Starting my reissue label, it seems to finally be happening

Over the years it’s been so hard to find out any clear information on how to license material from major labels for starting a reissue label. All I’ve ever heard from people on forums or the record labels that I’ve remastered for is how expensive it is, plus how time consuming and frustrating it is dealing with the majors to get anywhere because they are too busy with bigger fish and your little project idea is of no interest. That licensing is a two-fold (at least) process to get the master rights and then figure out the publishing, and then there would be no chance for profit and it will be purely for the love of the music. OK, that’s always rung to my ears as being a little bit of BS because I don’t think labels like Cherry Red and Edsel are making no form of profit from their monthly slew of releases and do it only for the love of the music, which would be questionable anyway because of the quality issues both labels have had over the years.


In addition to the readily shared negative aspects mentioned above and the constant threats of “THE CD IS DEAD!!”, another big challenge has been to find a good contact within any of the majors who will actually respond or at least direct me to the appropriate party. I’ve even made contact with a few reissue producers (through Facebook or Linkedin) in an effort to get some possible insight or contacts, and they’ve never had the courtesy to respond. It all seemed like a dead end.


But earlier this year, I finally came across a proper contact within Sony regarding licensing and began to pursue my first release. But with all the info I’ve heard about costs and such, I thought perhaps it would go no further than getting the initial price quote. I prepared myself the say “Thank you for your time” once the numbers were given. Again, this was assumed just to be the master rights and I would still need to negotiate publishing, right? Well, to my surprise when I received the quote from Sony, it was surprisingly doable, at least from my perspective. The quote includes not only the master rights, but publishing and manufacturing is also included in the cost. I made sure to confirm this. But I think where my big money savings is coming in is because I will be doing my own artwork and remastering, both of which definitely increase the cost. In fact, I’ve inquired about getting brand new high resolution transfers of the masters to remaster from rather than use their existing sources, which I’m told will add approximately another $1000 to the initial quote. Still, I decided to move forward with it to provide a truly top notch product. I’m at the point where the title is being sent through their legal department for clearance, then I am hopefully off and running to do my first CD reissue of what I hope will be many more to come. I’ve even already put in my request for a second album to license.


But to be realistic, I may have just been lucky by starting with Sony. I’ve always heard they are easier to deal with than other majors, and seeing that they also handle the publishing side seems to indicate that. I’m also starting with a 1000 unit order, and can only hope that I’m not left with boxes of unsold stock when all is said and done. But the world is a big place with lots of people, including 1000 or more people who are interested in a well done reissue of some quirky New Wave band. The added bonus is that I already have a little fan base of my remastering work out there who have been very supportive of this little venture. If it goes well and I’m able to actually get a catalog built under my own record label, it will be a dream come true.


Scott

 

Best of luck to you!

 

Congratulations, that sounds very promising!
You've gotten your "foot in the door", through perseverance and a strong commitment to pursue your vision.

As a member of this forum, you most likely are aware of all the various expectations, perceptions of quality, complaints, anticipated standards, etc of numerous music releases - past and present - constantly discussed here.

Of course, as consumers who must constantly decide which products are worthy to purchase, we are a demanding crowd that has varied focal points and high levels of expectations for them. As customers, we reserve that right.

As knowledge of that basic tenet is key, you as "The Label" have both the responsibility and burden to attain such varied and enormous standards of quality - whether the sonic quality of the release, the artwork and graphics, the type font employed, the selection of and number of tracks, the quality of the paper and card stock, the pricing of the item, etc...

Obviously, your "target audience" is a picky breed! Just read through all the pertinent threads here!!!

Keeping all these factors - and many many more - in mind may help your release become successful. Perhaps.

Wishing you Good Luck and Success on your endeavor !!!

 

It's good to be circumspect with your info, but what's the name of your reissue label gonna be? And what types of sounds are you going to reissue?( new wave?)

 

Hope you will use SACD and as the release medium and seek out the best source material! It's all in the execution.

 

This is something I've always wanted to do, so it's encouraging to hear that it's possible. Best of luck to you!

 

Good luck!

I may be the only one who would buy a copy but reissue Modern Eon's album!

 

The label will be named the same as the credits I've had on the releases I've been involved with since 2015 (Rubellan Remasters ), Rubellan Remasters. I didn't use a 'company' name until 2015, before then I just had my name in the CD credits (Scott Davies ). I've got my label logo created and I love it! (PS: 'Rubellan' is an inside joke from 25 years ago and it's almost impossible to explain what it means.).

