The CD packaging item

Aug 30 17:13 UTC 1993

CD's themselves are packaged (for "historical" reasons) in a hard
clear plastic case called the "jewel box".  However, in the U.S.,
the jewel box was put inside a foot-long cardboard sleeve called
the "long box" for actual sale.

Record companies and record stores insisted for some time that
the long box was absolutely vital to (a) deter theft, and/or (b) to
allow enough space for advertising the disc.

At the same time, environmentalists criticized the record industry
for this gratuitous addition of millions of tons of garbage to
landfills, etc.  (Unlike the old cardboard LP packaging, everybody
throws away the longbox.)

Rumor had it that LP covers and longboxes were manufactured by the
Mafia, or by companies under their control; record companies were
supposedly terrified of offending them and thus refused to stop
making longboxes.

But the controversy raged on, and the industry acknowledged the
need to give up double packaging.  From the record company standpoint,
the thing to do was to get rid of the jewel box.  Consumers liked the
jewel box a lot, but since three or four companies control most of
the industry, they figured they could kill the jewel box.

So some of the big record companies came up with the "ecco-pac", a
cardboard package that would be essentially a longbox without the
jewel box; it would fold up into jewel box size after purchase.
They said all CD's would be packaged this way after a certain date.

Consumers were outraged.

Somewhere along the line, somebody at the big record companies
noticed that the ecco-pac, besides stirring up enormous hostility
and resentment from consumers, COST MORE than the supposedly expensive
jewel box.

The implementation of the ecco-pac was postponed indefinitely.  And
pretty soon it was announced that after April 1993 (?) all CD's would
be packaged in CD-size packaging, e.g., the jewel box inside shirnk
wrap.

The record stores were upset about the change in display size (the
longboxes had been designed to fit into LP-size bins), but they were
given enough warning to change over, etc.  There was/is a transition
period during which shrink-wrapped jewel boxes were put inside long
boxes, so that stores could display them either way.

As I understand it, the transition to shrink-wrapped jewel boxes
has not been quite as abrupt as intended, but it *is* happening.
And as I said, this is a case of common sense and environmental
sense winning out.

Practically all of the above information came from krj, who followed
this much more closely than I.  I'm sure he can post corrections and
additional information.

response 2 of 4:

Aug 30 17:48 UTC 1993

I hate the eco-pac.  Passed up buying a CD packaged that way because
of it.  
Not having a longbox was cost inhibitive to small producers (such as
a folk artist) by stores that would not display without a longbox.
This seemed to correct itself by the store having the plastic 
reuseable longbox size displayers.
Now a store with a investment in those displayers is out there 
investment, but if the see the display arrangement at BEST BUYS
                   they
They will probably see the can be dollars ahead by all the display
space the gain by only storing the jewelbox.

If new packageing was due April, 1993 you can take a look at Harmoney
House or Dearborn Records (or evenSchoolkids) and see how much stock
has NOT moved since April, 1993.  If I was a merchant, I might want
to get rid of the look of the vast unsold in my store.

The new store displays are also how I like to store my CDs.  With the 
front facing you, not the side edge facing up or out.  Not even the 
same manufactur can seem to put the spine facing the same way twice.
(I have these plastic trays, about a foot deep, that the width of the
CD just about fills.  The tray has a lid that goes on it, but not when
it's filled with CDs.).

Bought the Disney "Aladin" soundtrack after the switch was to be made
away from the paperboard longbox.  It was packaged in a plastic longbox.
I thought "another step backwards..".

A few "Point of Purchase" recycling laws would have helped the push to 
get rid of the longbox.  That is if its recycleable, return it to a 
(that is: ANY) store that sells products with that recyclable part.

Oh, yeah, if you now have trouble with that little silver tab over 
the jewel box, some "duct tape" can be used to pick up the sticky 
part lefft on the box.

Phew!

response 4 of 4:

Sep 19 21:30 UTC 1993

Coincident with the demise of the long box, the major labels shoved through
a $1 price *increase*; previous studies had indicated that eliminating
the longbox should have *saved* a dollar at the retail level.  
No doubt this is the majors soaking us all for the multimillion dollar
superstar contracts offered to the Jacksons, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones,
Madonna, etc etc.  But that's another topic...