Future of Classic Records??

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by heimska, Mar 21, 2010.

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  1. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    Good for you. Fortunately for me, there weren't too many Classic Records titles on my want list. I may try to pick them up sooner rather than later, but I don't plan on paying an arm and a leg for them, and I don't plan on buying them from Acoustic Sounds. Manufactured panic indeed.
     
  2. 51nocaster

    51nocaster Senior Member

  3. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

    the higher priced vinyl gets the less I consume.
     
  4. electric man

    electric man Member

    Location:
    Minneapolis, mn
    Acoustic Sounds has the Concord pressing for $11.99 and the Classic pressing for $34.99. Labels like Classic Records should be happy we all have such disposable capital.
     
  5. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Yeah, me too. There were a good number of Classic titles that I had to say 'how often will I really listen to this'. Twenty bucks? Deal! Twenty-five? Hmm. Over thirty?! It better be a friggin' masterpiece.

    I mostly buy new and indie vinyl right now, very few expensive reissues. I just don't have the disposable scratch.

    dan c
     
  6. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Though I don't buy vinyl, but I do buy SACDs.

    And the same justification questions are popping up in my head.
    I'm buying less and less all the time.
     
  7. floweringtoilet

    floweringtoilet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Warren, RI, USA
    Yeah, I have a lot of their titles already, and it's not like I had a long "wish list" of Classic titles anyhow. If there were stuff I was holding off on, I might pull the trigger now, assuming no price gouging. But if I miss out on something, I can live with that.
     
  8. kozy814

    kozy814 Forum Resident

  9. floweringtoilet

    floweringtoilet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Warren, RI, USA
    Looking at Acoustic Sounds' website, right now 13 of their 15 "top sellers" are Classic titles. Get 'em while you can folks, you may never be able to hear Kind of Blue or Time Out again otherwise. This is your last chance FOREVER. I just bought 10 200g copies of Kind of Blue that I am going to keep sealed and have cryogenically frozen with me when I die.
     
  10. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Never heard this before.....good term :agree:
     
  11. ccarty

    ccarty Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Mississauga
    I received the email from Acoustic Sounds last night as well.
    I was (semi) shocked that they actually stated that "pricing will be based entirely on supply and demand".
    Isn't that an auction situation?
    I personally would not but a thing from them on principal alone.
    I am not going to be knowingly taken for a ride.

    I don't like to publicly bash, but I really think this is pretty outrageous.

    Won't make any difference in my life not buying from them.
     
  12. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    Me too, I'd say having bought 5 copies of "Who's next" and not getting one that was'nt noisy, warped or both might have something to do with their failure. "Quiex" vinyl 200g was their undoing, at least that is when I started having noise and warp problems. Nowadays there's maybe a handful of classic records titles I have that I dont consider mistakes. There are/were very few things in their catalog that could'nt usually be beat with a good regular pressing, Who's next was one of them.
     
  13. MikeyH

    MikeyH Stamper King

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    Living Stereo vinyl issues continued to sound very good through to the time RCA abandoned the 'pink seal' label (no-one wants the so called Gold Seal stuff, and they really are best avoided..). Right now there's some exposure on CD, and the slowly vanishing 54 SACDs. Arkivmusic lists 104 total available discs with quite a few duplicated CD/SACD.

    Classic aren't mentioned in the same breath as MM or AP in my circles, except as a cautionary example on business practices (I'll just say 'limited edition yeah right'). The mm/ap 45 series currently running is advancing the state of the art in many ways, and all the 'cross pollination' that has occurred during the series, from master tape archaeology to 'simple' changes like new power cabling for the mastering suite seems to have helped everyone involved as well as the final product (vinyl and SACDs)
     
  14. izgoblin

    izgoblin Forum Resident

    You got that right. It's their gouging that has kept me from placing any further orders with them.
     
  15. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I am a little slow to respond to this as we heard the same thing last year about the Miles Davis Prestige box.

    :shh:
     
  16. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I am a little slow to respond to this as we heard the same thing last year about the Miles Davis Prestige box.

    :shh:

    Still I'm glad I bought it. It sounds terrific.
     