No plans for SACD at this time. I'm aiming at a niche market and I have to see how things sell before broadening. I do plan on trying to get a CD+DVD combo for the 4th title I'm interested in releasing, so we will see if that becomes a drama. And yes, New Wave and 80's Alt will be my focus. Booklets will not be 20 pages of extravagance, most likely 8 pages or less, considering what I have to include. I'm a big fan of including picture sleeves of singles and original LP inner sleeve repros, so that's tops on the list to start with. Remember, each embellishment adds to the cost so I need to provide a nice package with realistic expectations of sales potential vs cost of licensing/manufacture.

 

I do like and own their music so who knows...

 

Please consider reissuing David Werner's three albums. They've never been issued on CD and aren't even available in digital form on iTunes. A two-CD set could hold all three albums, plus leave room for some bonus tracks.

 

Since the door is open at Sony, consider the following:

Don Ellis and Maynard Ferguson releases. So far, other than Wounded Bird, most of their CBS/Sony stuff has never been properly remastered on CD.

 

Great news and good luck!

 

I'd like to see you tackle the band Material Issue and their unreleased/rare tracks. I believe they are through Universal though...

 

Good Luck. DVD Audio would be a good alternative to SACD.

 

Sounds exciting. Does the licensing agreement with Sony also allow you to release the albums for download (e.g. via Bandcamp)? That would potentially allow you to reach a much broader audience.

 

Congratulations and Good Luck!

 

Ditto on all the well wishes to you in this venture. I'll keep my eye out for your releases.

 

Nice to see your dream is coming through.

Please keep us posted and tell us when the release is shipping.

 

Good luck ! lots of Success.
New Wave is one of my favorite music styles
And I love cds!

 

Good luck with it all. As a fan of late 70s / early 80s post punk, early indie, new wave etc I can see myself being interested in this.

 

Any legal questions, PM me and I'll be happy to at least try to help.

 

Good luck! I'm a big fan of the genres you're dabbling in so please keep us updated!

 

In my case, no. For each format, you are requesting a license. I've only applied for CD. Though I have most of my music on my iPhone, I buy CD's as my "master" source in case anything ever happens to the digital file, and because I like the physical product for music (and always will). Now, what Sony decide to do with the finished files is their choice. Often times, a label licenses an album and the licensee pays for the masters to be transferred. The licensing label can then take those new masters and post them for sale on iTunes or even license them to someone else. For a lot of the releases I have in mind, digital files already exist but could be a decade or more old, hence why I'm looking to get new transfers. Plus, when I discovered the amount of detail a transfer recorded at 32 bit shows over a 16 bit recording, it was like looking through a newly cleaned window. Note: It's transferring the tape to 32 bit that makes the difference, and when downsampled to 16 bit (for CD), there's no audible difference. The whole 96khz or 192khz thing is a gimmick since humans don't hear above 18khz or so, but since you can 'see' signal higher than that in a spectral view, I guess it's easy to assume that it's essential data.

For a little insight into the length of this process, I applied for my first title in early May. The form I filled out requires lots of detail, including original release year, proposed release date, original catalog number, proposed track listing and timings of each track, and if bonus tracks are planned then the catalog numbers of where they originated, etc. Sony then research the title and come up with a cost based on various factors. I did check in after 3 weeks and didn't hear back, so then I waited until 6 weeks and then got the response with the cost and other details. I was asked if I was ok with the cost, which is presented as a cost per unit, i.e. $x.xx per CD x 1000 = my cost. If I approve, the title is then sent for legal clearance, which is where I'm at now. Once it clears I will be put in contact with an A&R rep who will review the vaults for available masters (i.e. check the computer database to see what's stored at Iron Mountain or elsewhere).

 

This is seriously inspiring. Reading this thread sums up why I visit this forum.

I realise you're keeping the details close to your chest, but I'm looking forward to hearing all about the release when you're ready.

Your genre is right up my alley. Reminds me somewhat of the early aughts label called Renascent which was created to reissue Comsat Angels, The Sound, and Wild Swans. What an amazing set of releases that guy put together.

And my suggestion for an artist to reissue: 4AD have been very good at taking care of their back catalogue, but one band that I dearly love that seems to be overlooked is The Wolfgang Press. If there is ever a band that needs a definitive box set released it's these. I do wonder if 4AD would outsource a project though.

Good luck to you sir!

 

I'm intrigued!