Intrada Soundtrack Forum

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

Yes, this is most likely a question of units. Most DVDs are cheaper than their respective soundtracks. The expanded Lord of the Rings 4DVD sets were sold here at one time on sale for about €20.- a piece, whereas the expanded 3-CD scores cost about three times that. But how many did buy the movie, and how many the score?

Years ago, I asked in a store for the soundtrack to Hoosiers. They didn't have it in stock, but suggested that I buy the movie on VHS instead; this way, I would have the entire movie for less than just the soundtrack. I declined, stating that I'd be listening to the soundtrack considerably more often than I'd be watching the movie.

I don't believe it's a question of units, but the strange alchemy of licensing and publishing rights. The soundtrack for STAR WARS is, was, and will always be higher than the dvd and that score has sold zillions of units since the '70s. We'd probably need a lawyer to explain all the details and even then I don't think it would make much sense.

Sure, it's the number of units, the very rare exception of "Star Wars" notwithstanding. Yes, there's a strange assumption that, mathematically, a small component of a movie should somehow cost less than the complete movie. But a niche market item will always cost more than a mass market item (within a range, obviously -- a Honda Civic costs more than "Scorpio"), because a manufacturer has to make his money back on a much smaller number of units sold.

And yes, that's a very simplified formula, and there are thousands of factors that can affect it. But in the broad sense, it always holds true.

You're paying for the better cover artwork. Man, that DVD is ugly.

_________________
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

I know the soundtrack for Star Wars was an unprecedented sales bonanza for an orchestral soundtrack, but this happened also at a time when movies were not readily available for purchase. When Star Wars was finally released on VHS, the retail VHS tape for Star Wars cost way more than the soundtrack LP, which had by then already sold countless units. (And, back then, the market for LPs was considerably larger than the one for VHS tapes, since a lot more people had turntables than VHS recorders.) So it's not quite the same. I don't know how many units of Star Wars movie DVDs vs. Star Wars soundtrack CDs sell these days, but I'd be surprised if the sales figures favored the soundtrack.

_________________
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

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No matter where you go, there you are....Wait a minute! That's how it always works out.

_________________
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

_________________
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer