Quote:
Originally posted by dissention
I've NEVER seen the Outkast album sell for $21.98, I think you're talking about the suggested retail price. Many, many single disc albums have the same suggested retail price, so I don't see the argument. These days, a double album is any album with an extra disc, IMO. The last Shania Twain album had two discs, as does the Outkast one. The argument that it's too expensive just doesn't hold water. I suspect that they thought a new double album from a classic rock abnd wouldn't do so hot, but I'll respectfully disagree; it would have sold the number of units.
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Single disc albums NEVER retail for $21.98 unless they're some super-special fancy pants special edition. The standard price for a frontline title for most record companies (outside of UMVD) is $18.98, which has generally has a cost (before deals, co-op, etc) of around $12.00.
The general cost for a double disc album in today's climate is $24.98, with a cost of around $16. The Outkast album was made cheaper (and reflected in their royalties) due to their demographic's tendency to steal albums, let alone not wanting to spend $25 on a CD at all.
Shania Twain's CD should *not* be counted as a double disc, because it was two discs of the SAME material, with different mixes. A true double album costs more for a reason- there are twice as many songs, and TWICE the cost of recording an album. A CD with a bonus disc is simply NOT the same. A bonus disc has crap thrown onto it. Extra throw-away tracks, interviews, DVD content- all cheap.
They could've put out a double album that would've cost about $15.99 - 17.99 at retail, and they probably WOULD have sold the same amount of copies as they did with their single disc retail of $9.99-13.99, because the average FM buyer is not one whose purchase decisions are contingent on price.
Personally, I'm happy they didn't. Despite my desire as a fan to have as much material as possible, I feel that Say You Will is bloated, and agree with most critics who say that the album suffers as a result of its length. It's just too much. It's unnecessary. And despite Lindsey's pleas in the doc. that he'd be happy if it sold 300,000 copies if he's happy with the result and feels like he's grown as an artist- I don't buy it. Lindsey is FEEDING off the attention he's gained as the critical darling of FM right now, with the album and especially the attention he's receiving during the live shows.
Lindsey once released a great album that no one heard- and it crushed him. He, and the rest of the band, wanted a commercial success with this album.
I just feel like where they ended- smack in the middle between a single-disc record and a double disc record, with 18 tracks comprising the *longest single disc album physically possible* managed to be the one solution that didn't work for either of their diametrically opposite goals- the fight between commercial success and artistic freedom. I just feel like it was a compromise that managed to work for no one.