Universal aims to raise value of CD

09:50 | Monday July 7, 2008

Buoyed by the success of expanded albums by the likes of Take That and Amy Winehouse this year, the major plans to flood the market with Deluxe Editions of brand new albums in the fourth quarter.

These will retail at a higher price than standard editions, which will also be made available, and will include additional and enhanced content specifically tailored for each individual artist.

“We are going to bring them back at Christmas and want to lead the market with it,” says Universal chairman/CEO David Joseph. His company has yet to reveal exactly which artists’ new albums will be released in this format, but its fourth-quarter schedule includes new titles from the likes of Keane, The Killers, Razorlight, Snow Patrol, U2 and Take That.

For more, see this week’s Music Week, out today.