(Image Source: The Telegraph)

BY MATT NOONAN

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Artists fighting with their record labels-- nothing new.

But Elvis Costello has taken it to a whole new level in his fight with Hip-O Records.

The British songwriter has advised fans to pay “Less Than Zero” for his pricey new box set, “The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook.” It costs $202.63. 

In a blog post on his web site titled “Steal This Record,” Costello writes:

“ … the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire... If you should really want to buy something special for your loved one at this time of seasonal giving, we can whole-heartedly recommend, 'Ambassador Of Jazz'... containing TEN re-mastered albums by...Louis Armstrong... Frankly, the music is vastly superior.”

Costello's promotion of Armstrong appears to be genuine, but MSNBC's Courtney Hazelett says his blog post is an accidental plug for the pricey set.

“What's funny here is that it's inadvertently great publicity for Elvis Costello. I for one didn't know he had a box set coming out, and now I sure do.” 

Tech Dirt writer Zachary Knight says Costello's objection to the box set's price shows he cares about his fans.

“Here, we have an artist connecting with fans and asking them to avoid buying. … this move shows that Costello has the best interests of his fans in mind.”

Still, Forbes contributor Daniel Nye Griffiths says the British songwriter is looking out for himself too.

“By the time the affordable version of the album came out, the songs might be spread over file sharing networks by disgruntled activists believing that they were doing so in the name of justice. Not only does the existence of this ludicrously pricy limited edition have the potential to damage Costello’s brand, it also has the potential to damage his sales.”

Pricey box sets have become common lately, and according to The Telegraph's Neil McCormick, they're surprisingly popular.

“Box sets may be the last stand for music as a physical object, the idea being to create something substantial for which dedicated fans will pay a premium price... What is interesting is that it has taken an artist to complain about the pricing of a box set. Because the fact is, fans don’t seem to be object at all.”

“The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook” will be released on December 6.

Transcript By Newsy