Record companies defend their substitution of laser-read compact discs

Record companies defend their substitution of laser-read compact discs (CD’s) for the much less expensive traditional long-playing vinyl records in their catalogs by claiming that the audio market is ruled by consumer demand for ever-improved sound reproduction rather than by record manufacturers’ profit-motivated marketing decisions. But this claim cannot be true, because if it were true, then digital audiotape, which produces even better sound than CD’s, would be commercially available from these same record companies, but it is not.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument against the record companies’ claim?


(A) When CD’s were first introduced in the audio-reproduction market, prices were high and selection was poor. (incorrect: out of scope)
This option does not directly address the core argument about whether decisions are driven by consumer demand for quality or by the record companies' profit motives.

(B) Record companies are reluctant to attempt commercial production of digital audiotape until profits from the sales of CD’s have enabled them to recover their investments in compact-disc manufacturing technology. (the best option)
This suggests that the companies' decisions are indeed based on financial considerations (i.e., recouping investments in CD technology) rather than solely on catering to consumer demand for the best possible sound quality.

(C) Some CD’s have been so much in demand that consumers have experienced long delays in obtaining copies. (incorrect)
This actually could be interpreted as supporting the record companies' claim that their decisions are driven by consumer demand.

(D) Because CD’s work according to principles very different from those that govern conventional recordings, commercial production of CD’s requires new kinds of manufacturing technology. (incorrect)
This statement explains the technological shift required to produce CDs but does not directly address whether the shift to CDs (and the absence of a shift to DAT) is driven by consumer demand or by profit motives.

(E) Any valid comparison of CD audio reproductions to digital audiotape reproductions must be based on identical performances played back on the highest quality disc or tape player. (incorrect)
This option discusses the conditions for a fair comparison between CD and DAT sound quality but does not speak to the motivations of record companies in choosing which formats to support and market.