  17. LeeS

    LeeS Music Fan

    Location:
    Atlanta
    MusicMatters is terrific, even reference, but implying Classic is not on the same level in terms of sound quality is a bit unfair in my experience. The Blue Notes they have done I think sound very good. No the packaging is not up to MM standards but the LPs are still terrific. Bernie and Chris Bellman are among the great mastering engineers in my view.
     
  18. butch

    butch Senior Member

    Location:
    ny
    Not buying something based on principle? I like that idea BUT Chad has the upper hand. He's been in business for years and I've talked to him many times. He's a pretty sharp guy. If the market demands this price,Chad will sell it for an exorbitant price. If people don't buy them,it will be a case of The MOFIs and The MCA Heavy Vinyl series he bought out years ago that will be filled with some bargains. BUT I'm betting that audiomaniacs will fuel this fire and Chad will be pricing accordingly.But to be brutally honest there will be those like CCarty that will stay away.......and that is a far larger number than many would think.
     
  19. Peter K

    Peter K Forum Resident

    Just boycott AS and Chad if he is going to gouge.
     
  20. ccarty

    ccarty Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Mississauga
    Certainly from a pure business standpoint it makes sense for them. After all, this is what they do (sell music).

    But on the other hand, I can't buy a product knowing that the price is inflated either artificially or as an earlier poster stated via "Manufactured panic".
     
  21. ccarty

    ccarty Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Mississauga
    For me I'm not sure I would even boycott AS and Chad on everything, but I don't buy when I know the price is not fair or certainly and obviously if I can buy elsewhere cheaper.
     
  22. floweringtoilet

    floweringtoilet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Warren, RI, USA
    I do think it is a manufactured panic, and not just by Acoustic Sounds. A lot of sellers are looking to capitalize on the current uncertainty. I don't begrudge them trying to make a buck though. Making a living selling music is no easy game. No one is being forced to buy anything. I picked up some Classic Gold CDs for cheap from Acoustic Sounds years ago when Classic closed them out. I sold a handful of them this past year on Amazon in the $100+ range. I don't think that makes me a bad person, or someone who should be boycotted.

    Acoustic Sounds is a good outfit, IMO. They offer some great stuff, package their stuff to survive Armageddon, and their customer service is good in my experience. But I'm not going to buy anything from anyone unless the price for the item is right for me. Frankly, I've only bought a handful of Classic titles since the list price went over $30...I'm not about to shell out $100+ for the same titles I've passed on for the last several years just because they might be discontinued.
     
  23. electric man

    electric man Member

    Location:
    Minneapolis, mn
    I had good luck with Acoustic Sounds but I have only purchased a few Classic Records titles. The numerous reports of quality control problems have kept me away from this label. As far as price issues, it's a hard sell convincing me to spend $55 on a pressing of the Who's Tommy, when my Polydor German pressing only cost $24 and sounds great. I have purchased numerous titles from the Rhino series, and while not cheap, all sound great and have the same good experience with Pure Pleasure. Some of the new pressings in the Rhino series were previously also pressed by Classisc Records, so the sky is defiantly not falling.
     
  24. OE3

    OE3 Senior Member

    Report from the ground

    I just got back from Classic's warehouse in Hollywood. Here is what I learned:
    • Mr. Kassem was in Hollywood last week to look at product and arrange the big move. Half of Classic's product exited California on a tractor-trailer bound for Kansas. What remains is being sorted and arranged on pallets for shipment to various outlets.
    • The person I talked to told me that this is it, buy what you can, this stuff will be gone in six months. As for future rights management and re-pressings -- not for me to comment on. But what's out there is it for now. Take your chances by waiting for re-pressings, or stock up.
    • Whatever 'happened' had to do with licensing.
    • I saw the Brubeck Time Out 45 RPM Clarity vinyl sets. Only for sale in international markets. Hmm.
    • TheMusic.com will continue, that's what I was led to believe. Probably not in the big warehouse, though. It is looking pretty empty in there.
    • I bought one of the last Beethoven Josef Krips boxes. The Royal Ballet and Gounod Faust 45 RPM Clarity sets are GONE and flew out soon after pressing.
     

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  25. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks for the report Eddie. I guess my record store guy was right.
     
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