From: fscll@acad3.alaska.edu (Chris Lott)
Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll
Subject: Re: CD packaging
Date: 14 Apr 92 00:33:21 GMT
Article-I.D.: acad3.1992Apr13.153321.1
Organization: University of Alaska Fairbanks

In article <13APR199214283941@arecibo.aero.org>, terwill@arecibo.aero.org (Bill who?) writes:
> For years (yeah, years) environmentalists have been asking
> when the "environmentally aware" music industry is going to do
> something about the excessive and non-degradable packaging that
> CD's come in.
> 
> If you ask the employees at a music store (Music +, Wherehouse,
> Tower Records, take-your-pick) you always get the same answer
> "yeah, THEY are thinking about that, should be soon". So, who
> is "THEY" and what's are "THEY" thinking? Is it pressure from
> the artists who do the jackets? Or "BIG OIL" producing all that 
> great shrink-wrap? I have supported "Walden Woods" both as a direct
> contributor and as part of ticket prices to see Don Henley in concert
> but "Don, your CD's still come in all that excess landfill matter."
> If you know of reasons it would make an interesting post as long as
> you don't go off the deep end of the environmental movement.
> 
> Cindy's boss,
> Bill

The THEY is the packaging group, I can't remember the exact title, that
governs the distribution of musical recordings.... they, together with the
major packagers have been discussing ways to do it for some time... 

If you look in the last issue of Rolling Stone (I think it's the last.. it's
the one with Axl Rose on the cover) then you will see big write-up that they
FINALLY made  a real decision to get rid of the large packages.

the biggest hold-ups were all monetary.

1) The retailers association kept saying piss on recycyling because they didn
not want to have to make over every rack in the country since the long-box was
designed to fit in the old vinyl lp displays.

2) The paper materials are only half the question, there is also the question
about what to do about the jewel-box... everyone wants to save the landfills
from the plastic, but a lot of people protestr paying for cd's and getting a
flimsy paper or cardboard container. 

3) Chainging the package, especially if they get rid of the jewel-box too will
ad five cents per cd in packaging which seems small but is a big deal to
distributors... 

Anyway, there was a decision made, and the long box is finally going.. the
jewel box question is still being decided... I am happy to see the decision
buit I am not sure about the jewel box issue.. I would like to see something a
little better than the crappy cardboard covers if I am going to save my cd's
and transport them, etc... 
 
-- 
 __________________________________________________________
|  Christopher L. Lott  --- Poet and Pauper                |
|__________________________________________________________|___
|  fscll@alaska                | "And now what shall become of |
|  fscll@acad3.alaska.edu      |  us without any barbarians?   |
 ------------------------------|  Those people were a kind of  |
                               |          solution."           |
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Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll