The Cost Of Getting A PS3 Four Days Before Most People? $2,000
from the hope-you-played-a-lot-of-it dept
We've already pointed to some of the madness associated with people trying to get a PS3 early, but Clive Thompson has tried to put a price on it. Based on his rather informal survey of eBay pricing of PS3s over time, it was worth approximately $2,000 to people to get a PS3 four days before others. That is, the day the PS3 was released, you could buy one for about $3,000 on eBay. Within four days, the price had dropped to $1,000, and it's remained around there since. This for the machine that many are saying isn't at all worth it compared to the much cheaper (and just slightly more available) Wii. In fact, reports are now coming out that the PS3 is a lot more available from retailers than you would expect.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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They were too pricey for me out of the box. 500 bucks will get me a lotta PC upgrades and I've always been a PC gamer anyway. Don't care for the console nearly as much.
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well, and the DX10 games to go with it.
PC gaming still crushes console gaming, especially when you consider most of the best console games come out for the PC.
and don't bother mentioning cost of a gaming PC, you get what you pay for.
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The guy with who wants to sell? Or the guy who is foolish enough to buy something for 10x the price because he doesn't want to wait a couple more days.
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Not to mention a high end PC kills any console. You speak as if a PC can't connect to a plasma. (Which in case isn't the best gaming display; esp with ghosting and having to play the recharge scam. You'd think since they've been out since the late 1960s they would have fixed this recharging?)
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I would have sold it, but a quick check of ebay prices told me most were selling for around retail, so I thought it easier just to return it.
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Take that, Trebeck!
and, PC's beat consoles every time becuase the games that I played on my last computer still play on my new one. Eat it! ;)
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Would you pay $2000 for perfume?
http://www.asahi.com/photonews/TKY200612210186.html
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Dumbassery knows no bounds
The look on your face when you realise
how buggy and glitchy your new, expensive
1st run hardware is: Priceless.
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Commodity Traders
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Consoles are great. No messing about with stupid "minimum system requirements" or being nickle and dimed to death on upgrades to your system to play the latest games.
However, right now, neither of the systems are worth the cost to me. Wait until the 360 drops price, then I'll buy.
BTW, Sony. Thanks for trying to take advantage of loyal Playstation fans by forcing them to subsidize your little war with HD-DVD if they want your latest system.
I hope Blu-ray goes the way of the Laserdisc and Beta tape!
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Too bad.....
Even though there were shortages with the XBOX 360 and Wii, they put out enough to match EXPECTED demand. Sony new they were putting out far less than what consumers wanted and the result was mayhem.
Thanks Sony.
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I think its the other way around- SONY is giving the subsidy to PS3 fans by selling the PS at a loss - because they are trying to establish their HD standard. Thats a win for the consumer.... assuming that anyone really wants HD DVD.
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Re: Take that, Trebeck!
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I'm sick and tired of this
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obviously, their desire to purchase 5 ps3's is greater than yours to purchase 1. if it was, you'd be infront of them, making sure they only got 4 or 3 or 2 or 1 or ...gasp...none. but if you are more concerned about geting a ps3 on launch than taking care of other responsibilities (shool, work, family) then you have some serious issues.
what about those guys who purchase a game systesm (first in line) and take it out, open it up, and testroy it with a sledgehammer? (www.smashmy[insert console here].com they remove one console from the market. you mad at them?
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Is that one of those Sega videos?
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No respect...
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Re: No respect...
Does that include you sister?
Clearly everything isn't, it just hurts your feelings when something you want is capitalized on, but it is the American way.
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Re: Re: (greed etc.)
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Bottom line, you may have you preference, and perceived advantages of PC over a console, but that doesn't make those who play console games idiots.
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and if our troops are in a "military action" they shouldn't ahve time to paly videogames. they should be finishing up the job. oh...they should only work 8 hours...my arse. terrorists and what not don't go..ok.. it's 8:30 now. time ot be terrorists. no. they kill whenever it best suits the situation. i don't want my defenders to be like...oh wait. one more kill before we go on patrol...or wait till i finish this level before we return fire.
now, disgusted, i think your services would be benfifical over in iraq.
and let the blasting of me begin for not supporting the troops or crap like that...who's gonna be the first of many flamers?
