Why aren't we seeing a massive SACD release of the Sony group catalogue?

While I realize there are limitations to the pressing facilities for SACD I can't understand why the Sony/Phillips/Universal group hasn't at least announced a somewhat massive introduction of all their major artists' catalogues on SACD. They want to sell the software, they want to sell the hardware, what's going on? You would think they would be attacking this thing "full steam ahead".

Another thing, if you access the major labels that are supposed to be backing SACD you really have to delve deep to find any mention of (sacd) product if indeed you find any at all. IMHO a very strange way to market a new technology.

 

I can't understand why Sony especially hasn't brought out the "big guns". Namely, Pink Floyd, Springsteen, multiple titles from Bob Dylan, maybe a few current releases.

 

I think they're still scratching their heads a bit. Maybe they want to wait until an "x" amount of players are sold (especially SACD capable DVD players) before they start rolling out the top-shelf acts/masterpieces. Would you want to beat a marketing drum that Pink Floyd SACD catalog is coming out for a small crowd or a mucho crowd? If they were released now for the "x" number of SACD player owners what would they do a year from now (or at least before Chritsmas) have a campaign like "Pink Floyd on SACD!! Well, we released it a year ago but now that you... Ah, now that you have a player, err, you can buy them too!! Yippeeeee!!"

I think the key thing to do is hybrids. Let people use them as regular CD's and when they put two and two together that they own something that they should maybe get better enjoyment out of (SACD layer), get a player. "Gee, Martha? So many of tehm CD's say S-CAD/Hi-REZ option. Maybe we should git one of 'dem Super Atari seedy play-ours?! Hmmmm? I saw (Obi) wan wid that looogo on one of dem BVD playouts" Hmmm?" Letting a person have the software is almost half the battle won...
Todd

 

>>>>Why? Because they are SCARED.

After all, even if they do Hybrids, thats no guarantee anybody is gonna rush out to buy these titles, remaster or no remaster.

On top of that, since what they are really selling is the SACD layer, everybody would have to go out and buy a new player. Most people just dont wanna do that for the small increase in sound quality.

So, they will wait until demand is REALLY pent up (which may be never)
for whatever format wins the war, THEN start mass issuing titles.

Oh, and buy the way, anyone who thinks that SONY is "married" to SACD is dead wrong. I've talked to High Level marketing guys at SONY (my cousin sells SONY video tape) who all say that whatever the MARKET goes is what they will push. They learned their lesson with BETA, both guys said!!

 

I suppose it's the same reason they release four remastered titles of an artists twelve-album catalogue, then stop

 

I think the lack of titles has something to do with labels having to negotiate with the artists to release catalog albums on SACD, just as they had to do when CD was new. Most artist have at least some control over their catalog, and some artists (Bruce Springsteen,for example) have complete control over when and how their albums are reissued. This would include new formats as well.

 

I think it has to do with the need to renegotiate each artist's contract to provide for release on this new medium. The same thing happened with CDs in the '80s. As I recall, a number of artists were convinced to lower their CD royalties in order to help introduce the format, only to regret having done so in later years. I'll bet that the big boys are standing pat until we see if SACD or DVD-A (or neither) prevails.
Or, it could be a huge international conspiracy to bring back vinyl.

 

>>>>it all reminds me of when Cds came out.

I'm an oldies fan, and for MONTHS after the first Cds came out, there were like NO oldies titles available!! I couldnt believe it. I had to buy stuff I really didnt love , but I bought them to have something to play. It wasnt till about 3 years afterards that there was a flood of titles. Around 1985-6 a whole lot of oldies title came out, Turtles, Association, Ventures, Hermits,ect. I remember one Tuesday at Tower Records when, suddenly, there were more title available than I could afford!! The week before, nothing.

So, I kinda think it will be a similar thing with SACD/DVD-A.

 

CT Dave, you're a genius. Your message was posted while I was typing mine.
Back to work.

 

The Hybrids are kind of a double edge sword. At least if sacd dies out you can still play the cd on a standard player, but that is sure a pessimistic look at things. The other important thing is that the players become competitive which they have like the Sony 500 for under $200 now. they just need to get these players in the peoples hands.

All we can do is continue buying SACDs.

I wonder if emailing companies like Sony asking when (for instance) an SACD of Springsteen's The Rising is coming out and casually mention your holding off buying this release until it does because you just love the SACD format. You put it to them in dollars and cents and you might start a different thought process namely they are loosing some potential buyer by not having Sacd. Instead now they think hold the release and then if SACD takes off we can sell it to them again.

