sam goody and tower and virgin out of business because those stores had catalog but couldnt take $4 hits on new cds, which is average for what Best Buy takes on a 9.99 sale. Now that may seem like "what are they stupid" well back in 2000 and earlier the cd market was booming, and so was the computer/laptop market, and that was Best Buy's bread and butter that an tvs etc...thats where they made the money. But that product is way down now, laptops and computers are all dropping in sales BIG TIME, because of tablets and just peoples phones doing all the same things. So take that away from Best Buy and MUSIC has become a liability and MUsic dvd forget about it, i went into their biggest store here in NYC, and music dvd's are down to one rack about 6 feet, The RB section is about 8 feet long, other genres like jazz ez listening are all jammed into a one foot section, ITS OVER FOLKS, kiss it goodbye. Get used to doing business with amazon or the artist directly if you want a cd, cause most new stuff best buy isnt even getting anymore, a few years back when Hall and Oates put out a box set i had to tell them who Hall and Oates were.

So that line of business is over, and one way to tell it is, go into a Best Buy now, in NYC especially, what are they selling, Candy and Soda, and other little high margin making products, they even sell office supplies now, like Staples does, pads, pens etc...right up front by the check out, thats the first sign a store is on the way out, when they start carrying things they never did or should never be carrying. I give Best Buy 3 more years before they are out of business or bought up by another company

The size of the record areas of Best Buy stores have been shrinking for years. The sale prices have just got a lot lower than they used to be because Best Buy is desperate to unload this crap, and the record labels have been slashing prices on back catalog material. I don’t know how Best Buy expects to attract customers outside of football season. I agree with that three years and they’re gone assesment.

G3000 said:

How would you feel if your blood sweat and tears are now in a bin for $4.99?

Not much different from decades ago, when record stores had the 99 cent section for albums that didn't sell and cutouts or the Columbia Club "12 albums for a penny" ads.

Maybe so,

http://www.side-line.com/...80_0_2_0_C

kitbradley said:

I went into Best Buy yesterday just to kill some time before my doctor's appointment and I was very surprised at the number of CDs they were selling for $4.99. I'm talking original albums by well known artists. I picked up "Rock Me Tonight" and "Just Like the First Time" by Freddie Jackson, "Lady Soul" by Aretha Franklin, "Bella Dona" by Stevie Nicks, "Dancing On the Ceiling" (Deluxe Edition) by Lionel Ritchie and "Like A Prayer" by Madonna . There were so many, I just didn't have the time to go thru them all. For someone who is looking to build their CD collection, it was a treasure trove!

So, Im wondering. Brand new CDs for $4.99. Are the record companies trying to get rid of their CD catalogs so they can gradually faze out the format in favor of MP3s? I asked one of the salesmen at Best Buy and he said that's exactly what it is. He said the newer Best Buys barely carry CDs at all and the ones that still do are trying to get rid of them. So, if you have a Best Buy near you that sells CDs, check them out.

I know HMV's days are numbered because they will sell a damn yoga mat if it has a markup.

I think they only do this type of pricing for catalog albums only. A few months ago I picked up a Teena Marie hits collection and Sade's Love Deluxe for $4.99 each and I didn't see anything recent amidst that unorganized rack.

RnBAmbassador said:

Maybe so,

http://www.side-line.com/...80_0_2_0_C

kitbradley said:

I went into Best Buy yesterday just to kill some time before my doctor's appointment and I was very surprised at the number of CDs they were selling for $4.99. I'm talking original albums by well known artists. I picked up "Rock Me Tonight" and "Just Like the First Time" by Freddie Jackson, "Lady Soul" by Aretha Franklin, "Bella Dona" by Stevie Nicks, "Dancing On the Ceiling" (Deluxe Edition) by Lionel Ritchie and "Like A Prayer" by Madonna . There were so many, I just didn't have the time to go thru them all. For someone who is looking to build their CD collection, it was a treasure trove!

