From artist Sent Tue, Mar 23rd 1999, 07:23
From artist Sent Tue, Mar 23rd 1999, 07:23
On Mon, 22 Mar 1999 22:07:13 -0800 (PST), you wrote: >I agree with brock. There's no reason anyone should be charging more = than >$5 for a CD-r when they won't play on all CD players and the emulsion >deteriorates after a few years rendering them unplayable. (anyone know >exactly how long? 5-10 years?) the manufacturers' estimates are between 75 and 200 years, though independent testers have put the figure at anything from 40 years upwards, depending on formulation. that still compares well with pressed cds, which have been estimated to last not much more than 25 years. so the longevity isn't a problem - the 5-10 years figure you quote is for discs that haven't been recorded on yet. as for compatibility, that's still a hazy subject.. my old yamaha, which must be getting on for 10 years old, has never failed to play any kind of cdr (and it has been fed a /lot/ of different types), whereas other people's brand new players will spit certain kinds of discs out, especially the low-grade silver/blue types. when i need to buy a new cd player, it's going to be a /nightmare/ - i'll have to take 50 different discs to the shop and make sure they all play correctly! for the map one release i used unbranded tdk (which are generally regarded as the best brand), and i didn't hear about any people who couldn't get it to play (apart from one poor guy who kept putting the disc in upside down..) i understand the feeling that some of these people charge too much for their cdr releases. not that i'm trying to defend phthalo's 17 dollar no-artwork policy, but it takes a little more effort to make these things than simply going to the store and buying a spindle of discs for x amount of money.. firstly, the mastering can sometimes take a long time (for map one it took 3 weeks), and recording these things is the most boring, time consuming task there is, during which time you can't use your computer, so you have to do stupid stuff like reading books <grin>. then artwork has to be made.. i think that if people are making limited runs on cdr, then an effort should be made to produce packaging that reflects this.. the map one covers were all different (an individual 1/100 section of the picture on the back) and printed on transparencies which i had to hand-cut to shape, put in plastic sleeves and labelled. so all that involves a little extra time and money. =20 so yes, cdr releases can generate a lot of profit, but for some people (like me) that profit is the only possible way to collect together enough money to take a step up the ladder (that's to say, 'proper' cds in larger numbers and with distribution). you're never going to do that if you sell your releases non-profit. <waves>