Cover Art Causing Album Purchase Problems

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Cover Art Causing Album Purchase Problems

By Rob on July 24, 2005 at 08:08 am

This is kind of funny.

LONDON (Reuters) - The music industry has a new scapegoat for its revenue problems: album cover art.

A big barcode splashed on the cover of an '80s compilation CD is being mistakenly scanned by retailers instead of the real barcode, giving Tears for Fears and Duran Duran fans a fat discount.

Consumers buying Sony BMG's 46-song, three-disk "Electric 80s" compilation at Tesco Plc supermarkets, for example, were only being charged 9.77 pounds instead of the listed price of 14.97 pounds, a spokeswoman for the retailer said on Friday.

Some stores pulled the CD, and a new version with a different cover was rushed out.

At the same time, singer Jack Johnson is said to be showing phantom gains in record sales as the cover art barcode sometimes rings up as his new album, "In Between Dreams."

"We became aware of the issue and like other retailers withdrew the album on Tuesday morning," the Tesco spokeswoman said.

This is the album in question.

Comments

You’d think SOMEONE would have thought of that and made the barcode “illegible”

Sphagnum on July 24, 2005 at 10:07 am

...or you could wait a week and pick it up for a buck in the discount bin with the 500 other 80’s compilations that have all the same songs. This is publicity for a lame cd.

holier than thou on July 24, 2005 at 12:08 pm

True enough—i own a third of these songs on scratched 12” lp’s in the attic. Still, i havent heard them in 10 years…

Marty on July 24, 2005 at 12:08 pm

Man, what a great compilation! I might just have to get me a copy… hopefully at the discounted price