Box Set & "Best Of" pre-release details!!!

[lonesomesquare]

May I feel ripped off by paying 60 pounds + posting costs on the domino pre-order?

And may I join you in maying feel ripped off? (feel free to modify the verbal form where appropriate)

With all due respect to the sublime Domino initiative of course.

[Urpal]

Your question, genkboy, raises an interesting issue (to me, and which I'm struggling with) about the competing interests consumers face between "market price" and "market variety".

I'm coming around to a personal philosophy whereby I'd rather pay a few quid more by shopping at my local record store, Piccadilly Records, say, and thereby help to secure its continuing existence than buy the same thing a bit cheaper at Tesco or Amazon and thereby secure the ongoing exclusion of everyone else but them from the marketplace.

Of course, not everyone can afford to pay more, so I'm not getting all high horse-arsey about it. And you might even accuse me of taking a singularly bourgeois approach, because I doubt your average working class man could give a fuck.

And I'm also finding occasionally that the monopolist players actually stock more hard to find items than the supposedly obscurantist independent store (for example, Babybird's new album doesn't seem to be available from Piccadilly Records but is available from Amazon, and I had to order Rowland Howard's CD from Australia because no-one in the UK seemed to have any available).

But, applying the philosophy outlined, you could regard any extra you've paid to Domino, in the surprising circumstance that this were the position, as a sort of charitable donation... ...or at least an act of beneficence.

And I even vaguely see parallels in this debate laterally-thinking in defining  my personal differences with the Simon Cowell approach to life and in the "save or demolish The Cliffe"/"save or demolish BBC 6Music" affairs, but it would take a grander philosopher than me to put them in between words.

Now what were you saying not so long back, bdroop?

you can have a whip round to fund my champagne and cigar limousine lifestyle if you'd like?

Er....yes please. I'd like to...  Well, maybe not quite. But I'd like to make sure your cupboard ain't bare, mother hubbard. The one where you keep the tins of smarties.

[genkboy]

Of course, Urpal, I would have bought the box whatever the price and 60 pound is not expensive for a 10cd box and as a fan I wanted to make sure to be one of the first ordering the box and yes I really appreciate the efforts of Domino in reissuing all this wonderful Triffids stuff. As a matter of fact, I never even thought a 10 CD box would ever happen.

It's just hard to understand that a third party can sell the box -as a pre-order- for a substantial lower price than the original record company. For older records, this would be understandable as (internet)shops want to get rid of their stock. But I'll take your hint and consider it as a gift

With regard to your remark of alternative CD shops disappearing, indeed - same as you - when I have the chance I will buy my CDs at the local shop, but buying through the internet has become so convenient, with an almost unlimited supply and fair prices that the local shop in fact can no longer compete.

[vps]

As I see it (and in my current straits the 70e or something I paid for the pre-order is not an insignificant amount of dosh), the whole reissue project has been handled in such a magnificent manner, with such devotion and with reasonable prices that I don't feel at all ripped off. Let John have his champagne  he's well and truly deserved it!

In general I prefer ordering straight from the source whenever it is tenable. Idealism, I think. Misplaced probably.

I too would like to support our local record shops more than I currently do but in some cases  it is hard to resist getting the cd from the Internet delivered to your door for 2/3 of the price. Case in point the Buddy Holly box set 65e delivered home as opposed to 89e at the local store...then again I'm sure it would've been possible to find it even cheaper somewhere else...

[Bro]

And when it comes to books ... don't get me started. I try to buy my books at the local shop I like (cosy, good staff, always the item you didn't know you wanted etc) but the internet shops are just so much cheaper. The other week I looked for something special and thought I'd order it straight from the publisher - but that too was more expensive. Why is that? I feel it's difficult to be a good consumer these days.

Still, very happy to have ordered the box straight from Domino.

[Urpal]

Just like to reassure genkboy that my last post wasn't intended in any way to imply criticism about the legitimacy of his question. It just happened to act as a spark to facilitate me talking about something that's been at the back of my mind a while. I'm not sure of the extent to which it's a UK phenomena, but I heard the expression "Tescoisation" of British culture the other day and it is something that worries me. It's curious that the "free market", far from leading to greater choice as advertised, increasingly narrows our choice of available supplier whilst simultaneously  exponentially widening the range and cheapness of goods available to us. The music business seems a microcosmos following that wider pattern.

And being something of a reactionary I feel inclined towards the counter-revolution on this one

...whilst at the same time buying my Buddy Holly boxset and many cheap books from Amazon too

Life, eh....you can't live with it, and you can't live without it.

[Gazza]

Seems to me that the price offered by the record company/publisher is always going to be the highest you commonly find. And it makes perfect sense, too. Basically, Domino has to set a value for the boxset, akin to the recommended retail price (though I think that concept has been discontinued in the UK) and they have to defend that value. If Domino went out and undercut it, why would a small record shop want to continue doing business with them? Their customers would simply turn around and say "you're gouging – Domino themselves are selling it for 15% less."

Far better to have people whinging about the price at the Domino website than that we lose the rump of small, independent record shops we still have.

[glee]

Can't say I begin to understand how Amazon would be selling cheaper than Domino but I'm sure someone who does will fill us in soonish.

[Gazza]

It's curious that the "free market", far from leading to greater choice as advertised, increasingly narrows our choice of available supplier whilst simultaneously exponentially widening the range and cheapness of goods available to us.

It would be curious if it were a free market, but just because something is called "free" doesn't mean it is. Like every other organising principle in human history it's a racket: the establishment always wins. Companies like Tesco are so large and powerful that they essentially have two political parties competing to offer them the biggest favours, while doing everything they can to pretend that their policies are fair and equitable.

[Chris Newall]

If you look at the different Amazon sites there are different prices. In UK there is no price quoted. They ask you to sign up and you will be notified when it becomes available. Amazon France sells for 53.45E. Amazon Canada sells for $92.99C =£60.4. It isn't listed for sale in the US. Amazon Japan sells is for 7847￥=£58.2. Nowhere is as cheap as Amazon Germany. Are CDs generally cheaper in Germany than elsewhere?

If Amazon are selling the box set it make me wonder how much of a limited edition it was. Does anyone know how many copies will be produced??

Whilst trawling the net for some more rare items I came across this - a place in Berlin selling "secondhand CDs"
http://www.gemm.com/item/TRIFFIDS/WIDE--OPEN--ROAD%3A--BOXSET../GML387745657/
Their price for the box set is $99.59 - I presume US$ = £66.5

Over all I'm just glad I have my copy reserved. Once it arrives safe and sound I'll be very happy!! The price was largely irrelevant to me. I just wish there was more stuff available. Well done to Domino for making it possible. You don't see Amazon producing such items. I think people should boycott Amazon and buy form Domino.

[glee]

Definitely no more than 1000 produced.

[Stupy]

Good news!

I've solved this 'looks like we paid more than we need to' issue...

Domino send us the box sets the day that they are ready ;-)

Regards

[Urpal]

Definitely no more than 1000 produced.

Does that mean that in the (unlikely?) event that Domino have a thousand pre-orders Amazon would have several disgruntled bargain seekers?

Will the box set be on sale at the Barbican etc? Not that I haven't already placed an order. Just curious...

[glee]

I believe it will be available at Barbican.

[bdroop]

hey, i'm back - i see the price debate in here and the retail prices. amazon are a law unto themselves. some of those prices don't feel right to me, exchange rate is some of this, you'll see the normal cd is at 19.99 in the UK on amazon for example which is the one i have noticed just now - there's a load of wierd glitches in their system at the moment on retail prices.
we've been setting a pricing policy that is meant to be a level playing field of 60 quid retail - apologies that doesn't appear to be working well - 6 quid a cd and lavish packaging  and all that - i'll try and get everything pulled into line - only 1000 copies for sure