Cd-Wow in Danger!

GuanYin

The same government who urged consumers to shop around because shops were ripping people off is now moving to have CD-Wow banned.

I don't have full details, but a move, apparently surred by music industry complaints, has been mde to have Cd-Wow and similar services banned here. It'd set a precident certainly.

I don't understand how it would effect the music industry, as surely its only the wholesale/distributor thats being bypassed and the label would still get its full whack.

Anyway, apprently RTE have a section on the 9'oclock news. So m ore details when I get em.

sunbeam

Hmm, there was nothing about this on the RTE nine o’clock news.

I vaguely remember hearing something about the British music industry taking a case against CDWOW though.

[Edit] Here's the story.

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

GuanYin

Strange.... I was told there would be...

It was on a Network two bullitin I think so I'll see where the story went.

parasite

the piece was on tv3 news, apparentl IRMA have a case against them
muppets

Ste.phen

the worst than can happen (surely) is that CD-wow woyuld have to start paying the VAT, right?

Which, really, doesnt make all that much difference, i wouldn't mind paying 21% on top of what CDwow charge, still comes to about half what HMV charge for many CDs

JTMan

Ha! IRMA are taking there first internet related lawsuit.
A similar lawsuit is been taken by BPI in the UK.

You should have heard IRMA on the radio the other day. They are old farts that went on about how they "are against sin of all types".

Given what happened to Tesco I wonder what the chances are of CD-Wow winning this.

IgnatiusJRiley

The music industry really just aren't willing to evolve in any way are they

Typedef

The same government who urged consumers to shop around because shops were ripping people off is now moving to have CD-Wow banned.

Powerful lobby groups are a strange thing.

Said groups keep the likes of the Insurance industry and the Vintners association fat and happy.

IRMA, seems to be yet another muscle group with which to beat the consumer and citizen over the head with, in terms of choice in this case, health in the case of the Vintners and the allegedly non-existant cartel that operates in the Irish insurance industry.

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

DiscoStu

http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/1127/morningireland/morningireland7a.smil

absolutley astonishing interview.

the imra guy repeatedly claimed that cd wow were only interested in "profitering", (pot calling kettle back) and likened them to pirates. good to know that imra are fighting for out right, nay DUTY to be screwed up the ass every time we buy a cd.

Sleipnir

Inundate IRMA with your views on this here

Scruff

is it just music cds or are they on about dvds and games as well?
bastards.

Cake Fiend

Sent IRMA a snotty (but eloquent enough, don't worry) mail.

Scum.

ReefBreak

Originally posted by Fungus
Ha! IRMA are taking there first internet related lawsuit.
A similar lawsuit is been taken by BPI in the UK.

You should have heard IRMA on the radio the other day. They are old farts that went on about how they "are against sin of all types".

Given what happened to Tesco I wonder what the chances are of CD-Wow winning this.

Can a change of law in Europe stop them selling CDs on-line? Unless they shut down CDWow completely, can the courts really stop me from logging on to CDWow.com.hk and buying whatever I want? Even if CDWow shut down, what's to stop another CDWow clone from starting up? The difference in this case compared to Levis v Tesco is that Tesco are a company, and they stopped the company from importing jeans. Are the courts going to stop every consumer from purchasing CDs?

-Wheeler-

Originally posted by Kananga
Inundate IRMA with your views on this here

I've done just that. Who are they to try to limit my right to spend my money where and when I please. If they were more competitive I would buy more goods from the high street. But they're not. THEY are the ones guilty of blatent profiteering...not CD-WOW, which is the charge they have levelled against them...how perverse.

I would urge others to do likewise and express your opinion to IRMA.

secret_squirrel

Im sending this email to all my mates. what do ya think?

Subject : Music Industry trying to shut Down CD-WOW (no more cheap cd's)

Hi,

Just thought Id mail you and see if you knew about what the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is trying to do to one of the best websites for buying cheap cd's, dvd's and games - WWW.CDWOW.IE . IRMA are suing cd-wow in Ireland in a bid to stop them shipping cheap cd's in from abroad, thus forcing us consumers to pay the extortionate prices of their friends in the music retail business. This is just the tip of the iceberg - it could happen all over Europe.

Well I don’t know about you but I think this stinks, if they are allowed to get away with this we will either be forced to pay rip-off prices or use software like kazaa to download music illegally. I am sending the below mail to the IRMA (info@irma.ie) or pasting it at http://www.irma.ie/contact.asp and also to my local TD and to my MEP - Can I suggest you do the same?



TO IRMA
info@irma.ie
or
paste it at :
http://www.irma.ie/contact.asp

Dear Sir/Madam

RE : IRMA actions against cd-wow.

I would just like to share my anger and outrage over the actions the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) are taking against the website www.CDWOW.ie If the IRMA are allowed to get away with this it will usher the yet another example of the consumer being ripped off.

The IRMA have seem to have forgotten that it is because of us consumers that your members make all their profits - if IRMA's members stop attempting to rip us off we wouldn't feel the need to use a website that is massively cheaper than the retail stores (and their websites).

I suggest you put your resources to better use and actually try to get your members to lower their extortionate prices - after all that would be better in the long run for Consumers, Artists and the Record Industry.

Please halt this abuse of your industry position.

If you succeed in your action against CD-WOW I shall do my best to make sure I never buy music in Ireland again.

Yours Sincerely


Secret squirrel.


To your local TD/MEP/MP

Dear Sir/Madam

RE : IRMA actions against cd-wow.

