Why are Spectrasonics Legacy Sample CD's So Damn Expensive?

[egbert101]

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[Jace-BeOS]

I've wondered the same. Those libraries are classics, and, if you don't mind sounding like countless other musicians (i spot Symphony of Voices on a regular basis), and if you have Akai sampler hardware or software that can handle them, they are incredible sound libraries. But they're still the same price they've always been: top of the line. Seems odd for the fact that they've not been migrated to a modern format. I've never been even satisfied with any sample conversion product, nor Kontakt's importer (crashes galore, and poor conversion when there's no crash). Plus, optical drives are much less common now.

[bosone]

yes, i wonder why they do not offer a low-priced download version. given their age i think i will buy some of them for 30-50$, because some of them still sound good.
but e.g. i would rather spend 200$ on more modern synths/libraries than on "distorted reality" cd collection! :-/

the prices are way out of the market, i think...

[ghettosynth]

Because, their price reflects the hilarity that is everything Spectrasonics. I would be surprised if you could get them cheaply. Oh, and LOL @ "Distorted Reality." Did someone actually pay money for those sounds at one point?

[Gamma-UT]

Are they trying to get people to just buy Omnisphere instead?

Or RMX. The drum grooves wound up in RMX Xpanded. The instrument and vocal sounds went to Trillian or Omisphere in a number of cases.

They're all special order, so they probably cook them in a CD-writer if an order should ever come in. I think they're only there for those situations where the music supervisor says "sh*t, we've totally lost the original sample for this remake and the director insists they want this and only this sound".

Or, in other words, screwing over Hollywood for a few extra bucks isn't a bad plan in most cases. Offering them at near-punitive pricing level ensures casual buyers won't be sucked in. I wondered who were the people who bought the discounted download versions of the mega-old EastWest CD libraries when they went on sale a year or two ago – if anyone actually did – and whether it was worth the cost of repackaging and promotion. Then again, Zero-G keeps knocking out its old stuff for 15 dollars or so at regular intervals.

[egbert101]

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[bill45]

And not all the 25th anniversary stuff is included in the composer cloud

[Aleatoriac]

LOL @ "Distorted Reality." Did someone actually pay money for those sounds at one point?

(Looks at Distorted Reality 2 disc box bought around March 2001)

[yellowmix]

They're maintaining a premium level of ownership by highly discouraging the secondhand market, not doing sales, and very aggressively pursuing piracy. And it works. Selling intangible products that can be reproduced ad infinitum, they address the infinite supply in every way possible to create the demand that is willing to meet the price.

Count the number of software companies in that position compared to all the companies that are fighting at the bottom of the barrel. Why wouldn't they hold on to it? That's capitalism to its logical conclusion.

[zvenx]

Yes cause that's what the top notch libraries cost at that time, and if u made money from music u could easily justify it. Those were the days before the current entitlement was even a twinkle it its mother's eye.
Rsp

[egbert101]

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[yellowmix]

It's definitely an old business philosophy battling against the newer internet age business philosophies. Depends how long they can cling on to their old business model. Not much longer I suspect.

It's a proven model and barring external factors, as long as they keep producing quality and desirable products, it shouldn't change. Rolex, for over a century, has maintained it, even while Miyota and Seagull movements dominate the low end.

If you need a digital tech example, Apple's been doing it for almost a half-century now and people are buying the Mac Pro and the stock is rising. While countless other competitors are running on thin margins. There are entirely different markets; premium brands don't bother courting people trying to get a deal (at least in the same way non-premium manufacturers do).

Of course, society could suddenly gain class and anti-materialism consciousness and foment a socialist revolution, tearing down this concept and ushering in a new world of equality. But as long as capitalism exists, it will maintain these market divisions.

[Orbit-50]

It's definitely an old business philosophy battling against the newer internet age business philosophies. Depends how long they can cling on to their old business model. Not much longer I suspect.

It's a proven model and barring external factors, as long as they keep producing quality and desirable products, it shouldn't change. Rolex, for over a century, has maintained it, even while Miyota and Seagull movements dominate the low end.

If you need a digital tech example, Apple's been doing it for almost a half-century now and people are buying the Mac Pro and the stock is rising. While countless other competitors are running on thin margins. There are entirely different markets; premium brands don't bother courting people trying to get a deal (at least in the same way non-premium manufacturers do).

Of course, society could suddenly gain class and anti-materialism consciousness and foment a socialist revolution, tearing down this concept and ushering in a new world of equality. But as long as capitalism exists, it will maintain these market divisions.

Excellent post.The key here is that they are very high quality samples that will stand the test of time. There will always be a market for such products.

[egbert101]

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[bosone]

i wonder if selling the wave files through digital download at 30-50$ will grant them extra money.
how many sales of these old CD libraries had they in the last year?
how many sales would they have if a digital download is offered at 30$? i would purchase some of them for sure. even without any support. and like me i suppose a lot of hobbysts.

how much is the revenue/cost for digital download? i suppose quite high...

so why not?


by the way, i was looking also at the east west legace sale
http://www.soundsonline.com/25th-Anniversary-Collection
99$ is still too much for a 10 years old library!
at the same price tag i can have much more right now...