391341
submission
allcoolnameswheretak writes:
How is it that even though the Euro is about to hit the 1.5 U.S. Dollar mark, prices on videogames and other U.S. products in Europe seem to be translated from Dollars to Euros 1 to 1? Compare the price for Halo 3 for example on
Amazon.de and the same product on Amazon.com the prices being 59.99$ and 59.45 EUR respectively. What is this? How can this price be considering the US $ — Euro exchange rate? Are europeans being ripped off?
166921
submission
allcoolnameswheretak writes:
Based on a comment made by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, it seems that UMG counterbalances "having to discount" pop music by charging high prices for records of bands that have a "true fanbase".
Quote from nin.com:
As the climate grows more and more desperate for record labels, their answer to their mostly self-inflicted wounds seems to be to screw the consumer over even more. A couple of examples that quickly come to mind:
* The ABSURD retail pricing of Year Zero in Australia. Shame on you, UMG. Year Zero is selling for $34.99 Australian dollars ($29.10 US). No wonder people steal music. Avril Lavigne's record in the same store was $21.99 ($18.21 US).
By the way, when I asked a label rep about this his response was: "It's because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out — you know, true fans. It's the pop stuff we have to discount to get people to buy."
So... I guess as a reward for being a "true fan" you get ripped off.
