The subject of CD production cost v sale price having been dealt with at length, I want to address Breezy's opening line: "If i pay £10 admission , or even £8 should not the artiste ask a more inviting price for their CDs e.g £5 as they will already be getting a fee?.

False argument, John, because the entrance fee is not controlled except to a small degree by the artist (may be subsidised by singers' nights or not, or by some grant etc). The organiser has -rightly - much bigger say in that. So you cannot ask the artist to modify the CD sale price based on such a premise. Neither should the artist's fee be dependent on "CD sale opportunity" (an argument that sadly I still hear from time to time). That would be a little like asking a restaurant to drop their menu prices because of the tipping opportunity (OK, I know the analogy is not brilliant, but you know what I mean). The fact is that performing and CD sales are two distinct transactions, which can influence each other up to a point, but which have no bearing on each other's underlying cost.

Unless the venue can guarantee a minimum number of CD sales (and pigs will fly).

But there are other reasons than cost affecting CD price also. Promotion, for example. As those who come to my gigs will know - because I often refer to this in my intros - my main objective is to "get the songs out", and in order to serve that objective I may keep a low price, or even give CDs away. I suspect, without knowing for certain, that AJC has a similar objective and reasoning. And I am fortunate that I do not depend on my music income, having a day job - though I still want to at least break even.

And yet, I am also aware that if I drop the price too far, too fast, I will put unbearable pressure on those who do depend on CD sales for their income. And I don't want that on my conscience.

I believe that in the next 12-24 months we will see CD sales being eclipsed (not just overtaken) by downloads, though the CD format will not disappear altogether for various reasons. If this does come to pass, then we will see truly how wrong that opening line was. But I believe something else will happen too: As recorded music (be it downloaded or whatever) becomes always cheaper and accessible, by contrast the value of live music increases. Where once artists did gigs to promote CD sales, because that was where most of their income came from, we will see people giving away music to attract people to their gigs - and gig fees will strengthen along with the increased value of live music.