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A. Some things can't be ported to PC's and vice versa.
B.The console is an experience for people who aren't 110% tech savy, and don't want to download countless patches, and other tweaks, and guides just to play a game. (Remember CS:S? What the hell did people have to do to make it work after it was released? Modify config files, etc...). In a console you just pop the game in and you play.
C. Wii has proved that consoles can be more than what they are now.
And last but not least, you have developers working on games which are designed for specific hardware, allowing them to dish out better looking and faster games than in most PC's.
You have to remember one thing (for anyone who mentioned DX10). DX10 is not even out yet. Secondly, it will only ship with Vista. No XP. Thirdly, you will have to wait another whole year maybe a little less for more than 1 PC game title to support DX10. For now only Crysis. But remember: Vista-DX10-Games. First convert them to Vista, than make them buy a DX10 Card (last time i checked over $500+), than give em a game.
Drop 500 on a console and game. You're set.
See the comparison? So don't compare, or even mention a PC in a market that was invented explicitly for one thing. Gaming.
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Got a $150 trade in on the old xbox and a bunch of games. Spent just $300, this at local retailer. I don't know why people paid so much more for these.
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Re:
You've obviously never met a determined PC gamer, it's called emulation.
"And last but not least, you have developers working on games which are designed for specific hardware, allowing them to dish out better looking and faster games than in most PC's."
In your dreams, have you seen a display with dual SLI hooked to a big CRT.
"DX10"
at this point doesn't matter, 9c kicks console butt.
"Drop 500 on a console and game. You're set."
For a year perhaps, the ps42 or what ever is released.
I've been running the same high end AMD / Nvidia rig for 3 years with a bump in processor to FX55 this year, looking for at least 2 more years before gutting the highly reusable LIan Li case and getting all new insides.
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Loser. (haywood)
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Reply to Dunno
It's only any benefit at all if Blu-Ray wins, and then eventually when the prices of the stand alones drop its not really a benefit at all any more.
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Radeon x1650 vs Radeon 9800
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Re: No respect...
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The sad thing here... You are gamers! Get a life.
I think it's funny to read Gamers saying "You pay $2000 for a console because your lazy.." - "If you really wanted it, it would have been first in line"
Here is a thought... A lot of people have jobs. A lot of people don't have the time to camp outside a retail store for hours on end just to buy a $600 piece of hardware made by a company how seems to have you all on a peice of string. Sony and Nintendo seem to own you.
Have fun. Get a life.
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The sad thing here... You are gamers! Get a life.
I think it's funny to read Gamers saying "You pay $2000 for a console because your lazy.." - "If you really wanted it, it would have been first in line"
Here is a thought... A lot of people have jobs. A lot of people don't have the time to camp outside a retail store for hours on end just to buy a $600 piece of hardware made by a company how seems to have you all on a peice of string. Sony and Nintendo seem to own you.
Have fun. Get a life.
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In any case, PC games, Console games what the heck is the difference? Some people are so darn insecure about purchases.
You feel guilty about dropping $300 on a video card, FINE. You feel guilty about dropping $300 on a Wii, FINE. Who cares? Yeesh. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and preferences to games and style decide your choice. There is NO reason to make these fruitless claims.
Now back to the story. I don't like profiteers. There was already a shortage for people who want a ps3 / wii. You cause an even GREATER shortage for people who want it. That's why I don't like you. Is it lawfully wrong? no. Is it capitalist nature? Yes. That doesn't detract away from the fact that it's exploitation.
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Contestants 36 and Disgusted
However, You are dead on with the keyboard courage-- he wouldn't have the courage to say that to any soldier's face-- which is no doubt why he chose to opt out of serving his country-- which is his choice. YOUR choice, is to protect his right to be ignorant and childish. Just remember that for every person who thinks anti-war means anti-soldier there are 100 who know how much servicepeople give up to do a shitty job that *has* to be done.
