Re: Digital Watermarks (long, getting off-topic)

At 02:14 PM 7/24/96 +0200, Gary Howland wrote:
>Timothy C. May wrote:
> 
>> Pre-recorded DAT tapes were available for a while...they did not sell. I
>> believe this was because DAT machine purchasers were sophisticated and new
>> how to make CD-to-DAT copies, with or without SCMS.
>
>Don't forget that pre-recorded DAT tapes are at least an order of
>magnitude more expensive to manufacture than CDs. 

Isn't it odd that when music is sold, CD's are MORE expensive than cassette 
tapes, even though you _know_ that the manufacturing cost of CD's is less?

Another oddity:  The price for a blank, standard-quality videocassette is 
about the same as that of a blank, standard-quality audio cassette tape, 
despite the fact that the volume of tape included in the former is probably 
about a factor of 10 higher.

Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com

[ No longer Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com ]

> Isn't it odd that when music is sold, CD's are MORE expensive than cassette 
> tapes, even though you _know_ that the manufacturing cost of CD's is less?

Perceived value-add of digital recordings (more faithful reproduction,
longer life, etc.).  It is assumed that, over time, such discrepancies
will diminish as more competition show up.  Meanwhile, you get effects
like the Chinese "stealing" American intellectual property for a song.

Ern