For the third and final part of Soundcheck's series on nostalgia in music, we're exploring the business of reissues. Joining us is Amir Abdullah, label manager at Wax Poetics records, which focuses on rediscovering forgotten and obscure funk, soul and R&B albums from the 60s and 70s; and Allan Kozinn, music critic at the New York Times, about EMI's plans to reissue the Beatles' catalog in newly remastered versions, and about the classical reissues market.
Weigh in: When artists reissue an album, is it a service to fans, or simply an attempt to make more money?
Weigh in: When artists reissue an album, is it a service to fans, or simply an attempt to make more money?
Comments [6]
Allan Kozinn always offers a solid perspective.
The problem arises when labels see reissues as a cheap alternative to putting out material by new artists. It's especially a problem when Herbert Von Karajan recordings are churned out year after year but a young conductor can't get himself recorded (Alan Gilbert, cough cough)
I think it is fantastic that some of these albumns will be available again. Although of the Beatles generation I don't have any of their albumns and will immediately buy these remastered ones.
I'm really only interested in "new" reissues, such as the Death LP on Drag City. Remastered Beatles (etc.) doesn't really interest me.
So basically what is being said is this: We rushed this material to market and know it and consumers paid for it. Now we fixed the problem so what you bought before is essentially obsolete.
Sounds like a form of built-in obsolescence that the CD industry has come up with to milk the consumer both way.
I thought the only real reason for a Reissue was for the artist and production house to keep the rights to the music. Can you explain the role of reissuing in copyrighting?
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