The Mosaic thread: news and opinions

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by J.A.W., Apr 26, 2017.

  1. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    There's not that much money required to create many of those Classical mega boxes; the material is already there and for many boxes existing masterings are used, so the CDs themselves and the packaging are the only expense.
     
    Mr Bass and Imagine70 like this.
  2. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    That Mobley set is a strange case. It was released in 1998 and since all licenses for Mosaic sets expire after a limited period of time, even if the sets aren't sold out, I guess it should have been OOP for years now. Maybe its time is up now, though I do hope you will be getting a copy, it's more than worth it.
     
    Marzz likes this.
  3. sberger

    sberger Dream Baby Dream

  4. Mr. H

    Mr. H Forum Resident

    No hyperbole at all. They do great justice to a great art form.
     
  5. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    The other thing about the classical boxes is that publishing royalties are typically very low or zero, since the majority of the classical canon is in the public domain.
     
    DrJ and ubertrout like this.
  6. Andersoncouncil

    Andersoncouncil Forum Resident

    Location:
    upstate NY
    I agree that most of Mosaic's problems may be due to a dying customer base.

    Maybe they could start licensing some fusion stuff from the 70's? I know they did this with some great Mosaic Select sets, but it would be really great if they could work with a label like CTI to compile some complete artist sets on the label.
     
  7. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I just ordered three sets. Thanks for the tip. I'm not sure how many I have...at least 60 or 70. I have been with them from the very first Monk LP set, but dropped out when they started more hard bop that I already owned. Bought all the Commodores on release.

    Most jazz customers these days have virtually no interest in the giants who created the style. It is all post 1960 stuff for them (pretty much), or $50 per vinyl record new pressings.
     
  8. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    Though the licences allow a certain number of copies (say 5,000), Mosaic does not press all 5,000 in the first run.

    I have a feeling that some sets never had complete runs up to the maximum allowed number. Economic decisions were made to stop (I believe this was the case with Box #3 of the Commodore LPs).

    I am guessing that the Earl Hines Box did not have the complete 5,000 run, and a decision was made to stop. I'll see when I get my copy, one of the last.
     
  9. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    How many of us remember wishing we had bought a set when it was new?
     
    melstapler likes this.
  10. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I loaned a rare set to a friend. While he was enjoying it, his wife threw the book out in the garbage with the Sunday newspaper. What could I do? His wife now cleans my house every Sunday.
     
    DrJ and melstapler like this.
  11. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    Here is a dream set:

    Mosaic remasters the complete Duke Ellington Victor recordings, properly!
     
    dajokr, Dave Garrett, mw1917 and 6 others like this.
  12. Hamhead

    Hamhead The Bear From Delaware

    I remember talking to Charlie Lourie ages ago and he told me "half of the units of each Mosaic set goes to Japan."

    Me thinks either the Japanese fanbase are dying off, or the simple CD's pressed in the US are not up to Japanese DSD, SHM, SACD, Blu Spec standards.

    I'm still interested in the Ahmad Jamal set.
     
  13. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    Well that last part wasn't entirely true, but she offered to.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  14. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I would say what really happened is most of their sets are out of print, and it is harder to get licences for sets that would draw a market share. It isn't just the audience is going away...the entire box set industry (except for classical) is going away. Look at Bear Family. Their production has dropped off dramatically
     
  15. Mr. H

    Mr. H Forum Resident

    What are you waiting for?
     
    Marzz likes this.
  16. jay.dee

    jay.dee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    I do not know about their recent production levels, but it did not prevent them from kicking off a magnificent series of jazz vault releases, predominantly live, including multi-disc boxes documenting German jazz festivals of the 60s and 70s.

    BE! Records | Distribution | more sections | Bear Family Records

    These boxsets are of Mosaic's size and price, however aesthetically they could not be more different; they simply look gorgeous! And there is no awkward scattering of individual shows to reduce the number of CDs.

    Still what counts the most for me is the music content and here I get what I am looking for - unreleased live recordings of more and less known postwar jazz artists. Thus in result for the last few months I have bought more Bear Family releases than I did from Mosaic for a decade.

    Couldn't Mosaic try to expand their repertoire policies to attract folks like me too?
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2017
    Marzz likes this.
  17. kagan

    kagan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    #1709 for a Hines purchased about 2 months ago when it went "running low".

    From the article I cited before:
    "Typically, Mosaic negotiates reissue licenses with major labels reissue licenses defined by both time and sales numbers; usually, the first condition to expire is how long Mosaic can possess, reproduce, and sell the recordings"
    The Survivalists: Mosaic and Newvelle Records
     
  18. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    The licenses of some sets expired before they sold out.
     
    DrJ likes this.
  19. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I have a feeling that licensing issues are what is killing companies like Mosaic. Both the cost issues and the ability to get the owners to grant a license in the first place (especially for worldwide sales, which are so essential). Licensing is certainly affecting the Bear Family reissue company. The major corporate owners want to retain all rights.
     
    Campbell Saddler and DrJ like this.
  20. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    Horses for courses I guess but I find that I prefer the presentation of most Mosaics to Bear Fanily stuff which often looks kind of amateurish. Not to slag Bear Family as they have put out many great sets but I think Mosaic has a more professional presentation.
     
    macdaddysinfo, sberger and J.A.W. like this.
  21. jay.dee

    jay.dee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    There is no accounting for taste, so everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. :)

    Personally the only thing I prefer in Mosaic's presentation is the (textual) content of their booklets and that the discs come in separate cases, alas with a generic dreadful artwork, so you can put them on a CD shelf out of the box. Other than that, Bear Family win hands down IMO! :)

     
  22. alankin1

    alankin1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philly
    I understand your point, but I believe that Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Denny Zeitlin, Dave Liebman, Cecil Taylor, Wayne Shorter, Quincy Jones, Randy Weston, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabackin, Bobby Bradford, Charles Tolliver, Charles Lloyd and Ahmad Jamal are all still alive. And many others were alive when Mosaic issued their sets over the last three decades or so, but have passed away since.
     
  23. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict Thread Starter

    Except that this thread is not meant as a contest between Mosaic and Bear Family... :)
     
  24. jay.dee

    jay.dee Forum Resident

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    Indeed, the design considerations (and comparisons) are a secondary subject (which may have an influence on their business nonetheless).

    The most important part is the music and here I would be delighted to see them deliver some live material of many (postwar) artists whose studio recordings they have covered so extensively so far. Otherwise I'll keep sticking to Resonance and Uptown releases.
     
    DrJ likes this.
  25. bluesbro

    bluesbro Forum Hall of Shame

    Location:
    DC
    Why the thread title says 'final sale'? Is there a sale going on?
     

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