>After reading the posts about the New Groves Opera edition on CD-ROM I
>became very frustrated.  Why do we have to pay so much?

Don't discount the fact that there is a team of writers and researchers who spend so much time working on a product like this for many years.  The writers for such a respected research tool will (I assume) be highly qualified in their fields.  They, rightly, should command good wages for their work - particularly as much of their work, when published, will be used as the sources for many more other writers (usually without compensation beyond the initial sale of the product).