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75 AUD for a record... are we serious?


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So, I hop yesterday or the day before to JB Hifi in the city, looking for stuff. That's one of the few stores with records. Coming in there was a bin with "Specials", 40$ or less.

 

Then I go to the "actual" records section. The usual suspects, not that I mind, "Pulse" by Pink Floyd, 360 odd AUD? Anything by the Beatles, Zep, Queen, you name it... from 60 to 75 onwards? WTF? One LP?

 

I go to lunch to a joint in Leederville where they sell sandwiches, coffee and second hand LP's. I get some pretty cool stuff from back in the day for 15 AUD in pretty good nick, although they also sell new releases, and the prices are insane.

 

What's going on? You can get the CD for half the price and a digital download for 10 AUD. This may be the wrong place to post it, but it's madness. Have vinyl records become an object of desire for rich wannabes rather than a medium to listen to music? A way for record bosses to milk whatever's left from their old cows? Granted, I'll still bite the bullet from time to time, but I'm going to the second hand dealers if I can. I get lucky sometimes.

 

And yes, this was a rant. Just for the fun of it. I feel so much better now.

 

Cheers,

 

Alberto

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Yes ever since vinyl became popular again, prices have reached stupid levels for reissue fodder from major artists.   Some of the reissues sound excellent - mots not so much.

 

But, the good thing is all the smart guys who did not sell their old Floyd/Beatles/Queen can keep playing their old copies in the knowledge that they will probably sound better as well.

 

Other indy type labels don't seem to be upping the cost of new release vinyl as most can between $30 and $40 if you look.

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Back in the early 1980s I was paying around $20 for import records, and earning 5 times that for my weekly income as an apprentice, house prices are more than 5 times the value, cars similar, with inflation I’d expect the normal vinyl price to be above $80 minimum now, I think we have it good, just my opinion.

Edited by awayward
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I was at the rekkid shop today, sniffing through the used CDs. Spotted a Fun - "Some Nights" CD for $5 and thunk to myself "It's got maybe one good song, but $5 is a bit steep. Pass."

 

Then I spot a dude with Fun - "Some Nights" LP under his arm, and I'm pretty sure that the price tag started with a 4, so ... $40? $49?

 

Must be quite the fan.

 

Hey, whatever floats yer boat, but personally I look for value and variety,  and have many other options in addition to pricey new vinyl.

 

--Geoff 

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I recall the the price of Madonna-Like a Virgin, which was one of the first CDs I ever bought was $25, back in I guess, 1985. Pretty amazing how much we paid for perfect sound forever back then, especially given how much cheaper it is after the market opened up, let alone if you think about streaming. I do have to concede that having acquired many of my records second hand in the 90s for chicken feed, the current prices seem a lot, and whilst they are priced in the realm of collectibles, they are certainly not handled like that when you get them from JB, at least! I reckon about half are warped to some degree from being jammed into the displays, though to be fair, I haven't had too many full on rejects. 

 

Justin

Edited by Juzbear
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And the new records have all been digitally remastered along the way.  So I wonder if there is any benefit to buying new LPs, apart from being able to indulge in the nice artwork. 

 

I've only bought a few new records over the last decade - disks that aren't available on another more affordable format.  I have bought lots of records at op shops and garage sales for $1-$2 each, but draw the line at $5+ op shop records.  Getting records at those prices really put me off visiting the stratosphere, esp when the same music can be bought cheaper on new or 2nd hand CD. 

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A combination of factors, obviously (including technology, certain legal factors etc), but sometimes the simplest explanation is sometimes the easiest - inflation.

 

If Australia has averaged say 4% inflation since 1985 (it is currently lower, but it has often been higher), then what was $25 in 1985 would now be about $100.

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In the 80's the average record price in NZ was about $15, or adjusted for inflation is about $40.

 

3 hours ago, awayward said:

Back in the early 1980s I was paying around $20 for import records, and earning 5 times that for my weekly income as an apprentice, house prices are more than 5 times the value, cars similar, with inflation I’d expect the normal vinyl price to be above $80 minimum now, I think we have it good, just my opinion.

BTW, AU$20 in 1983 adjusted for inflation is about $68

https://www.inflationtool.com/australian-dollar/1983-to-present-value?amount=20

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9 hours ago, metal beat said:

 

But, the good thing is all the smart guys who did not sell their old Floyd/Beatles/Queen can keep playing their old copies in the knowledge that they will probably sound better as well.

 

Ridiculed like buggery was I by friends and family for not selling my collection back in the day....

...He who laughs last......:P:P

 

Tase.

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There is more to pricing than inflation, what I earned when  blah blah blah.

I was looking for The Band Capitol Albums box set.

Examples

Australian seller

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/The-Band-Capital-Albums-1968-1977-Vinyl-9-Records-LP-Boxset-New-Bob-Dylan/163915764318

$300 plus $25 postage = $325.

Overseas seller

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/The-Band-Capitol-Albums-1968-1977-New-Vinyl/142307554394?epid=237029214&hash=item212230f45a:g:IDQAAOSwAANY6I~6

$209.66, free postage, + 10% GST = $230.62

 

Who knows??

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9 hours ago, awayward said:

Back in the early 1980s I was paying around $20 for import records, and earning 5 times that for my weekly income as an apprentice, house prices are more than 5 times the value, cars similar, with inflation I’d expect the normal vinyl price to be above $80 minimum now, I think we have it good, just my opinion.

$17 to $18! for a LP and when CD rolled onto the shelf it was $25-30.   Some of my collection still have the price tag still stuck on it and where I bought them from,  most were from a record store called “Inner Ear” in Clayton which was just a stone throw from the train station.  Sadly it’s no longer there...  you were also able to order any title and label, wait a few weeks and it’ll arrived.  

 

You can see why JB is taking on the task,  CD at $10-20 a pop isn’t a money making venture these days,  streaming and downloads are eating into this market, walk into a JB store and some of the shelves are now taking over with LP, lots of them starting from $30 plus....   there’s no other chain selling them and dedicated shops from yesteryear are no longer the norm.

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I’m happy to pay $100 for MoFi - that’s a lot more work than the majors (same with ORG, AP etc).

 

I paid $120 for pulse at JB, but that’s four discs from analogue tapes. 
 

Also happy for the $50-$90 for the Neil Young (analogue master again) and the others that do it.

 

I certainly wouldn’t pay more than $20 for BIB or MOV.

 

I did just buy a whole heap of Aussie first presses (NM) for about $20-$30 each... way better value:

 

2C836FC2-8273-4E95-87BE-1E20D9AA6B72.jpeg

Edited by furtherpale
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6 hours ago, Hydrology said:

New Leonard Cohen album at JB HiFi -$86. For just over 30 (albeit awesome) minutes.

 

Crazy

Just paid $22 for this CD. Sounds very good, but ripped and upsampled it sounds excellent. It’s a bargain.

I enjoy my old vinyl but I certainly don’t buy new anymore - a lot of it doesn’t sound as good as my ripped CDs. 

Some hi res digital downloads are, inexcusably considering there is no physical distribution chain, a similar price to new vinyl. 

It’s a very weird market out there. 

 

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Amazon is my go to these days. They don't have everything but the prices generally can't be beat. They even stock some AP, MOFI, ORG and Speakers Corner.

 

That Lenard Cohen album is available for $42 delivered. If it were an Amazon AU/US stocked item it would be even cheaper.

 

Not a huge fan of the Beastie Boys fan but I heard a song come on the radio and had the urge to pick it up on Vinyl. They have a well respected reissue for $32 delivered. If it weren't for Christmas it would be here in 2 days. Also the prices fluctuate substantially last week a record I had my eye on was $38, checked a few days later and it was $24.

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Im with the OP, I was in JB the other day as well and noticed prices have gone up quite a lot in the last 12-18 months.

 

I haven't been buying many new records in AUS recently to have noticed the prices going up... Has this been steadily happening?

 

Perhaps it's just because it's Christmas time?

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The cost of some vinyl today may seem to be greater than what most may expect.  Sometimes the price may reflect a better quality product.  To compare though just look at the price of some of these very high quality CDs from Japan.

 

https://www.abcrecord.com/en/category.php?id=20

 

I can assure you that the SQ result is very high as a friend let me try some of his CDs.  Sublime SQ

 

Just read the section on the production differences.

 

https://www.abcrecord.com/en/article_cat.php?id=22

 

John

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Hi All,

 

I buy a few from Bandcamp, usually the albums are around $US 20-25 mark, but shipping is usually the killer, especially from the USofA sometimes as much as the LP, whereas from Europe it is around $US 5-7.

The big biter is the exchange rate as everything is transacted in $USofA, which will only increase prices if the Reserve Bank introduces Quantitative Easing, which is a possibility next year, so they can make more money on exports and increase the price on Imports, which increases their revenue from GST and Imports Duties.

 

JJ

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I just walked past a St Vinnies and decided to have a quick look at the vinyl section.

 

Almost all the records were between $10 and $25!

 

I'm talking Richard Clayderman, Burt Bacharach and lots of 60's stuff that I wouldn't pay $1 for and not even in great condition!

 

I think vinyl prices are getting a little unrealistic...

 

 

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I dunno. I can go online and buy the cheapest ticket for Alice Cooper's concert tour next year and pay $101 for one evening of a shitfight to get there, having to deal with tossers in front of me holding their phones up all night, paying stupid prices for unpleasant food and drink and battling crowds of obnoxious nobheads to get home, or I can buy a record for $75 that will still give me joy in 30 years if I'm still alive and can be listened to over and over and over again. Not everything in life is as cheap as you want it to be.

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