33.3 is now superior to 45

Hi Davt,
That's funny and insightful. The good thing is this is voluntary and the choice to buy or not belongs to us the consumer. The market supplies these multiple formats and we determine the demand or need for the products.
Charles,

I can have a whole record collection and only own one album.

Hilarious.

One wonders what those jazz musicians, most of whom lived a hand to mouth transient existence, might think of this craziness, if they were around to see it. I suspect they'd laugh at us. The solos and improvisation that we go ga-ga over were mostly one-offs; they probably played the same tune differently from day to day and thought nothing of it. Listening to an LP rendition is like looking at a snapshot of your summer vacation 20 years ago. But it's all we have.

I was just thinking the same thing. It seems like were producing the same 50 albums over and over. Thats to bad because there is a lot of great music out there. I wonder if it's because of the difficulty and expense of finding and licensing master tapes. Perhaps they want to avoid risk by sticking to their "hit" titles similar to what Hollywood does with sequels to hit movies.

Lewm, IMHO, those jazz musicians would think we are crazy. They wouldn't say it because at the end of the day, we're still buying their music.

Davt's wonderful epigram reminds me of these lyrics:

At the record company meeting
On their hands - a dead star
And oh, the plans they weave
And oh, the sickening greed

At the record company party
On their hands - a dead star
The sycophantic slags all say :
"I knew him first, and I knew him well"

Re-issue ! Re-package ! Re-package !
Re-evaluate the songs
Double-pack with a photograph
Extra Track (and a tacky badge)...

Best of ! Most of !
Satiate the need
Slip them into different sleeves !
Buy both, and feel deceived

-The Smiths, PAINT A VULGAR PICTURE

Not that I would accuse anyone of doing such things.