Cost of lifehousing; They Might Be Capitalists; The boob tube with no boobs; WhoFest 2000

["Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>]

>I am thoroughly confused.  I could have sworn that the original price of
>LIFEHOUSE CHRONICLES was 60 pounds plus shipping.

Carolyn:

It was 40 pounds (which roughly comes to $60) plus shipping, which came to
$84 for me. I recall it was originally said to cost $60, which is fairly
accurate...depending on where the dollar and pound happen to stand that day.

>eelpie.com, I see the price listed as 40 pounds--and *no* shipping cost,

If this is true, I'd feel rather ripped off having spend $24 for shipping!

>It seems to me that you explain this with your own comments: "If people
>support such a thing, they've got only themselves to blame." "... we buy it
>again. Who loses? If anyone, we do...but it's our choice!" Insanely high
>profits? Perhaps, but remember the fundamental question of economics:
>Q. How much is it worth? (Regardless of what "it" is)
>A. Whatever someone will pay for it.

Jim:

You're right, but it runs a bit deeper...especially when we're talking about
The Who. For one thing, how long can we depend on it being around...did I
hear someone say Who's Missing and Two's Missing? If I know I've got only
this long to get something, then I'm backed into a corner.
Perception is everything...if the advertising can convince a person that
they need something, the person will buy it no matter how absurd (did
someone say George Dubya...sorry, couldn't resist). In the case where a
product is sold in an inferior state so it can be remarketed, it may be
legal but it's rather dastardly. Why do automobiles suddenly flash into my
mind?
I am a capitalist, because I own a business, but I do not do MY business in
that way. I couldn't, and sleep. Guess that makes me a poor capitalist, but
a well rested one. I suppose it all comes down to the result: more business
every week, and (I'm told) the other stores are now beginning to suffer.
Then again, like most everything else in the world humans do, capitalism is
a great theory and poor practice. Gouging the consumer is not accpetable,
even if the customer enables it out of ignorance. There must be some
standard set beyond merely whatever people will support.

>Do I hate having to replace my CD catalogs of The Who and The Kinks because
>it wasn't done right the first time? Sure I do. Do I do it anyway? For my
>favorite artists, including these two, yes. For others, no. As you say,
>it's my choice.

See, I solved THAT little problem by waiting until the new one comes into my
store and switching out my old one. Just got Santana's third album,
remastered with bonus tracks. But with the exception of The Who, I have NOT
replaced CDs I already owned with rereleased new ones. I will not support
it.
My suggestion is: shop used stores for the replacements. Hell, you should
shop used stores ANYWAY. It's just a better value.

>I would think creative and effective marketing is not limited to large
>record companies. They Might Be Giants got started by putting their songs
>on a telephone answering machine and advertising the phone number.

One of my daughter's favorite bands, but she hates The Who. I'm not saying
it can't be done, but can it be done for ALL of them? At some point, people
will tune out.

> Besides
>what good did "the label's support" do for The Who's Isle of Wight?

What support? You call that support?

>You could say that about almost any field at any time. I don't think that's
>new or unique with MP3s.

Cyberspace is a bit more vast than a music store, and getting more cluttered
every day. As the bands forsake the labels, it will only get worse. "I see a
bad moon a-rising" for new bands. Even now the older bands outsell any
except the flavor of the month, and that's only for the month. Classic Rock,
despite being vastly outnumbered by New Rock, sells best in my store.

>I won't name names, but don't we have that now?

Go ahead, name names! Journey, Kansas, Toto, Dorothy...uh...wait a
minute...are we talking about The Wizard Of Oz again?

> Don't we also have
>non-literary types who write books? And is this a bad thing? In the sense
>of personal "artistic" expression, it's probably a good thing. Whether the
>free market will support these products is another story.

I fear for the dilution of all Art. I mean, look at television! YIKES!

>It depends on the product. Set the Way-Back Machine for 1978 and apply your
>theory/opinion to LPs and blank cassettes.

I haven't changed my opinions or practices...only I haven't taped a tape in
about two years.

> I bought the Who Are You LP
>(which I then put on cassette for listening convenience). I wanted the
>packaging, etc. However, for Supertramp's Breakfast In America, taping a
>friend's LP was good enough.

Well, YEAH. I guess so. Although BIA has better cover art, I'd say. The
sound quality had to be a factor, too...one which doesn't apply with CDr's.

>For that matter what good has the "label's support" done for the Who
>since the mid 70s?

Phil:

I say again, WHAT SUPPORT???

>I suppose I'm waiting for the $99 DVD player. Can't be long now,
>they're down to $159 in Miami as we speak !

Derick:

And here, besides if you shop at SOME places...like one of the two
Generations Used CDs, for instance...you can get DVD movies for $15 instead
of $25-30 per.

> Any more news ?

I guess you mean about WhoFest? Yeah, well, I've been working on it and it
seems that we need to do it either in late summer or fall...I'd rather the
fall, because it's cooler (for here, that means the 70's...I mean, it's
already that here now). I'm trying to set up something special, and it ain't
a-gonna happen this spring. Is it worth the wait? Damn right, IF we can get
it! I'm holding on to the possibility, at least for now. I have a time
limit, and if it cannot be done by then I will continue without it.
Sorry for the delay. But more time to get it together means a better Fest.
The summer tour might also get more people in the Who mood.



              Cheers                                                     ML