It’s safe to say that music record companies blame the Internet and free downloading as the main reason for the decline in CD sales.

But (good) music does sell if it’s in the right format or offer.

Similar to most people I like music and I’m even willing to pay for it. Even though not everyone is willing to pay for a CD most people are willing to pay for music in some other way. Why else do people still buy tickets to see their favourite musicians live for example? Why else do people still pay for a t-shirt from their favourite band or do companies sponsor bands?

The business model of music has changed and CDs areis no longer the main income for musicians anymore. That doesn’t mean that buying a CD is dead yet and there are some cases where it in fact is very appealing to get the original CD – if in the right format.

Recently a few new but also classic albums were (re)released in a special packaging which I simply couldn’t resist. When I unpacked the boxes I wondered why there aren’t more releases like these.

One of the special edition box sets is an oldie namely U2′s Joshua Tree. Originally the Joshua Tree was released mid 80s but in 2007 a limited edition box set was released along with a regular remastered version of the original album. For the same price as the original regular CD sold years back, this time I got a very nice box.

The box of course contains the CD itself with a remastered sound, a second CD containing b-sides and other rarities and a DVD with live performances. Also included is a hardcover booklet with texts about the recording of the CD and new photos from the band by famous music photographer Anton Corbijn. Finally a set of postcards, again featuring photos by Corbijn, is also included in a nice envelope.

One could of course question what use it has to spend money on a band that last year alone already made $ 130 million. Let me ask a question in return, even though Unilever, P&G, Nestlé, Sony, Apple etc. are making billions per year does it stop you from buying their products?

This deluxe box of U2′s Joshua Tree is a perfect example how record labels should still try to sell CDs if they make something special of it. A regular CD offers little added value in comparison to a free download. A (limited) boxed set like this however is much more appealing.