 

As has been pointed out, production lines are limited at the moment, with nothing operating in North America until this coming fall. The production lines in Germany are reportedly taking up most of their capabilities on the Stones--5 months worth of churning out discs.

So, if indeed there was a demand to buy 50 million discs, 100 million discs, or whatever, it could not be met by current factories. But more lines will be opened soon.

SACD, even SACD hybrids, are not going to sweep out all CDs like CDs quickly did with LPs. Nor is it necessary to change overnight. Sony is in this for the long haul.

 

Here in the US Best Buy (at least in Madison Wisconsin) has the SACDs for $16.99 while a current release cd may be $15.99 if it isnt on sale. I dont know if hybrids are more I havent seen any (I'm new to SACD too) that price difference isnt too bad unless you look at the fact that most of the SACD titles are not the ones that go for $15.99 but more in the realm of $10.99 or so like "Kind of Blue" What they need is the heavy hitters the stones will help out on that Im sure before too long I'll own everything (except for Got Live if you Want It and maybe the greatest hits packages that dont have anything unique on them) My order is in for six discs (if I count the singles collection as 3 discs)

Hey Gary how do you like your new sacd player ? What titles you got?

 

While I might agree with some of the other things that you have said the above just ain't so. A good SACD is no small increase in sound quality. The improvement is far more than the incremental things we have seen from CD re-masters and improved DACs. There is a "presence" as well as deliniation and definition just not available on regular CD. Some of you out here might not want to hear that but that's not going to change the fact that it's so. I wouldn't have believed it myself before I got my player but now I've turned into a "raving lunatic SACD buying machine". Maybe through denial others might prevent it from happening, so be it, but it still won't change the facts.

 

A major problem with SCAD, as well as DVD-A, is one of bad timing. The introduction of this new technology has coincided with declining sales throughout the music industry. All the labels are having trouble enough selling CDs. Those who work in the music industry across the board, from the recording companies to the retail level, are worried enough with whether or not they can keep their job without having to worry about promoting a new technology. If they can't sell products to the masses of CD consumers, how are they going to deal with what is still a small niche of consumers interested in SCAD and DVD-A. Complicating the matter further is the fact that there are two competing forms of this new technology battling to capture a still limited number of consumers.

 

Whoops -- I guess you may be wondering if it was confusion or just a Freudian slip that caused me to refer to the elusive SACD as SCAD.

 

All of Pink Floyd's titles through "The Wall" are now controlled by EMI-Capitol in the USA, just as they are controlled by EMI worldwide. Unless you really want "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" and later releases on SACD, Floyd's material is now in the DVD-A camp.

 

Agreed

Yes and no. exactly my attitude before getting involved. SACD does something that brings out attributes you don't expect from the masters unless you were to hear them first hand. Sure in some cases the improvement might only be small but , just when you think that the preceding CD was so great it could'nt be improved much the SACD sound "blows your socks off".

Wait and see maybe your right but then again....

Well if that's the case they've hooked me. I have a sneaking suspicion though that something you think might not offer any room for improvement due to older masters, if they were recorded properly originally, might be a huge surprise.

I just wish I could hear Patsy Cline on SACD, I think it would be absolutely crazy and I'd fall to pieces.

 

Gary
I just read on old post where you say "Thats is DVD-A for me" because you were a big Neil Young fan. I guess you decided against that format too (as I another Neil Young fan did).
There was a player that did dvd-a , sacd and dvd but I heard it was a bit cheaply built Im happy with my sony np500 sacd and dvd player I picked up new for $150.

 

Floyd,

Just had to say hi to a fellow cheesehead! I make my weekly stop at Best Buy (East Side Madison) and have picked up many of the Telarc sacds, these are a bargan at 15.99. I much perfer the hybrids over sony's single layer since I can also enjoy the disks in the car etc. I'm hoping that Best Buy will continue to expand their Telarc selection, I'll keep checking.

btw.. listening to Nice N Easy Celebrating Sinatra right now...sounds great...never thought I'd get into this kind of music (recovering metalhead)!

 

Re: Re: Why aren't we seeing a massive SACD release of the Sony group catalogue?

\
You got THAT right!

 

Mainstream record labels need to be able to turn on a dime and rapidly press hundreds of thousands of copies. There probably isn't enough hybrid SACD manufacturing capacity available yet to do this. I think I just read that the Rolling Stones just tied up every plant in the world for a couple months which indicates that it simply isn't there yet. I haven't the slightest doubt that Sony and Universal plan to move everything to hybrid SACD just as soon as it's feasible.

 

Actually there is a Multichannel SACD of Bruce Springsteen "Live in New York City". Came out recently - is now in stock at Best Buy, Fry's, Tower, etc.