$400-600 per LP? The Electric Recording Co. releases, already out and upcoming...*

The label's releases are Veblen goods pitched at rich East Asian collectors. SQ is likeky a secondary consideration among the target market.

 

Mugs.

 

Exactly.

 

Pete has put out some superb records on Peacefrog over 3 decades, and seems to know what he’s doing.

I don’t think anyone is being forced to buy these LPs, so I’m not sure I see a problem with what he’s trying to do with ERC?

 

He did all three: The Electric Recording Company.

 

Or, like, 25% of the way to a payment on a Sugar Cube impulse noise filter/processor that can allow you to obtain a hi-fi listening experience from all of those G/VG- LPs that you're flipping past while hunting in the stacks. The sort of records that sell for less than a dollar.

But, yes, digital contamination- sin! sin! Even worse than cleaning your stash with a metallic tea strainer. Much more purity in simply biting the bullet and buying that $465 record. It will probably remain in pristine shape for a while, maybe...handle it by the edges.

 

Wrong High End Elite Priced Title -

You guys are thinking of
“Blood On The Tracks”

 

“Audiophiles listen with their ears, not with their hearts,” Hutchison said. He added: “That’s not our game, really.”

 

I thought all silver available on planet earth was mined. Or am I missing something?

 

Chad definitely has a QC problem, plus poor customer service. I took the plunge and bought their Jimi Hendrix UHQR stereo version and found it was pressed off-center on one side, it had a pronounced edge-warp plus there was surface noise that wasn't eliminated by multiple cleanings. Bernie Grundman mastered it and it was hand pressed. It took almost a year before their CS department responded to my multiple replacement requests. I had to send the original LP back to them and they sent me a replacement which was great. I paid full bore $125. for it and had to pay for the shipping. The packaging was worth it but the record sure wasn't. Never again!

 

A fool and his money are easily parted...

 

I'm not sure that you're the one to judge this. The buyer for this is not one with a 1980s solid-state Pioneer integrated and a Kyocera turntable.

If my system, on the other hand, were to cost 6-figures or even high 5-figures, putting down $400 ($600 are for the 2 LP sets, as I understand it) for a single spectacular sounding album, of which only 300 were made, it wouldn't likely be an issue. If I had a spectacular system, I'd want the best sounding records to play on it.

It's like the $6,000,000 property on Martha's Vineyard. It's not in the average Joe's budget to even consider it, but for the extremely wealthy person, it might be worth it (It's one of the greatest places I have ever vacationed).

Besides, have YOU heard it?? I can say that programs that take out imperfections from records make them sound "perfect", but take the life out of them.

 

I never laugh out loud...but this post made me do so! And what a great thread besides!

 

I think few realize the actual costs involved in reissuing something like this. He’s licensing titles owned by other labels (read: difficult, expensive) getting original master tapes (read: difficult, expensive) getting them insured and sent out of the country to his own studio (read: difficult, expensive) this doesn’t even begin to consider the costs in materials, labor, equipment, etc.

it’s clearly a passion project. They’re not kidding when they say they’re the making the most expensive records with the smallest profit margins. They’re literally making the impossible happen. If it were feasible to mass-produce a product of this caliber for less then we’d all have plenty of them on our shelves. I’m betting that’s not the case. Props to them.

 

There are high end Italian clothing companies that sell $600 off-the-rack shirts. For $600, you can have a few custom-made shirts using the same materials and, probably, better tailoring.

At some point you are paying more for the privilege of paying more.

 

I was looking up a couple reviews of the Electric Recording Co pressing of Sonny Rollins' Way Out West and they weren't exactly glowing with respect to pressing quality: Sonny Rollins - Way Out West / User Reviews

 

Initially yes, but some silver is recycled, therefore not pristine. Electrons are offended by used silver.

Personally I insist on virgin platinum, mined (not recycled) from Montana, none of that cheap shoddy foreign stuff like you get at Walmart. Platinum is not a good conductor but it's very expensive and therefore the best.

 

I'm betting it is the case. Once youve covered the sunk costs it isnt a big deal to press more than 300 copies, whether or not you're doing it by hand. But, like artists prints of their paintings and photos, you can't justify an inflated price if you can't demonstrate exclusivity.

 

Maybe mined, first use vs. reclaimed, repurposed like coins or jewelry or whatever. What the difference would be would be lost on my ears, YMMV.

 

I get their business model...rather than recoup costs over a longer period of time, they sell less copies at a higher price and make money that way. I'd love to see their books. Not for me.

Here's a spoiler: their mastering studio can't survive on pricey reissues alone so they are cutting records for other labels as well. I bought a $20 LP recently that was cut there.

 

Heck, even a brand spanking new $30 CD would sound better....

 

(with issues)

 

THE ELECTRIC RECORDING CO. LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)

FY2018 accounts filed in October 2019 (though they don’t tell you loads...)

 

excerpt:
The next frontier for Electric Recording is rock. Hutchison recently got permission to reissue “Forever Changes,” the classic 1967 psychedelic album by the California band Love, and said that the original tape had a more unvarnished sound than most fans had heard. He expects that to be released in July
I love this album, but the price, imo is just silly when there are others already that will knock you on your ****.

 

Can we pin this thread? we've had like 5 new threads about this new topic in the last 2 hours.