Universal Ships First 10 SACDs

[bmoura]

Well, it's official. Universal Music has shipped their first 10 SACDs - they should be on store shelves on Tuesday, October 29th. Here's the press announcement from Universal Music:


Universal Music Group Releases Its First Super Audio CD Titles

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG),
the world's largest music company, today announced its first Super Audio CD
(SACD) titles to be released in the United States. Starting with the first
releases October 29, 2002, UMG plans an ongoing program to make a combination
of best-selling artists and core catalog titles available on SACD in major
regions worldwide. A substantial number of these releases will incorporate
SACD's multi-channel surround sound.

The initial UMG titles slated for release on Super Audio CD include:
-- Diana Krall - Look of Love
-- Andrea Bocelli - Ciele Di Toscana
-- Fischer / Budapest Festival Orchestra - Dvorak
-- Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic - Beethoven 9th
-- Natalie Cole - Ask a Woman
-- E.T. The 20th Anniversary Soundtrack
-- A Beautiful Mind Soundtrack
-- Muddy Waters - Folksinger
-- Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - Getz & Gilberto
-- Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis

And, in November, Universal Music Group plans to release the additional
SACDs:
-- Ryan Adams - Gold
-- Bon Jovi - Bounce
-- Diana Krall - When I Look in Your Eyes
-- Al Jarreau - All I Got
-- Quincy Jones - Ultimate Collection
-- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
-- Anne-Sophie Mutter - Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas
-- Steve Earle - Guitar Town

"By making our music available on SACD, UMG continues to bring consumers
more choice in how they enjoy music, now in a high-quality, multi-channel
format," Larry Kenswil, President, eLabs, Universal Music Group. "With its
many benefits for consumers and recording artists, Super Audio CD has the
potential to become a standard for the industry."

Other artists to release SACDs in the future include: Peter Gabriel, The
Wallflowers, Steely Dan, Three Doors Down, The Police, Marvin Gaye, Shaggy,
The Roots, and The Who.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with
wholly-owned record operations or licensees in 63 countries. Its businesses
also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest
global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Record Company,
Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music
Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Mercury Records,
Motown Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records,
and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or
distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The
Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the
industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music
Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Strategic Marketing and Commercial Affairs
(outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media
and technology division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and
communications company.

 

[timbre4]

Well, glad to see the buggers finally make a move. Is there any indication as to which SACD titles will be fabulous mult-channel surround and which titles are issued in MERE stereo?

Thanks, timbre4

 

[bmoura]

Yes, check my article on the new Universal SACDs over on High Fidelity Review at www.highfidelityreview.co...r=19990723

It shows which SACDs are Multichannel and Stereo, Hybrid and Single Layer.

In the first group of 10 releases (10/29), 7 are Multichannel. They are:
* Diana Krall - Look of Love (Verve Hybrid Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 7314-589597-2)
* Andrea Bocelli - Cieli di Toscana (Sugar/Polydor Hybrid Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 7314-589813-2)
* Natalie Cole - Ask A Woman Who Knows (Verve Hybrid Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 7314-589915-2)
* E.T.: The 20th Anniversary Soundtrack (MCA Hybrid Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 0088-112818-2)
* A Beautiful Mind Soundtrack (Decca Soundtracks Single Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 0440-018139-2)
* Ivan Fisher, Budapest Festival Orchestra - Dvorak: Slavonic Dances (Decca Classics Hybrid Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 0289-470601-2)
* Herbert Van Karajan & Berlin Philharmonic - Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (DGG Hybrid Layer Multichannel/Stereo SACD 0289-471640-2)

 

[berninahusq]

Hi Brian,

I think I'll take two of each...but first I should get a SACD player.

There were not any SACDs up to this point that I had to have until Universal released its first 10. I want all 10 of them.

SACDs were always a mystery to me. Thank you for explaining a lot of my questions in your article. It was very helpful and well written.

Thanks for your advice!

Ed

 

[bmoura]

Thanks for the compliments Ed.

I was a bit surprised that some of the other folks in the audio press who covered the Universal SACD release didn't pick up some of the more interesting aspects of the release.

To me, offering pricing below Stereo CD levels as an enticement to pick up Single Layer SACD versions of current material is an interesting move by Universal. As is their decision to test the waters by putting out SACD discs in a variety of flavors - Stereo and Multichannel/Stereo, Hybrid and Single Layer SACDs.

Clearly they are waiting to see which artists, music types, disc type (Hybrid vs Single) and audio features (Stereo Only vs. Surround/Stereo) hi rez fans respond to.

It will be interesting to see how they proceed as the sales on the October SACD releases come in. Stay tuned....

 

[timbre4]

Brian, I must also commend you on your article!

The pricing is interesting, perhaps Sony can learn from this and lower the price (and improve availability) on some of their titles.

Right now, the prices and titles available are "forcing" me to spend on DVD-A recordings. Once the Universal Music Group pop/rock machine gets cranked up, some of my dollars will be diverted there...

With the continued CD sales decline, all labels should get happening in the current Hi-Rez sweepstakes post haste.

 

[bmoura]

We'll see how long Universal's "Special Introductory Pricing" on the Single Layer SACDs last.

Certainly one test of that will be how well the discs priced at $15.98 list do.