Personally, I find it amazing that he assumes that people in the military are awake and on duty 24/7, but that's just me. Maybe that's how engineers work-- but from the engineers I know, I doubt it. :)
The point is, let him be ungrateful-- you be a soldier. You'll get respect, and he'll get what's coming to him. (Like, exile to North Korea?) :-P
I was on a sub, and we had a PS2 and set the Madden game against itself and watched the teams that were supposed to play that day while we ate-- you'd be surprised how accurate it is.
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Re: Matt Bennett
oh, and i'm not saying console gamers are idiots. they're not. pcs DO have better games overall, but i concede there are plenty of good games for consoles that are not available for pc. however, fpsers suck ass on console for two reasons: controllability and speed. analog sticks suck ass (let's see how fast you can turn a 180 even with sensitivity set all the way up) and the games, due to lack of controllability, all move 10x slower than pc games. despite what you think, online fps hacking isn't as rampant as you make it out to be. don't think that just because someone has a 5:1 kd ratio and you can't pull that off it means they're hacking.
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sony is losing money on this console, ALOT OF MONEY,
first-you can't even buy the processor that it carries
second- high-end graphics card
third- with all the extras, this console is well worth more than 600 dollars.
if somone wants to sell a PS3 for more than they bought it for, thats fine WHO CARRRRRRRES!!!!!!!!!!
ALSO, I ALWAYS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, THEY ARE THE ONE FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOM HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.....!!!!!!!!!!!
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disgusted makes me disgusted with the military
i guess being a private citizen, i less restrictions on the like. i can be john q.public. you are the military. upright, and respectable. your response clearly shows that you aren't. 3 tours. congratulations. what do you want? a congressional medal? sorry i can't do that for you. you HAD my respect. your actions have lost that respect.
why don't i go to iraq? because i feel i'm a better asset to the country as a taxpaying citizen, rathern than a military man. my mind is more valuable to industry, than my body is to the military machine.
do downtime, yeah. it's my oppinoin that your job is to work till the mission is complete. and besides, the sooner iraq is stable, the sooner you'd be able to come home and play ps3 till your heart's content.
till that day....
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i take it the question mark means you're not sure of your own statement. it all depends on what direct x your 3 year old card supports. you may have to turn off hdr and run the game at a lower resolution (1024x768) but you can definitely run new games as long as it supports 9c.
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Re: retarded!!!
the ps3's graphics card sucks compared to a high-end pc graphics card.
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I went next door to Circuit City where people were camped out, bought a few books, and the satisfaction gained by those books was $580 cheaper and better than any $600 console.
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Smash!
what about those guys who purchase a game systesm (first in line) and take it out, open it up, and testroy it with a sledgehammer? (www.smashmy[insert console here].com they remove one console from the market. you mad at them?
I'm mad but not as mad as I am at the people that buy them just to resell them. The guys that smash them are not trying to turn a profit, they are just silly and wasting their own money.
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Re: Re:
I thought about straightening him out, you are right my trusty 6800 still runs anything thrown at it, usually without turning down or off anything. Generally I can run full screen anti-aliasing turned up.
I try to avoid arguing with idiots on the internet, They drag you down to their level and beat you up with experience.
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Re: Re:
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to Joe
if one of my controls blows in a mill, i don't say man.. it's 3am, call me at 8, when i'm on the clock. i go and fix it. i don't say, i've put in my 8 hours, i stay till it's fixed.
but then again that's my opinion.
Joe, i hold you in higher regard thand disgusted by the way you posted a response. i wish everyone could be like that. i dind't mean to "bait" dusgusted, i stated my opinoins, and i would tell them to their face.
once again, it's my (so-called) right to be a free-thinker. but nowadays, that's being looked down upon.
ohwell
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i liked it, because it just goes to show how silly people can be. OMFG you just wasted a precious console. now i won't get one, and no one will love me, and i'll never get laid....blah blah blah.
i think the last 2 would be true either way. so yeah.
when's the next smashmy*.come gonna come out?
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Re: Re: Re:
$183, could have beat that Newegg had them for $129 about a week later.
About the price of a couple of console games.
