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Originally Posted by stustaff
Ok but a print of a painting that has been done as a limited edition of 100 to push price up higher?
Books for me are also not even cultural anyway but entertainment. and much like say video games will and should be priced at a point that the market can afford.
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Limited editions are a fun idea, and certainly appeal to collectors. There are limited editions of CDs and DVDs as well that are priced at a premium, and there's a market for those things. But for those who can't afford it, there are almost always reasonably priced alternatives. If I released a music album and my label decided to only release a limited-edition, premium-priced version I'd be seriously pissed. I'm not in the market to try to squeeze dollars out of my fans. Yes I'm trying to make money, yes it's a busness, but I'm an artist because I love what I do and I want as many people to hear it as possible.
The "art vs entertainment" issue is a very interesting one. In books, movies and music you'll find examples that are solidly art, or solidly entertainment, or a blend of the two. They appeal to different tastes, of course. But the idea of pricing at "what the market can afford" is awkward for a number of reasons. First, yes books are culture, and yes they should be accessible to as many people as possible. Second: I rent movies regularly, and I buy about three a year. The ones I buy, I love, and I'm willing to pay even $30 on a blu-ray if that's what they're charging. Again, I'm assuming that cost somewhat relates to the factors I listed earlier. Books, on the other hand, I buy and then I read once. That's it. And between my wife and I, we read about 350 a year (300 her, 50 me). If the market price is set by the highest that people are willing to pay if they read say 10 books a year, then aren't we being punished for liking books as much as we do?