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Music at a discount
Within reach?
It is rightly said about the Internet that it teaches you to expect the unexpected.
Consider this. You are a music lover and step into any of the leading music shops and find cassettes and CDs lined up, rows after rows. You may head for the cassette rack even if you have it at the back of your mind that cassettes generally do not last very long when compared to CDs. But till now, CDs have been too hot for many to touch, price wise. It is here that the Internet has helped us, gently and musically. The facility to download music from cyber space has made a heavy dent in the price of CDs, it seems.
A relatively new format, MP3, is also now available, enabling us to record more tracks in one disc. And they come a lot cheaper, even though some compromise may have to be made on quality.
As those at across the counter of Music World, a leading shop in the city, would tell you, the MP3s are available in the open market for next to nothing. They come as cheap as Rs. 100. This is one reason for major music companies to slash the prices of CDs.
Incredible, it may seem, but it is true. CDs that cost above Rs. 500 last January are now available for just about Rs. 300 or so. New Hindi film songs come at Rs. 99. Think of those who have taken the same titles home just a couple of months ago, paying much more!
The case is same with videos also. International video CDs that used to sell at around Rs. 500 have crashed to about Rs. 300, English films from Rs. 425 and Rs. 375 to just below Rs. 200 or even to Rs. 99 for Charlie Chaplin's silent laughs and the price for Hindi films dipped to Rs. 100 from Rs. 275.
It may seem unbelievable that branded and original products are available this cheap. But they are. Bringing music more within the reach of more people. Is it not time to explore this brave new world?
By Anand Haridas
Photo: H. Vibhu
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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