quoted 3 lines Yeah well speaking from the point of a label owner... i'd like to have all> Yeah well speaking from the point of a label owner... i'd like to have all
> my back-catalogue in print, but as a small label with limited resources
> (read: money!) it's impossible.
To further this point, i know one particular label who went under in part due to
refusing to let their backcatalogue go out of print. Despite how big the cult of
personality is around a certain label (or artist), backcatalogue, by in large,
just collects dust (there are certainly exceptions). A label like Skam can and
does benefit from their out-of-print titles, however. The possibility of
inaccesibility heightens people's collector-esque sensibilities, which increases
sales. In addition, high profile, out-of-print backstock makes people more
interested in future releases.
All of this, of course, is not to say that you can't make a very good case for
keeping your backstock in print, if you have the money.
--Sharon
Gun Music (8/10/00)