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Re: 5 CD set



ckt@best.com (Chris Thomas) wrote:

>>But, the more obscure and defined you get, the less you sell.  A 5-CD
>>live Who retrospective would have a hard time outselling Tom Petty's
>>6-disc monster.
>
>Bull Shit.  ***Properly marketed*** and properly mixed & mastered,
>a live Who box set could blow the doors off Tom Petty's relatively
>lame box set.  (I feel secure in saying this because I'm a strong fan
>of both groups (and dozens of others)).

I only used Tom Petty as an example, because Petty is a very popular 
artist who released what many observers would agree to be bloated boxed set
(too much product).

Still, Petty's box will be bought by quite a few "casual" Tom Petty fans 
(though certainly not as many who would have purchased a 4-disc box).

But very few "casual Who fans" will bother to pony up $$$ to purchase a 
5-disc live Who retrospective.  Firstly, live albums don't sell well.  
Secondly, many songs on this box will be duplicated.  Thirdly, the box 
will be competing against several other Who compilations ("Join 
Together," "Maximum R&B," even "Who's Last" and "Live At Leeds").

And look at "Maximum R&B"-- I felt a bit 'shorted' by that box.  I mean, 
for a band that has 30 years of recordings, you'd think there'd be more 
stuff.  Disc 4 is almost a complete waste.  There's, what, 8 songs 
representing 1979-1994??  But MCA obviously felt that anything more than 
4-discs would scare off the Christmas shoppers.

Anyway, I guess my point is... wait a minute, do I have a point?  How 
about this:
  1. MCA (or any record company) isn't thrilled about the idea of 
     assembling a 5-CD live Who box
  2. In anticipation of low sales, the record company would probably 
     market the box with a hefty price tag-- $75 retail-- which would 
     scare off all but the hardcore Who fans
  3. MCA would be better off sub-contracting the box to an independent
     record label, which could devote more time and $$$ to the project.
     Also, a smaller label would be more interested in the fans' opinions.

Just me rambling again...

Later,

Scott
(swandwn@agora.rdrop.com)