So, Im wondering. Brand new CDs for $4.99. Are the record companies trying to get rid of their CD catalogs so they can gradually faze out the format in favor of MP3s? I asked one of the salesmen at Best Buy and he said that's exactly what it is. He said the newer Best Buys barely carry CDs at all and the ones that still do are trying to get rid of them. So, if you have a Best Buy near you that sells CDs, check them out.

its a combination of alot of things, like said before alot of the cds im seeing at this price are these best of series that cost the labels nothing because they are knock-offs of other best of cds the artist had, so they are not so much an attempt to get rid off things as it is an attempt to get more money into stores by taking it from the only true consumer that music has and that is the 29+ up crowd, younger than that is where the issue is.

I can guarantee the elimination of the cd is not going to change pricing to the consumer, anyone who buys into that is smoking. Because there is more margin to be made for the label on a digital download than anything before the labels want digital more than the artists do.

As for the sound-quality which someone raised replying to the link on the article. That did go out the window, its funny that people pay 100+dollars on Beats headphones for sound quality on something that is already bad quality...digital.......makes no sense. Its like now everyone records stuff in HD but watches most stuff on their phone or laptop two shitty sources and condensed screens? again no sense.

And last but not least, the belief that because digital sales have gone up this is why its happening, NO. Digital sales going up is only because you took everything else out of equation, problem is that with everything out of the equation, digital is still not selling like everyone thought, in fact its been a major bust.

lastdecember said:

RnBAmbassador said:

Maybe so,

http://www.side-line.com/...80_0_2_0_C

its a combination of alot of things, like said before alot of the cds im seeing at this price are these best of series that cost the labels nothing because they are knock-offs of other best of cds the artist had, so they are not so much an attempt to get rid off things as it is an attempt to get more money into stores by taking it from the only true consumer that music has and that is the 29+ up crowd, younger than that is where the issue is.

I can guarantee the elimination of the cd is not going to change pricing to the consumer, anyone who buys into that is smoking. Because there is more margin to be made for the label on a digital download than anything before the labels want digital more than the artists do.

As for the sound-quality which someone raised replying to the link on the article. That did go out the window, its funny that people pay 100+dollars on Beats headphones for sound quality on something that is already bad quality...digital.......makes no sense. Its like now everyone records stuff in HD but watches most stuff on their phone or laptop two shitty sources and condensed screens? again no sense.

And last but not least, the belief that because digital sales have gone up this is why its happening, NO. Digital sales going up is only because you took everything else out of equation, problem is that with everything out of the equation, digital is still not selling like everyone thought, in fact its been a major bust.

Yes, there were a lot of "Best of" CDs but from what I was seeing, there were just as many original albums at that same $4.99 price.

Except for her last album, Walmart had Nippy's entire catalog for $4.99. Between Best Buy and Walmart, I also saw original albums from Usher, Fleetwood Mac, Mary J., R. Kelly, Journey, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, Madonna, Shitney Spears, Janet Jackson, John Legend for $4.99. Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. The selection was pretty big at Best Buy. It was the entire front row of the CD section. I swear when I was at Best Buy earlier this year, I did not see these types of prices. Up until now, I seldom purchased CDs at Best Buy because, other than brand new releases, I always thought their prices were too high on the older stuff.

kitbradley said:

lastdecember said:

its a combination of alot of things, like said before alot of the cds im seeing at this price are these best of series that cost the labels nothing because they are knock-offs of other best of cds the artist had, so they are not so much an attempt to get rid off things as it is an attempt to get more money into stores by taking it from the only true consumer that music has and that is the 29+ up crowd, younger than that is where the issue is.

I can guarantee the elimination of the cd is not going to change pricing to the consumer, anyone who buys into that is smoking. Because there is more margin to be made for the label on a digital download than anything before the labels want digital more than the artists do.

As for the sound-quality which someone raised replying to the link on the article. That did go out the window, its funny that people pay 100+dollars on Beats headphones for sound quality on something that is already bad quality...digital.......makes no sense. Its like now everyone records stuff in HD but watches most stuff on their phone or laptop two shitty sources and condensed screens? again no sense.

And last but not least, the belief that because digital sales have gone up this is why its happening, NO. Digital sales going up is only because you took everything else out of equation, problem is that with everything out of the equation, digital is still not selling like everyone thought, in fact its been a major bust.

Yes, there were a lot of "Best of" CDs but from what I was seeing, there were just as many original albums at that same $4.99 price.

