It’s my CD, and I’ll
buy it used if I want
Record companies and country singer Garth Brooks
have declared war on used Compact Discs.
Four of the six largest record companies have come
out in support of a policy that any store selling used CDs
along with new CDs will not be given any advertising
support. The rotund Brooks has declared that he will not
sell future albums in any such stores. Record companies
and Brooks, who said recently in a Barbara Walters inter
view that he has more money than his children's grand
children can spend, are alarmed that consumers are now
buying their CDs secondhand.
Record companies and recording artists like Brooks
are grousing that they don't receive a penny from used
CDs. So what. That's how the free market works.
When a person owns a product that he or she no
longer wants, he or she sells it to someone who isn't
willing or able to buy the producfnow. Thousands of
University students drive to and from campus in used
cars, but Ford and Honda don't receive a dime from used
car sales. Pocket Books doesn’t profit from used book
sales. Architects and contractors don't get a cut when
homes are sold to a new family. There’s no reason why
used CDs should be hold
sacred when no other prod
uct is.
The only thing setting
used CDs apart from other
used products is that they
are almost always as good
used as when they were
brand new. Except for the
cardboard or plastic pack
aoina that is ripped apart
••• they don*
receive a penny
from used CDs.
So what? That’s
how the free
market works.
and thrown away, there is no difference between a now
and used CD. Why would consumers pay SI7 or S18 for
a Cl) that they can purchase for SB or S9?
Some people are willing to pay the premium for a new
CD because they want the CD immediately, they are risk
adverse and want guaranteed high-quality sound, or they
are just too stupid. Still, if these people have to buy new
CDs. they should go to Target where now discs range
from S12 to $15.
Record companies are under no obligation to provide
advertising support to record stores and are free to with
hold it if they feel it's in their best interests.
Cutting off advertising support to record stores won't
work and probably will backfire. This move will not
eliminate the used CD market or even significantly slow
its growth. It will reduce the sales of new CDs because
presumably that's the reason why the free advertising
was provided in the first place, and the publicity result
ing from this policy may encourage more people to
switch to used CDs.
Buyers will purchaso a good at the lowest price pos
sible and sellers will undercut the competition to gain
a larger share of the market or simply to stay in business.
Consumers wanted cheaper CDs and record stores real
ized that thoy make a profit at almost half the price
Record companies can’t fight elementary economics and
Adam Smith’s invisible hand. If they want consumers to
slop buying used CDs. they’ll have to respond to the
competition by — gasp — cutting prices on new discs.
Oregon Daily Emerald
Th* Oagcm Oerfy Emerald s Dutmshed dan, Monday through Fnday dt'rng tn* school
yea' and Tuesday and Thu'Sday during tha igmurn by the O'agon Daily Ematald
Pubesnmg Co me at me Em-verat, oi Oagon. Eugena Oagon
Tha Ematald oparate* ndependentty o< th# Utweraty **h o«>c*s at Su*a XM ol Ihe
Ert) Marnonal Unejn and >s a memb#< ot me Aatooalad P>as*
The Emerald s pnvata property The uniawM 'amove or use ol papers ■* pno*ecutat>e
by lee
Editor Jake Barg
Photo Editor Anthony Fomey
Aaaociet# Editor*; Ed Caiaon Memo F.*n*< Scot demons
Night Ednor: Marbn F .*he>
Oaneral Manager Judy Reid
Adverb at ng Otractor Mark Walter Production Manager Mch*e Ross
Advertising: Frehme Bali Jaramy Mason. Van V O'Bryan 11, Ang.e W.ndhevn Patnck
Wong
ClaeeMed Beck, Merchant. AAsnag#'
Business Kathy Carbon# Supervisor
Production: mytd WMe. F>nxJU*on Coordneftx Stacy AAlcha* Jantvtar Roland
NlWOOT „---'
Butn— 0W»C4..~~.>»«’»
IMp«f HHKi --.. m* «•
ClmMM A dvtrtftfeg...-**6-00
^ Tke little octopus at tke dike.
Er* 8f6*MMNG To SUIPfCT „ A
■ZZr^V,"l\Z^ £v«Mo°r*s«r»tf:ff jjj
Name calling at the Country Fair
' Idealism is what precedes
expttrwni e, cynicism is what fol
lows "
— David T Wolf
lx* Oregon Country Fair. A
bastion of los t*, happiness
and friendship — unless
you mess with its profit margin
The hypocritical behavior on
the (wirt of certain fair staffers has
come to light recently following
a July 13 article by Lia Salciocia
in which she describes remain
ing at the fair after closing —
without permission (gasp!)
