There was talk of a Darin box set from Universal called "From First To Last" with all the Decca masters and as much of the released as well as unreleased Motown material they could find. Much of that was finally released on the "Go Ahead And Back Up" CD. With respect to the FSE partnership with Warner Music Group; if it is the case that it still exists it begs the question: What is WMG getting out of it?
In addition to the Pythagorean Theorem for right triangles, Pythagoras is supposed to have been the first person (in Europe, anyway) to articulate the various musical ratios created when dividing a string (or tone), i.e., 1:2 = an octave, 4:3 = a fourth, 3:2 = a fifth, etc.
It may not have been perfect, but much more comprehensive than any previous set. And I don't find myself missing any of the ommissions. Honestly, I wouldn't have even noticed if they hadn't been pointed out in forums like this one. I feel as though all of the stuff I really wanted and will listen to repeatedly is in the set. I guess I'm choosing to see the glass as half full...
So in this TRIANGLE of FSE, Ume, & WMG who sits at the apex or the summit of the triangle. If FSE is the owner of the Reprise masters and they gave them to Ume why would Ume have to pay WMG a share of the profits? On the other hand if WMG is the owner of the Reprise masters and their junior partner FSE asked them to allow Ume to combine them with Ume's Capitol recordings then of course Ume would owe WMG a share of the profits. BTW Wikipedia states that WMG is the "Parent Company" of FSE. QED
@Ronald: FSE did not GIVE the Reprise masters to UMe. As clearly stated in the opening post of this thread, and on every “Signature Sinatra” release, it was a grant of license to manufacture and distribute. My guess (in re: ownership of the Capitol catalog) is that, in return, UMG gave back to FSE some control of its Capitol masters. The involvement of WMG is on a corporate level and has nothing to do with who distributes the music. My take is that Warner provides management supervision and expertise, thereby transforming the Sinatra estate holdings from a “mom and pop” family affair. I recall Nancy stating something along those lines at the SFF back in 2013.
FSE has a right of approval when it comes to Capitol. Especially when it comes to unreleased Capitol as in the Only the Lonely deluxe set. But Ume owns Capitol. Reprise masters have to be "given" if they are to be manufactured and distributed. You "question" the ownership of Capitol. I "question" the ownership of Reprise. As of now they are all under one roof....Ume's roof.
No, I agreed above that UMe owns the Capitol masters. I’ve repeatedly stated that FSE owns the Reprise masters, which is what it says on the record labels. I’m only guessing that the agreement between the two companies involves some transfer of rights in both directions. Truce? Please.
If only Nancy had kept the SFF open, she would be able to help I’m sure. Those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end....
Bob, While I find all this information interesting, what are the chances of more vinyl reissues this year?
Based on the past two years, I would guess the chances are small. Perhaps one anniversary reissue later in the year? (I had hoped we would see those Reprise Rarities in physical format, but I guess that ship has sailed in a digital stream.)
Given FSE has the controlling interest in the Reprise era masters (and any other materials), it makes sense to license these into the larger Capitol/UMe catalogue, rather than attempt to bring Capitol over to WMG. While we'll likely never know the actual terms, you can bet that WMG is receiving some very happy 'participation points' out of the deal. The reality is that most artists now LICENSE their fully produced albums to the labels. This sets up better terms, and obviously much lower overhead for the label. If a Harry Connick or Michael Buble foots the bill on the production of their latest record -- they're in a position to own their masters outright after the initial licensing agreement period. Of course, every artist and every label will be different, but generally, this is the way things are going...particularly for non Top 40 artists. This used to be the total exception, but the record business has changed dramatically -- and so if you read the fine print on a lot of albums (like Harry's Cole Porter tribute "True Love") you'll see it's 'Connick Performances Inc' licensed to Verve Records. They're (UMe) still the ones leading promo and advertising and distribution, but they minimize their upfront investment by making the terms more about profits from *licensing and distributing* product, rather than footing the bill for ALL the above (recording sessions, contracting musicians, mixing/mastering) and having the artist on the hook for paying off those costs (which they used to do via a heavy royalty clause)
OT (not Capitol or Reprise), but keeping the fires lit that our good friend Chuck would ultimately get the label support needed to release the Columbia Rockport transfers. BlueBox.2. I know the corporate powers that be see no upside, but you can always Dream (When You're Feeling Blue).
Sinatra made Columbia successful for a full decade, and now SONY cannot even spend the money to put out a 10+ CD set that bootleggers can sell at a profit for $15.
So a question I will put out there, based on the work Giles Martin did with Revolver, what if they used that technology to create a Stereo version of Songs For Swingin Lovers as a 2 disc set, with the original mono also included for purists. I think this could be a great way to revitalise the Sinatra material and allow for at least 2 disc sets of each classic album but try this new technology to spark new interest. What do you think?
Anything, it’s crickets right now, I just wish they would complete the vinyl reissues, but 2 disc sets sound wonderful
This renewed interest for rechanneled recordings makes me very nervous. I thought we've had that. I know, DES is miles away from the old "duophonic" records, still it kills the ambience of the original recording. The MFSL SACD of SFSL is as perfect as it can get. This master should be used for all future re-issues (including replacement of the currently available CDs and downloads). The energy should better be spent on straight transfers of the albums that did not yet get that attention - basically all of the Reprise catalog and an important part of the Capitol catalog. The new transfers of the RCA stuff are also still locked somewhere in the Sony vaults.
I think if the Peter Jackson demixing / AI technology were to be used on the earlier Sinatra albums that could be really exciting. it’s just a cost / benefit calculation at this point, is there enough people willing to buy another Sinatra package in this new mix to warrant the cost of producing it? I probably have over 100 Sinatra CDs so I would probably be in target audience along most who are on this thread. But the average listener? I honestly don’t know ….
That seems like a very beneficial approach that also preserves this great music for future generations
There is a Dolby Atmos version of “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers” on Amazon and Apple. It’s an interesting mix for sure.