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Re: Disgusted
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Re: Re: Re: (greed etc.)
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Re: Re: No respect...
"it means that literally everything is up to the highest bidder."
Does that include you sister?
Clearly everything isn't, it just hurts your feelings when something you want is capitalized on, but it is the American way.
No she isn't but there are plenty of jerks out there that would think she it. And quite frankly what hurts my feelings is that most things in this country have now taken a back seat to money including loyalty, respect, and justice.
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Re:
However, I must take one thing away from this. You call the coward a "fat tub of lard" who has "physical and mental limitations" that would prevent him (or her) from joining the military. This may be the case. Have you thought that coward may be a top researcher in the field of AIDS or cancer? Maybe coward is developing the latest weaponry/protective devices you use while on tourh. Maybe his "mental limitaions" are that he is extreamly smart and using his knowldege to protect those soldiers who ARE on the front line? Ok, I may be going a bit too far. By making assumptions, it does look bad. IMHO, coward is some oaf who plays DnD and l ives in his parent's basement. But then again, I have no true way of knowing. It's just like me thinking that you may not be a member of the military. You might just be another fat oaf who hides behind the pretend cloak of "I am a military man" because we have no way of confirming that you are indeed a military man (or woman). I know it's hard, try and see something from this cowards eyes.
I guess my point is, you may think you have all the facts, but you don't. I know I don't. Now, please, for the love of this country start acting like the "brave, proud soldier" that you say you are.
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consoles are great for once you buy them, you don't upgread until the system needs to be upgraded. you may not get as good of graphics and what not, but you don't need to do any updates.
PCs may "nickle and dime" you for new videocards, ram, harddrives....things of that. you may also have to download patches for games, but you may also download mods for the games. something a bit easier to do than trying to mod a game on ps2. but in the end, you get better graphics, sound, more gameplay, differnt expierences. IMHO both are great choices, depending on how you play. If you like games like FPSs and MMORPGs where you need to do quick mouse movements and have many selections to make, PC is much better. if you are more for a smashem game (fighting, driving, sports, simple "mario" type games) consoles are better, as the controller fits better to the hand. just my thoughts.
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Just the facts, ma'am.
It's one thing to be calm and logical when you never had to point the business end of an M16 at anything that didn't have circles and numbers on it, not to mention the closest I got to the middle east is classified, but suffice to say I was never in real danger. It's a totally different thing to hear that you should stop using the little precious 'down' time because you have a problem to solve-- when you're spending your life away from everything you know and love to sit in a country that, most likely, doesn't even like you or want you there to begin with. Soldiers do not solve porblems, Generals/Admirals do. Soldiers do what they are told (which is why it's so hard to be in the military-- you try handing every aspect of your life over to someone that doesn't care much about you) Disgusted is put in a place and told to do a job. Don't dare put any blame on him.
The point he originally made is that the people that donated to this guy who just smashed the console could (and in my opinion, SHOULD) have instead doated that money to, at the very LEAST buy a console for someone who wouldn't otherwise get one (aka, the underprivledged or overseas deployed military) If you can truthfully (not cynically) find fault in that, then so be it. I happen to think that a console would do far more good in an orphanage/military barracks in the middle east than broken on a sidewalk outside of a bestbuy in middle America.
I am not saying that Dusgusted has the right to call names, or even that he *should*, but I can easily understand *why* he does. Think about how much flak the military gets. The base I was stationed at had protestes once a month, it easily erodes the pride and ptriotism of any solder, to see the people he or she puts their life on the line to defend saying how horrible they are. I, no doubt, would call you names, too. You try having a major aspect of your life attacked by a stranger, and see what names you call that stranger. I am not a warmonger, I do not kill (or eat) babies, but I was a member of the military, and I did what I needed to do to ensure that whomever wishes can burn my flag and spit in my face. I'd do it again, if I thought it required.
AC 34 quite obviously has never been in the military.. which is a major part of why I think everyone should spend two years in the military upon attain the age of 18. There is no job or metaphor I can think of that would help for you to understand. It's not always hard, or even dangerous, work-- but it is always draining. You *need* a way to relax and let go-- your job is so unstable that most soldiers don't even bother making new civilian friends-- even if you could find a few that understood, you'd just have to leave them in 5 years anyway.
