HMV have slashed their CD prices. The article’s author somehow manages to blame it on piracy. However, as Slashdot’s InvalidError notes:
It is really funny to read about a media outlet slashing prices to counter piracy after so many years of media outlets using piracy as an excuse for inflating prices.
Where many movies can be had for about $20, it is pretty hard to accept so many audio CDs being listed around $25. Knocking 33% off these only brings them back down to a level that seems more natural – though still on the high side.
Right now, music outlets have to compete on convenience, added value and price to generate sales and counter piracy. At ~$20 per disc, CDs look like a pretty bad proposition considering that very few of the tracks on most discs are worth listening to and getting them off iTunes/whatever would cost less than $10. Filler tracks provide practically no value and in the face of a-la-carte DRM-free music download services, the $20 price tags are simply unsustainable.
HMV is simply using piracy as an excuse to hide the real reason behind the price adjustments: the fact that download services currently offer much better value. Being honest and stating this up-front would be like promoting the online competitors.