quoted 7 lines From: AeOtaku@aol.com
>From: AeOtaku@aol.com
>Subject: Re: (idm) The Good Old Days (Quantified)
>
>Those are two of the saddest reasons I've ever heard
>not to reissue anything. CiM, I think you and I had this
>discussion before, and I brought up Underground Resistance
>and the other Detroit labels who keep everything in print.
But they don't - they keep records in print that there is demand for. There
are lots of earlier records that Submerge do not keep in print for either
lack of demand reasons, that are deleted (eg. SID releases) or that they
just don't want to re-press anymore (eg. URs _Fury_ - they replaced the
catalogue number with a new record).
quoted 3 lines It shouldn't have anything to do with money, it should have
>It shouldn't have anything to do with money, it should have
>to do with great music, and whether or not 5,000 people
>want to buy it: that's why we have pressing sizes.
Re-issues of music (I'm assuming the artist concerned is like Stasis or B12
- ie. not Aphex or whoever) in such a niche genre like IDM are not going to
sell that many copies. Okay - so lets only press 100. Thats such a small
amount for a pressing plant to handle, the unit cost is going to be high for
everything (vinyl, artwork, sleeves). This extra cost ripples through the
distributor to the shops. So then you have a high cost re-issue selling
alongside cheaper, new releases in a shop.
You were arguing that this music should get out to people who wouldn't
normally hear it - a run of 100 over-priced records is not the way to do it.
quoted 3 lines It's also
>It's also
>not like the artists have a lot to do with the record. Just
>ask them for their permission to put it out, bang, that's that.
Most of them will say no. They aren't interested in this music being
released and being associated with them anymore. Some are and still love
that style of music. Most have moved on into different areas.
And assuming they say yes - they might want a lot to do with the re-issue.
They originally chose the artwork, the tracks, the running order - its their
baby. Of course they're going to want input on how re-issues are going to be
handled. They're also probably now used to working with bigger labels and so
the first thing they are going to want is an advance.
quoted 4 lines If the Detroit labels hadn't kept things in print, think how
>If the Detroit labels hadn't kept things in print, think how
>many people out there would have never heard stuff on
>Transmat, Metroplex, UR, etc. etc. This self-nullifying
>Kafka-esque notion of letting work disappear is ridiculous.
Whatever.
Its down to the artist/label concerned. If they want to do re-issues then
great. Two points:
* Most of them don't. Flinging money at them is (unfortunately) sometimes
one way of getting them to change their mind. However...
* ...re-issues in IDM are not going to make much money. Therefore paying for
the records (and to make back all the money you threw at the artists) is
going to be tricky. If there is sufficient demand (what Submerge work to)
then its financially worthwhile. Otherwise its not.
I know you have loftier interests than financial ones but to do a record,
people need to be paid (the artist, for one). The record needs to sell.
Ethically, you'll get a warm glowy feeling from putting it out but losing a
grand and owing people money might dim the glow a bit.
A final thought: as much as I love this music, if I had enough money to do
re-issues of other artists music, I still wouldn't do it. Theres too much
good new music and new artists about. Thats more exciting to me and, I
guess, most other labels operating.
|| [CiM]
|| cim@headspacerecordings.co.uk
|| -
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