Except for her last album, Walmart had Nippy's entire catalog for $4.99. Between Best Buy and Walmart, I also saw original albums from Usher, Fleetwood Mac, Mary J., R. Kelly, Journey, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, Madonna, Shitney Spears, Janet Jackson, John Legend for $4.99. Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. The selection was pretty big at Best Buy. It was the entire front row of the CD section. I swear when I was at Best Buy earlier this year, I did not see these types of prices. Up until now, I seldom purchased CDs at Best Buy because, other than brand new releases, I always thought their prices were too high on the older stuff.

Well you are right on that i saw things like Madonna and Journey etc..regular cds not greatest hits or that "knock off" best of or that really bad "extended versions" series. But like it was said its a cost thing because it would cost more for Best Buy to pull this stuff down, box it up, pay the shipping back to the label, and the label then has to either send to other stores where it might sell or eat it. So basically selling the cd at 4.99 is not really hurting anyone to be honest, because depending on the aritst, say a Madonna or Journey they have their cut, the label just takes less and the store basically loses anyway, but its fast cash, kind of like when a hot girl thinks shes a model and does a music video for a few hundred bucks, fast cash, but you cant survive on it which i think is the bigger picture.

I dont feel bad for Best Buy because they were the gasoline on the fire that burnt down retail for music stores, that in combination with labels never lowering cd prices but actually raising them while demanding stores CUT THEM. Basically i can tell you when i last had anything to do with "music buying" meaning industry wise, a cd to a store cost an average of 11dollars, but that was 2006, by 2011 that price had gone up to 12.75, now im sure you all see the issue and who was choking the life out of music. Yes its business but labels are not losing money never have been, if they were you'd see more proactive thinking, all i see and im sure you all agree is the status quo, i dont see any thinking out of the box, or do i think any of this will change.

Will the cd die, basically its gone, i try to avoid Best Buy cause what im looking for i have to explain to the employee, and honestly if i have to tell you who Hall and Oates is or Heart, then i should be getting a cut of your check. So i basically go direct with the aritst for thier stuff, whether its new or limited its usually the best way and i know they are getting the cash for the most part, or i'll go with amazon cause at least they have some knowledge. I try to avoid iTunes when i can though i do use it, i find their store front is horrific.

Barnes and Noble are also selling a ton of quality catalog titles for $4.99.

Just recently I picked up...

Celine Dion's 1992 album

The Jacksons' Goin' Places

Phil Collin's No Jacket Required

and Deee-Lite's Very Best Of.

I don't mind these prices at all.

Best Buy used to be my GO TO place for new music! Especially Prince's releases up to about 2007 . . . they were almost guaranteed to have them and be running a promotion in the first week.

That was their thing: cheaper CDs and DVDs in the first week.

The one by me still has a pretty decent selection, but most of what they sell is either the NEW album from an artist or Greatest Hits packages.

A sign of the times indeed, gone are the days of physical copies like 8-Track and Cassette, now CDs are on their way out as the big music biz is simply not as profitable from say 20 years ago.Big name artists are barely making a profit of any kind, the business model is going under and the consumer is out ahead.

These are old albums selling for cheap not a surprise. Newer titles dont sell for less

What are CD's???

asg said:

These are old albums selling for cheap not a surprise. Newer titles dont sell for less

I was at a local record store last week and they had R. Kelly's new release for $7.99! Now, that's dirt cheap for a new release. I realize it's typical for merchants to sell some new release at big discounts during it's first week of release but I don't remember the last time I purchased a new CD at $7.00 during it's first week. I'm used to paying $9.99 but never $7.99.

kitbradley said:

asg said:

These are old albums selling for cheap not a surprise. Newer titles dont sell for less

I was at a local record store last week and they had R. Kelly's new release for $7.99! Now, that's dirt cheap for a new release. I realize it's typical for merchants to sell some new release at big discounts during it's first week of release but I don't remember the last time I purchased a new CD at $7.00 during it's first week. I'm used to paying $9.99 but never $7.99.

Record store? Where? I miss them especially Tower Records. I would be in there all day. It's so hard to find various musicians because they are not on itunes.

Like Prince...

