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Forum - General Questions |
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Question
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What's the point of limited releases?
For several years now I have continued to maintain that eventually we will usher in the age where nothing should ever be "out of print". The old arguments use to be that labels printed up too many copies of a title and if it did not sell, they would be stuck storing those unsold LPs, cassettes, CDs, etc. for some times very long periods of time. The gradual switch to electronic distribution has offered an effective way to deal with that issue. Another issue has always been licensing. It will continue to be so. However, you can't convince me that the musicians' unions, studios and labels could not work this out if they truly wanted to. Having music sitting wasting away on decaying tapes with nobody being able to enjoy that music, and nobody being compensated by fans who would pay money to be able to access the music, is preferable to releasing it?
Then, frequently when the releases do happen, we get these 1000, 1200, 1500, 3000 limited number of copies releases that cause people to rush to grab a copy and cause many people to go away disappointed by then still not being able to get their hands on the music. I know the limits are placed by the studio licensing fees, but it remains annoying nonetheless.
I currently prefer a physical CD as my choice of the way to purchase music even though I do the vast majority of my listening via an iPod. However, as broadband pipes get larger, music moves further and further towards all-electronic distribution. The reality of moving full, lossless, WAV (or whatever) quality files around electronically continues to be within sight of current technology. Much like many magazines, books, and yes music and even movies and TV shows, have moved to electronic distribution, I think it is only a matter of time till CDs go the way of the 78 and 8 track.
Once we're on mostly electronic distribution, the argument of having to store a bunch of unsold, out of print, physical discs goes away. Then it simply becomes about the money. When will the powers that be come to realize that there is a market for stuff they have rotting in vaults and releasing it will contribute to their bottom lines?
So I ask again, what's the point of limited releases?
Thanks.
A.
akwarner, March 31, 2009; 11:50 AM
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Answers
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Well, I'm probably preaching to the choir, but one point of limiting a soundtrack edition to just 1000 copies is that it allows a label to create a panic that makes collectors buy something regardless of its intrinsic value (or before they have a chance to really check if the music is worth buying), just because it is likely to sell out fast.
Take DELTA FORCE which is a really awful soundtrack CD - I doubt it would have sold out had Intrada not announced the number of copies they released. In other words: If the limitation was unknown, they might not even sell 300 copies. It's a mechanism common to market economics.
handstand, March 31, 2009; 3:42 PM
It mainly has to do with re-use fees. Because of those fees, if you release a score in a limited amount it reduses the fees, making the score release financially feasible.
The amount pressed is decided on by two factors: what ever the contract with the studio secifies, or if not specified, how ever many the label thinks might sell.
And finally, label repuation and what scores release affect the demand as well. FSM releases a bunch of older scores which don't appeal to today's newer fans and as a result they got a lot of unsold limited editions. Intrada constantly releases stuff people have been wanting, and as a result they have had a lto of sell out. Varese Sarabande Club is on the middle ground and they release LPs on CD at 1,000 forcing a person to buy NOW and decide later, 'cause it won't be there two days later.
So, to recap, without limited editions, fees would have been too high to release a ton of good scores.
tharpdevenport, March 31, 2009; 5:17 PM
Varese Sarabande Clue
Soundtrack they get sold out fast like
Die Hard
Karate Kid 1-4
Ghostbusters
Nightwings
Runaway: The Deluxe Edition
Predator
Commando
Bughunt34, April 1, 2009; 4:56 AM
When it comes to limited editions, I cannot but applaud Intrada and Varese for the hype they
managed to kick off. There's many other labels who do not yell about the very limited
quantity of their releases and - surprise, surprise! - these sometimes do not sell at all. Take
MovieScore Media and their usual run of 500 copies - each and every one is still available. And
what exciting scores they have on offer!
Another nice example is Harkit. Their release of Klute was extremely limited - 700 copies -
and nobody ever mentioned it.
On the other hand, Lionsgate is following a new business tactic, by offering scores as CD-Rs
on demand only and distributing them exclusively via Amazon.com.
coma, April 1, 2009; 4:58 PM
Hakrit is bootlegs, and MovieScoreMedia doesn't release scores that could ever sell a 1,000 copies.
tharpdevenport, April 1, 2009; 10:04 PM
If CDs go away like the 78's and 8 Tracks then I will be done with music cause I refuse to download. I want the physical format or the label can stick it up their whyzoo!
aclockwork_oranges71, April 2, 2009; 5:01 AM
"Hakrit is bootlegs, and MovieScoreMedia doesn't release scores that could ever sell a 1,000
copies."
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but the topic was "limited releases" and not "limited brain capacity".
coma, April 2, 2009; 6:32 AM
Overall I think you have a good point. I also never download music from any source (including
iTunes), I listen almost exclusively to my iPod for convenience and I buy everything I want on
CD. I like the idea of having the back-up disc with the best possible soundquality and the
booklet with information and artwork. It's something physical I want sitting on a shelf.
However it's not always disastrous when you miss out on a release. Often you will find the
item on eBay, Amazon marketplace, Intrada, GEMM or SAE for almost the release-price (but
sometimes you must be patient, or try several times on eBay). Just two examples I stumbled
across this week;
An Almost Perfect Affair (Delerue) Varese Club 2006 1000 copies USD 24.95 SAE
Top Secret (Jarre) Varese Club 1000 copies USD 21.95 SAE
That last title I bought last year on eBay for slightly less. I missed out on the 2007 Varese
Club title Anne of the Indies (Waxman) 1000 copies. I bought it a year later on eBay for only
a fraction more than the original price from a guy in Brazil on eBay. Many people buy extra
copies of these limited CD's to make a profit later on. So many do this in fact that it backfires,
they sell for around the same price, the small profit-margin is lost since they had to pay
shipping costs to get these titles. Serves them right! I don't think these releases are meant
for speculation. I think worldwide the number of collectors wanting to buy a Waxman release
may be around a 1000, so it's no use pressing 3000 copies. A 3000 copies release isn't really
a limited release, as only blockbuster soundtracks (say Star Wars or Lord of the Rings) will sell
more. A typical unlimited soundtrack release is about 3000 copies (or so I understood from
Luc van de Ven from Prometheus). Very rarely are more copies pressed. The point of limited
releases is probably just sound economics. Nobody wants to release 3000 copies, sell 1000
and sit on 2000 that are eventually dumped in a stock-clearing sale.
chris, April 2, 2009; 9:37 AM
coma, why donm't you go ahead and e-mail Lukas@FilmScoreMonthly.com and ask him about "Klute".
And that's jsut one title. Maybe some of their newer stuff is legit (maybe), but we dont' need to support a shifty label who lies, and even started contact posters to threaten them when they pointed out they relese bootlegs. That's bad business, and just bad people.
Also, point out any title from MSM that could sell 1,000 copies. Not saying they are all bad scores, but ... they aren't hot sellers.
You may need to check your mental capacity.
tharpdevenport, April 3, 2009; 3:22 AM
The Legend Of Butch & Sundance would have sold easily over 3000 copies if they would have been allowed to publish that many and Harkit is by all means not a bootleg label. It is neither polite nor kind to spread false rumours about any individual or label.
baalgehenna, May 22, 2009; 6:09 PM
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