No Rock And Roll Fun

OH GOD... THEY'RE REALLY DOING IT: Yes, EMI confirms new singles structure - GBP1.99 for a two-track, GBP2.99 for a version with some spurious 'extras' and GBP3.99 for releases that people might actually want to buy - 'Blockbuster' artists, as they call them. The practice of heavily discounting singles in the week of release will be ended.

EMI chairman Tony Wadsworth told industry magazine Music Week: "There is confusion among consumers about pricing. They see singles at £1.99, £2.99 and £3.99 and don't know why."

And so, to stop this happening, EMI have introduced a system whereby the consumers will see singles at, erm, 1.99, 2.99 and 3.99. But do they really think that people are so stupid they don't twig that the cheap singles are special offers? And how does ramming up the price of the best stuff actually improve the situation, while making the deal for people who buy lots of singles a sight worse (they tend to buy on the first week, when its discounted - so they'll be getting a whole load less for their 1.99?) is going to just drive sales down, isn't it?

If we didn't know better, we'd say that EMI have cooked this confusing, unattractive system up to kill the single off for once and for all.