A Re-Issue Policy Model for the Recording Industry

In the book and recording industries it is a common policy to reissue books and records in a different format, some time after their first introduction to and subsequent withdrawal from the market. As a particular book or record aims at some specific market segment there will normally be some saturation or even a decline in sales. Reissuing the same product in a different format, especially when the price is cut considerably, will overcome this saturation or open another market segment to which the product’s slightly different characteristics (and the new price) might appeal. Two typical formats with which we are dealing here are paperback books and budget label records as opposed to the original hard-cover editions or full price discs.