Borders CD selection is reduced

I happened to be in the local (Champaign) Borders a week or so ago and was really shocked by the change in the layout of the CD section and the reduction in the inventory of music available.

Apparently, the CD market has really been bad the last few years, and they are reducing inventory to make room for stuff they actually sell.

Where this really hurts is local music ... unless you're doing short-run CD-R pressings, manufacturing costs make CD releases prohibitive below runs of 500-1000. That is, most manufacturers basically charge you $X for anything under 1000 copies.

So, if you're going to release a CD, you have to tie up so much money into the manufacture that it makes it that much more difficult to unload enough units to make up the cost of doing the session, paying licensing (if required), and manufacturing the CDs.

This, in turn, is complicated when you have a limited distribution model. Thus, when Borders eliminates its local music section, it's one less place to sell your CDs.

Helps to have a label, obviously.

Anyway, the folks at Borders were very nice, and were sorry they couldn't sell my last CD. Which was a nice thought.