Because of this, and moreso
because she had the audacity to
write about it. she has received
threatening letters, harassing
phone calls and been labeled a
"parasite."
For the few years I have been
in Eugene, I have suspected
events like the fair to lx* nothing
more than money-making si a
that play off the illusion that the
1060s are somehow alive and
well.
Events like the fair believe they
are contributing to world peace
and human harmony by charging
people $10 a pop to experience a
lie. However. I have not been able
to substantiate my belief — until
now.
The self-righteous, childish
behavior being demonstrated by
these particular fair staffers at Sal
ciccia's revelations is ample evi
dence of the event's overall rot
ten core and slimy underbelly.
To understand what is going
on in the (alleged) minds of those
who are complaining loudest, let
us examine a sequence of events.
We liegin at H p m. as the fair
is closing. In her article, Salcic
cia recounts how about 50 so
called "volunteers" join hands
ami sing as may purge me nnr ot
unwanted guests, a tactic no
doubt learned from the powerful
Iranian army, which used to
chain children together who
would then walk in front of the
troops to sweep for land mines
Salciccia is vague about how
she avoided "The Sweep," but
vi\s she did not "sneak in by hid
ing in a tent for two hours "
Clearly, the blueprint of a genius
criminal mastermind is coming
to light here.
Before going any further. 1
should clarify that, at least as 1
understand it, the Emerald does
not condone sneaking. It does,
however, have a tendency to
print stories by freelancers who
have sneaked (such as the Uni
versity tunnels story a few
months back)
So far. it would seem the fair's
biggest problem is lax security.
Staffers should be grateful to Sal
ciccia for pointing out a flaw in
what was clearly inept enforce
ment of fair rules So inept, in
fact, that "The Sweep" failed to
put Salciccia in the dustbin of
day-goers two nights in a row.
Anynow. tsatciccia managed to
remain after the fair ended and
proceeded to witness the evening
entertainment This, of course,
was her great sin. She had pen
etrated the inner sanctum and
viewed what only the ordained
elite are permitted to see — u guy
in a pool blowing six-foot bub
bles.
In a letter to the editor (ODE.
July 22). Norma Sax. evidently
a fair staffer, accused Salciccia of
lacking "maturity, courtesy or
common sense." Unfortunately,
her accusation aptly describes
nearly everybody who attends the
fair and puts those attributes
aside for a short time. It also
describes the behavior of those
w'ho are harassing Salciccia.
tn fact, Sax’s mean-spirited, vit
riolic letter is really nothing more
than a complaint ihat she had to
work to experience what Salcic
cia experienced for free. Don’t let
anyone accuse fair staffers of
being altruistic.
:snx also claims naiciccia used
about $40 in services during her
two nights at the fair Forty bucks
for what? The privilege of seeing
supposedlv mature adults liehave
like morons?
She claims the "volunteers"
are permitted to stay in the
evenings us a reward for all their
hard work during the day. and
that Salciccia's presence
doubtlessly «a used many of these
devotees their place down in
front during the evening festivi
ties.
Oddly, I find myself com
pletely devoid of sympathy for
these alleged "volunteers " Real
volunteers give their time and
effort without any expectation of
reward except for their own per
sonal satisfaction.
Not at the Oregon Country Fair.
There, "volunteers" ure given
special treatment for their work:
in effect, they are being compen
sated for their time. Thus, they
are not true volunteers but rather
parasites who work only for their
own benefit
Perhaps Sax and others are
upset because Salciccia suggest
ed the evening entertainment is
reliant on illegal drug use for its
joyous atmosphere. Afraid at hav
ing been caught with their hands
in the cookie jar. Salciccia's crit
ics have no recourse but to try
and make enough noise that no
one looks uny closer at their own
cozy little operation.
Perhaps the most interesting
thing about this whole set of
events is the sheer hypocrisy
being displayed. Tins "anti-estab
lishment" crowd, who in the
19fi()s participated in sit-ins in
public offices, marched down
public streets blocking traffic and
who destroyed public property
in the name of peace and justice,
are now bent out of shape
because a college student didn't
ask their permission before
watching grown, naked men jug
gle torches.
What a joke.
Martin Fisher is an associate
editor for the Emerald.