I would just like to share with you my anger and outrage over the actions the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) are taking against the website www.CDWOW.ie If the IRMA are allowed to get away with this it will usher the yet another example of the voting public being ripped off.

IRMA are suing the website www.CDWOW.ie to prevent them from selling cheap cd's to the Irish market. This is just another case of the Irish consumer being ripped off.

I would ask that you contact them and ask halt this abuse of their industry position, before it results in the Irish music buying public boycotting the music industry completely in this country. It is a case of the music industry trying to maintain an outdated monopoly at the expense of the Irish consumer. Please join your voters and help us express our anger at IRMA.

Yours sincerely


secret squirrel.

byte

Great email, secret_squirrel!

Anyone would think they were selling counterfeit CDs! God of Almighty! So even when people are buying legitimate music cheaply instead of just using file sharing networks, they're still wrong! :mad:

Capt'n Midnight

Great email, secret_squirrel!

You might want to say that the CD's are all 100% legimitate and made by the same record companies and the same artists are getting royalties and that the price here is totally artificial.

secret_squirrel

good point cap - I will

therecklessone

Here is a list of IRMA members who you may also want to contact to register your displeasure.

http://www.irma.ie/listmem.htm

I also urge people to contact our Tanaiste, the Queen of Competition herself, Mary Harney to point out the fundamentally anti-competitive measure that this is. You may want to mention the current TV advertisements which are encouraging shoppers to be vigilant when it comes to prices.

mike65

Just to re-enforce the point -

This from www.electricnews.net

Following a recent survey, Dublin's European Consumer Centre revealed in a price comparison of popular gifts that shopping on-line can be cheaper than buying from the high street. The survey was conducted on Friday 21 November. ECC Dublin compared the prices of ten CDs, five DVDs, ten books and four pieces of electrical equipment.

With regard to CDs, the survey found that the ten selected would cost EUR213.90 at Virgin, EUR187.90 at HMV and EUR128.50 at on-line retailer CD Wow (www.cdwow.com).

Full Story - http://www.electricnews.net/news.html?code=9382950

Mike.

-Wheeler-

Originally posted by secret_squirrel
Im sending this email to all my mates. what do ya think?

Good work secret_squirrel. I sent them an almost identical email earlier.

"VIVE LA RÉSISTANCE"

dazberry

Going to the IRMA website - what pops up but ...

MUSIC LOVERS ARE VICTIMS OF DISCRIMINATION

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE VAT RATES APPLIED TO SOUND RECORDINGS AND OTHER CULTURAL GOODS IS UNJUSTIFIED.

IF YOU LOVE MUSIC AND WANT TO PAY A FAIR PRICE FOR IT, SIGN THE PETITION ->.

So I went into the petition and put I LOVE CDWOW in all fields, except the email where I put I.LOVE@CDWOW. Is this childish yes (and my IP address is fixed so it can be tracked), but I can't believe these fookers are whining about VAT rates when we're being screwed wholesale by the onstreet prices of CDs (and DVDs) fullstop. I've never downloaded music off the internet (just never bothered on 56K, and I've BB now and still aren't bothered - that's just me). Do you know that I've bought 1 CD over the last 3 years (until recently when I bought 3 off cdwow), and its because I can't shake the feeling that everytime I walk into a music shop I'm getting ripped off. IRMA seem to blame everyone else, downloaders, cdwow etc., but maybe they should look a bit closer to home first. My 2 cents (and yes I work for cdwow - only joking ).

D.

dahamsta

You have to feel sorry for the genuine artists that these muppets are supposed to represent. All these "representative" organisations are doing is pushing consumers harder and harder into downloading music illegally. So-called pirates are artists' worst enemies, these tossers are.

adam

Mutant_Fruit

That is a load of bulls*it! I would gladly buy my cd's in ireland, except for the fact i can generally get them for half the price online (at cdwow). If cdwow can supply em so cheap, all the way from hongkong, why can;t irish suppliers get em at least within 5 euro of cdwow's prices?

The answer to that seems to be blatant profiteering!

irishpancake

hi there, i'm new here, but can i comment.

does anyone know what will be the effect of the action by IRMA if u purchase from cd-wow at their Hong-Kong site

http://www5.cd-wow.com.hk/

which is where i purchase, currency is HK$

or from www.play.com/ where £Sterling is the currency

where i sometimes purchase (much bigger selection and works out cheaper even after currency charges, which are 1.75% by most CC companies).

surely these are personal choices for ppl as on-line buyers.

thanks folks, let's defeat this anti-competitive reaction by the cartel music shop industry.

mike65

Nothing can stop you buying from Hong Kong unless the customs and excise ppl are going to open every package that has a non-EU stamp on it! This why the action by IRMA is ultimately pointless.

Mike.

I think IRMA's problem is that the likes of the IOL home page links to CDWOW.IE as part of their shopping section.

Thats too blatant for them.

They might not be able for logistical reasons to carry through exactly what they want but if they rid the dot ie advertising from widely used sites they are hoping probably that CDWOWS acceptable pricing policy will become less known.

They are of course ultimately fools in thinking this.

mm

ReefBreak

Originally posted by Man
They might not be able for logistical reasons to carry through exactly what they want but if they rid the dot ie advertising from widely used sites they are hoping probably that CDWOWS acceptable pricing policy will become less known.
They are of course ultimately fools in thinking this.
mm

...not to mention the publicity that the court case may generate.