Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site hound.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!bellcore!petrus!sabre!zeta!epsilon!gamma!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!hound!rfg From: rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Re: CD player prices are down, how about disks? Message-ID: <1368@hound.UUCP> Date: Mon, 23-Sep-85 13:53:26 EDT Article-I.D.: hound.1368 Posted: Mon Sep 23 13:53:26 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 27-Sep-85 07:08:12 EDT References: <124@ur-tut.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 29 [] I, personally, am very pessimistic on disc prices. A year to a year and a half ago, prices were coming down. But two things have happened to keep disc prices up for an indefinite period. 1) The disc manufacturing caoacity has increased very slowly. Plants are allegedly very costly and they take a long costly time to work their yields up. THere is one plant in the US which have reached acceptable yields by now. THere is a lot of talk about another, but so far (over a year now) talk is about all there is. 2) Meanwhile, CDs have caught on much faster than anyone had predicted and demand is said to exceed supply. Now that must be understood in the light that outrageous prices are keeping that demand in check because there CDs in the stores - but never, it seems, the ones you want, just the same old ones that aren't selling well. So, if this keeps up, and you can see that from a mfrs point of view there is every reason it should, demand will remain high, production low, prices high and profits lucrative. I assume, for want of better information, that the real reason for lack of mfg plants is market control by phillips/sony who own the patents and (I think) the stamping plants, and almost certainly the mastering plants. THere are allegedly rumors of newer digital processes that are going to either replace the CD or make it much cheaper to mfr. I think thats malarkey. Its "Why should I let anyone but me play?" at work - sez me. -- "It's the thought, if any, that counts!" Dick Grantges hound!rfg Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com