Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site prime.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!prime!doug From: doug@prime.UUCP (Douglas A. Hamilton) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Re: CD availability Message-ID: <116@prime.UUCP> Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 18:52:06 EDT Article-I.D.: prime.116 Posted: Mon Jul 15 18:52:06 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Jul-85 05:44:15 EDT References: <2028@ut-ngp.UTEXAS> Distribution: net Organization: Prime Computer, Inc., Framingham, MA Lines: 62 > I recently bought a CD player, and have been having trouble finding discs. > Local record stores carry a very limited supply. mainly interested in pop/ > rock, and am wondering whether the shortage is due to nationwide shortages. > Stores continue to carry classical, jazz and "oldies" as their primary stock > because of mistaken belief that the typical CD owner is older, upscale, with > more conservative tastes. > I've noticed that all my discs are made either in Germany or Japan. > No US plants manufacturing CDs? Cause of the generally high > (and unacceptable) price of discs here in the US? > Why are the vast majority of records still being recorded with analog > equipment? > Scott Roby (swr@ngp) It's true that more of the CD's currently on the market are classical rather than pop/rock; the sudden explosion of the CD market has very much surprised the record manufacturers who had been thinking (until recently) of the typical CD owner as just as you've described. The NY Times reported that in the first three months of this year, CD's shifted from roughly 10% to roughly 30% of the record volume. This was just too much too fast for the suppliers. There are now something like 3,300 titles available, however, so you should be able to find a few you like (-:. Last Sunday's NY Times gave a couple phone numbers you could call to get a free catalog of all the available CD's: 355-0011 (New York) or 800-872-5565 (anywhere else.) Currently, there is only one CD factory in the US: CBS's plant in Terre Haute, Indiana, which is still not up to full capacity and having yield problems. Denon plans to build a plant in the Southeast, but that won't be for a while. Presumably, other record manufacturers have plans... For now, there are six plants world-wide, including the CBS plant. There are two plants in West Germany and three in Japan. No doubt this is a factor in the high price, but I suspect the real problem you're facing is lack of retail competition. The street price for CD's is down to $11.99 in NYC; where I live (outside Boston), $12.99 is pretty achievable at sales, which are now routine. As to many records being still analog, I draw your attention to the fact that most of what you're listening to is popular. Classical albums have been routinely recorded digitally for the better labels for a good 5 to 10 years. My own guess is that because popular music is so much less demanding (few quiet passages, less dynamic range), record companies have simply not felt the improvement in sound quality for pop would justify the cost of the scarce digital equipment. Final comment about pop vs. classical: I can certainly understand your preference - until I bought a CD, I had perhaps a half-dozen classical albums compared to several hundred pop/rock/CW/etc. What I've found, however, is that a CD makes all the difference. The hiss, etc., that to my ears made classical unlistenable on vinyl is totally absent on CD. I recommend you at least try out some classical (e.g., Mozart's Eine Kline Nachtmusik) even if only to reconfirm your preferences. Regards. -- Douglas Hamilton Prime Computer,Inc. 617-626-1700 x3956 Video Products Group 492 Old Connecticut Path Framingham, MA 10701 {seismo,ihnp4,allegra,ut-sally}!harvard!prime!doug