Alan Lynn wrote:

>I certainly agree.  CD's cost less than $1 to produce.  A coworker who
>plays in a rock band told us the other day that their new album will cost
>them $.87 per CD.  These large record labels can afford to lower the costs
>even further.  It seems to me Naxos is just passing on the savings by not
>charging the exhorbitant prices of other labels.  Why pay $17 when the
>actuall cost of production per CD probably doesn't excede $5?

This is true as far as it goes.

There is one more thing, though.  The majors tend to record major names and
orchestras.  These people and groups are very expensive.  Too expensive.
Yes, maybe some costs are passed on to the consumer, but one of Naxos'
secrets is that it records less expensive performers and groups.  That is
probably the main reason it can be inexpensive, though there may be other
reasons too, e.g., better management, possibly, etc.  It all attests to two
things: there re a lot of wonderful players out there without "big names".
The same may be true of recording engineers.  Naxos is to be commended for
finding both.  (Not that they're always successful, but then neither are
the "majors."

What does puzzle me is the full-price labels that record performers no
better known than those Naxos uses.  Why are those CDs so expensive?

Roger Hecht

 [Three reasons: overhead, overhead, overhead.  -Dave]