Pricing of High Definition Downloads

In absolute terms even £18 is quite a bargain, for (say) an hour's music.  When CDs arrived in 1984 they were about £12 and (from memory) an LP was about £7.  A concert ticket at a big hall might have been about £15 or £20 then.  Now concerts are regularly £40 plus for good seats, so recorded music in relative terms is cheaper than ever.  

When I first bought LPs for around £3 that was a huge chunk of my earnings.  I'd be the first to admit that nowadays I begrudge more than a tenner for most CDs, even a new release, because there's usually a used copy lurking somewhere, or a silly promotion for £7.99 if you look hard enough.

The cost is no longer in the stamping and artwork, but in the performers pay, music copyright, hall hire, recording gear, etc.