The military, despite what #34 may think, does need brilliant minds (I am still under the Uniform Code of Military Justice so I'll not take this time to poke fun at our fearless leader) and in case you didn't know, most military people pay taxes (sans those in war zones) so you'd no doubt be a great assest in the military-- feel free to sign up.
I hope I've successfully helped you understand what was going on is Mr. Disgusted's mind-- enough that you will drop the flaming posts and thank him for raising his right hand and swearing that he'd not only die to allow you to degrade him, but he'd live and fight for it too.
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Re: No respect...
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Re: No respect...
You're right, Wholesale and Retail should be deemed unethical.
Its much better for the consumer to go directly to the manufacturer for each and every purcahse.
Can you imagine grocery shopping if you had to visit 125 different "facilities" just to feed your family for a week?
The heart of Capiltilism is the sale of convenience.
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because if we can't destroy our own property, then the terrorists win.
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Re: Re: No respect...
You're right, Wholesale and Retail should be deemed unethical.
Its much better for the consumer to go directly to the manufacturer for each and every purcahse.
Can you imagine grocery shopping if you had to visit 125 different "facilities" just to feed your family for a week?
The heart of Capiltilism is the sale of convenience.
EDIT: sorry for double post
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When you say that people have mental and physical problems ( fat or otherwise ) everyone in the US. is supporting the war even if they don't believe in it. My tax money is going to the effort as is everyone who pays taxes. People with skills make machine parts and other things you use while you are fighting the war. I don't agree with the war as we fought for our freedom from the English so should the Iraqis.
I respect the boys that are there, and pray nothing bad comes to them. Your statement about the insurgants seeing a guy smash a PS3 and believe that we are all idiots is problematic. I would rather have them see that than see how easy it is to cross into the U.S. through the wide open borders of Mexico.
You might be intelligent, I don't know. You chose to do your job in the service , you chose to protect this country. How can you call someone names and try to make fun of or degrade them when you chose to protect our freedoms? This war isn't easy on any of us, Mothers , Fathers , kids , and friends are every day learning of another death. I am sad for everyone who has lost anyone over there. I've lost a few friends and don't want to lose anymore. Be carefull,
and wish everyone a merry Christmas .
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Re: Re: Matt Bennett
If eveyone is using the same tools, it doesn't matter.
And no, I don't think everyone hacks. But I know it happens. In particular, I see it on RTS games, maphacks are pretty easy to spot in the replays.
But when you're playing Gears of War, you KNOW the enemy isn't hacking.
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Re: Re: Re: No respect...
You're right, Wholesale and Retail should be deemed unethical.
Its much better for the consumer to go directly to the manufacturer for each and every purcahse.
Can you imagine grocery shopping if you had to visit 125 different "facilities" just to feed your family for a week?
The heart of Capiltilism is the sale of convenience.
Close to what I'm saying but not quite. With your grocery store example, the grocery store actually is providing a convenience. It is saving me the trouble of driving to a facility a few hundred miles away to buy milk and then another few hundred in the other direction from my house to get cereal. However there aren't people buying up groceries and then trying to sell them at two to lord knows how many times the original price.
That grocery store is true to your statement of convenience being the heart of capitalism. Those PS3 sellers are just making themselves a middleman/woman in the equation. No real convenience for the customer. And if it was all for convenience then why increase the price so much. They do it because they can get away with it. But wait I thought they were doing as a convenience for customers unless it is worth 5x the value of a PS3 to wait in line.
Thats why people do not like the way the big record companies operate these days. They are just blocking the customer from getting music directly from the artist and not adding much convenience in this digital age versus 20 years ago when music was still very dependent on physical formats.
And the sale of convenience may have been the heart capitalism at one time but now that heart has been tainted by the desire for power and money.
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S&D
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Re: Just the facts, ma'am.
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Re: Re:
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FYI - Now available for $500
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Re: FYI - Now available for $500
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