MusicDirect following Music Matters with pricing policy...

I don't visit MusicDirect.com often, so this might be old news, but I just had a look at their Mofi Miles Davis titles and records I got for $30 just two years back are now $75 and even $90.

Example:
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (Numbered Edition 180g Vinyl LP) | Shop Music Direct

Lol - it's not even eligible for the discount code!
I understand supply and demand, and am fine with people flogging rare OOP items for inflated prices.
But this is the manufacturer, charging double just because stock is low.
A sign perhaps that the boutique reissue labels really are getting squeezed, now that corporate america is back in the vinyl game.
Thoughts?

 

I really hate it when labels do this. Don’t Audio Fidelity do this with their low numbered issues, on their “Audiophile Collectibles” website

 

Nothing new here, MoFi has been doing this for well over 5 years.
IMO, if you're the manufacturer, you should stick with retail pricing.

 

Uhh, Audio Fidelity has been out of business since May 2018. All of their releases are OOP. As to the other companies raising their prices, if a bunch of fools are still paying the inflated prices, why not? The old saying goes, sheep are made to be sheared.

 

This is one of those divisive topics. I don’t believe manufacturers should withhold stock to sell later at inflated prices once they have “sold out”. It is unethical. The fact that some people pay these inflated prices does not make it ok.

 

No one is forcing you to buy them. If enough people stop paying the high prices, the prices will come down. If not, they will continue to rise.

 

Yep thanks I expected that response from you. So using your same logic, drug dealers & kiddie porn sellers are just doing a service to the market, right? Labels should not be scalpers.

 

You're right. But then again, it is a free market. And if people were not interested in your examples, there would be no market for it.

Like it or not, this is correct. If any of these labels weren't able to get the prices they charge, they would either sit on inventory or sell more cheaply. The best way to voice your displeasure with them, and the only possible way they will stop doing what they're doing is simply to not support their business. Complaining on a forum like this does bring the matter to people's attention, so it's not entirely useless, but ultimately action will speak louder then words.

 

The difference is, labels have the choice to keep the market at a reasonable level & keep offering product at RRP. The ethical companies do. While the unethical ones don’t. They choose to hold back stock & inflate prices to match scalpers rates.

So what does this achieve? It drives the behaviour of scalpers opportunistically buying up stock, preventing genuine buyers from buying at RRP. Yeah yeah, they should have bought it on day one. But not everyone can afford to buy things on the day of release.

This topic has been debated to death here & elsewhere so I’m not going to continue.

 

Most of these titles have been reissued to death, including great sounding, inexpensive, all analog versions from the late 60's through the 70's. I agree it's unfortunate for sincere buyers who missed out early not to be able to have the ability to buy these at original retail, but there are excellent alternatives.

And yes it's been debated to death, and again the best way to tell these companies not to act in a unethical manner is to simply not buy from them. Ever.

 

Ha!

 

Ha Ha!!

 

I can't say for certain but I would be surprised if this does not play a part in situations like this.

Since audiophile releases are very low on my list of things I would like these days, it doesn't impact me much. But I am used to similar strategies in the world of "used records"

 

Well,

Well now, that makes more sense.

 

Soitenly! If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do succeed.

 

I have no idea how you equate drug dealers and kiddie porn with totally legal companies selling vinyl. That is right out in left field.

 

You said that because people pay inflated prices, this justifies the labels withholding stock & inflating prices. Does your same logic apply everywhere, or just to scalping?

 

I guess the first thing I think about with high priced vinyl is to not purchase it in the first place. I don’t think about drugs and kiddie porn, I’ll leave those ideas up to you.