British Phonographic Institute (BPI) are telling CD Wow what they must charge for their product. Previously CD Wow charged 8.99 pounds per CD, and tended to have free postage. That often meant it was cheaper to buy from CD Wow (around AUS$20-$22) than to buy it at home.

The retailer imported cheap CDs from Asia and sold them in Western Europe. CDs are cheaper in Asia, because the music industry deploys differential pricing. Briefly, record companies charge more in Europe because they can. [...] So much for Globalisation.

Of course we all know that CDs sold at CD Wow are purchased at the Asian market wholesale price, and thus the artists of those CDs get the Asian market royalty. Much lower than if you bought an Australian / UK / USA printed version. So we're told anyway... Sell your CDs at gigs. You don't get on the charts but you get a hell of a lot more money from sales.

BPI are also probing Amazon.com for importing CDs [The Register].

Meanwhile, I highly recommend the latest stamp set from Australia Post to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, particularly the "zodiac sheetlet". I used to collect stamps with much help from Mum and Dad, now I just have a stamp collection that lives in a box. I really like these though.