I wish vinyl sold for less. I spent $36 on the new Van Halen album. I saw it at another record store for $44.99. The new Esperanza Spalding was $32.99. They were selling old albums like Controversy, Thriller, & Rubber Soul for $25.

Allanya said:

kitbradley said:

I was at a local record store last week and they had R. Kelly's new release for $7.99! Now, that's dirt cheap for a new release. I realize it's typical for merchants to sell some new release at big discounts during it's first week of release but I don't remember the last time I purchased a new CD at $7.00 during it's first week. I'm used to paying $9.99 but never $7.99.

Record store? Where? I miss them especially Tower Records. I would be in there all day. It's so hard to find various musicians because they are not on itunes.

Like Prince...

We still have actual record stores scattered about here in Michigan. there are only 4 I can think of that I have frequented but, yeah, they're still around. That's where I usually unload my unwanted CDs that I can't sell on the net. I love dropping by on the weekends and going thru the used CD section. Sometimes, you can even find some out of print stuff that you can sell for 4 or 5 times the price on ebay. It's happened to me a few times. Plus, it's just fun going thru the CDs even if you don't purchase anything.

MickyDolenz said:

I wish vinyl sold for less. I spent $36 on the new Van Halen album. I saw it at another record store for $44.99. The new Esperanza Spalding was $32.99. They were selling old albums like Controversy, Thriller, & Rubber Soul for $25.

so are CDs really being phased out? Will record companies stop manufacturing them? I hope not.

phunkdaddy said:

MickyDolenz said:

I wish vinyl sold for less. I spent $36 on the new Van Halen album. I saw it at another record store for $44.99. The new Esperanza Spalding was $32.99. They were selling old albums like Controversy, Thriller, & Rubber Soul for $25.

Yeah,new vinyl can be really expensive.Back in the day,a new vinyl album costs around $5.99 they need to bring back those low prices.

phunkdaddy said:

MickyDolenz said:

I wish vinyl sold for less. I spent $36 on the new Van Halen album. I saw it at another record store for $44.99. The new Esperanza Spalding was $32.99. They were selling old albums like Controversy, Thriller, & Rubber Soul for $25.

A new 45 single (yes, a few are still released) is $5 - $10.

SoulAlive said:

so are CDs really being phased out? Will record companies stop manufacturing them? I hope not.

You may see the new ones phased out depending on the artist, and probably alot of the catalog too, it really depends, u are still going to be able to get things on cd, artists will most likely still do things direct, ltd editions are gonna be the rage and everyone will proably have one. The fact that alot of new downloads at amazon are going for 2-5 dollars there really is a squeeze on cd's, the sound quality issue went out the window a long time ago, which is why i dont understand why people sacrificed on the quality of sound but now spend tons on beats headphones? its like the HD thing, who cares everyone watches shit on their phone which is compressed to shit.

lastdecember said:

the sound quality issue went out the window a long time ago, which is why i dont understand why people sacrificed on the quality of sound but now spend tons on beats headphones?

There's still the audiophile audience who spends $10,000 on a CD player.

lastdecember said:

SoulAlive said:

so are CDs really being phased out? Will record companies stop manufacturing them? I hope not.

You may see the new ones phased out depending on the artist, and probably alot of the catalog too, it really depends, u are still going to be able to get things on cd, artists will most likely still do things direct, ltd editions are gonna be the rage and everyone will proably have one. The fact that alot of new downloads at amazon are going for 2-5 dollars there really is a squeeze on cd's, the sound quality issue went out the window a long time ago, which is why i dont understand why people sacrificed on the quality of sound but now spend tons on beats headphones? its like the HD thing, who cares everyone watches shit on their phone which is compressed to shit.

"Normal" CDs (Redbook standard) have plenty of life left in them and meet or exceed most people's hearing range. The problem is not in the format, it's in the way the music is recorded and/or mastered.

The HD music craze . . . though scientifically better (more data), it's wasted on most people.

Now - "MP3s" . . . people have, in fact, thrown sound quality out the window. The ability to download something instantly has become the most important factor in buying music. I have lossy music on my iPod and in my iTunes, but I still prefer to buy the actual CD instead of downloading.

Se7en said:

Does anyone know if the sales are still available at Best Buy?