BetaNews – Record label Universal plans to refresh its compact disc offerings by offering three different types of packaging in Europe. The simplest packaging would come in a cardboard sleeve intended to compete with online sales, while the deluxe version would come with additional content, such as video.

I don’t even know where to begin with this stuff. As a FRUSTRATED CD consumer, all I can manage to put into words is that these idiots are completely missing the point. CD’s are dying for more reasons than online sales. It’s a snowball effect, one which the labels and retailers are more responsible for than any other. If I could actually walk into Best Buy and FIND the CD I wanted, well that would be an achievement. Distribution for CD’s has gone through the floor. Is it any wonder sales have slowed? I will support CD until the end. As long as there is DRM crap all over digital content, I will support CD. Heck, even just for packaging and archival reasons, I’ll support CD. Thank goodness that the main film score labels are still fully supporting CD as a format (though Varese has begun to worry me, with a few online-only exclusives – which pisses me off to no end).