Current Goldmine issue #700 devotes 3 pages to BecauseSoundMatters.com and NEVER once mentions DVD-A. I calmly editied this letter over two days to channel my frustration in a hopefully constructive manner:
re: Platter Chatter
Warner/Reprise launches vinyl era
Hello,
It's certainly nice to read the hoopla over the recent announcement at BecauseSoundMatters.com, because music fans need a morale booster. But either through an oversight or editorial decision, part of the message was obscured. Here is the statement that some of us have practically memorized for the last four months:
Because Sound Matters is an on line record store that will sell all kinds of Vinyl and DVD-Audio from the Warner Bros. Records family of artists and labels. As you are probably aware there is an incredible amount of music around here...both old and new. The simple statement is, we are very lucky to be around all this amazing music and want to share.
I understand this article was written for a vinyl collector's column, but would it have been too much trouble to include just a sentence or two in italics to keep high resolution DVD-Audio fans in the know? As it stands, your article appears to be written about a site named BecauseDVDAudioDoesntMatter.com.
Is there some kind of conspiracy to keep people from knowing about DVD-A (and SACD) formats or is it just collective ignorance? We're still out here, just as devoted to our formats as the vinyl hounds because we believe in them strongly enough to keep enduring slaps in the face. At least vinyl fans got their wish with this article. Perhaps this is our Rodney Dangerfield moment; can high resolution audio get a little respect?
How many people know that there have already been high resolution versions of some of the biggest albums in music history? Beach Boys - Pet Sounds, Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD), Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms, David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (SACD), Stage & David Live, Allman Brothers - Live At Fillmore East and Eat A Peach (SACD), Roxy Music - Avalon, Billy Joel - The Stranger, complete sets of studio albums by The Doors, Moody Blues (SACD), Seal, Talking Heads, R.E.M. (Warner albums), Elton John (1/2 done in SACD), not to mention releases by Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, Alice Cooper, James Taylor, Sting, Norah Jones, Nine Inch Nails, Steely Dan, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Stone Temple Pilots, Donald Fagen, etc. [I know, save the column inches]
Let's not forget the breathtaking Love 5.1 DVD-A by some band called The Beatles. This should be a taste of exciting things to come, shouldn't it? Some artists with vision like Porcupine Tree and Bjork have even taken matters into their own hands, making sure these 5.1 mixes are available for fans. Don't you wish more artists stood up for their catalog? If the labels don't get it, they should license masters to the smaller firms who can satisfy our demand for product.
Why is it still a niche? Education through promotion comes first.
Would people buy these releases if they knew about them? Do they know that some of their DVD players either handle the high resolution tracks or support DTS / Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mixes that millions of home theatre setups are capable of playing back? People need to know that hybrid SACDs play in CD players and many DVD-A releases are bundled with a standard CD, allowing these products to provide further value with existing platforms. What are most music-related magazines doing to promote this? Not as much as we'd like to see. One incredible bright spot is the current Sound & Vision issue that declared their advance copy of the DVD-Audio version of Porcupine Trees' Fear Of A Blank Planet to be a REFERENCE quality disc a full six months before it's Sept 2007 commercial release.
Sadly, some of these titles have gone out of print lately and fetching big prices on eBay. We see BecauseSoundMatters.com as the logical solution to bring most or all of these back along with delivering mixes that we know have been completed already. Paul Simon - Graceland in 5.1 anyone? That mix has been completed for at least three years, just waiting for a release. Buying DVD-Audio from BecauseSoundMatters.com makes a lot of sense for us, eliminating all of the clueless clerks and non-supportive stocking and display of product in retail locations, lessening the frustration for hi-res surround fans.
Shame on the labels for under-promoting two competing formats and dropping support before reaching some market penetration. Shame on the retailers for not educating their people what the formats are and how to demonstrate them; Shame on the press for not educating themselves that a "DVD" doesn't always mean just some cheesy videos that will be soon forgotten about. To the contrary, the DVD-A discs provide rich repeat listening experiences.
As an 18 year Goldmine subscriber, I'm disappointed that news/reviews have missed facts about exciting surround releases. Excuse me, but the entire Genesis catalog being issued in the 5.1 surround format is a big deal indeed but there was nary a mention of that fact. Fans that have literally been waiting for years for these surround mixes to see the light of day have every right to feel slighted. It's just like walking into the music store and asking clueless clerks about an important release and getting nothing useful in return. We depend on media to get it right.
When the Cadillac commercials were blaring Led Zeppelin 5 years ago, it was the perfect time for a Led Zeppelin DVD-Audio catalog release. Can you imagine the promotional value for all concerned? This was possibly one of the greatest missed marketing opportunities ever. Several Acura models feature DVD-Audio as factory equipment; BOSE just introduced a head unit that plays DVDs, SACD and DVD-Audio so it's not exactly going away. We need new product to feed these jewels.
Labels are struggling today; what better way for them to cash in while also rewarding true music fans by mining their catalog again and releasing a steady flow of our new and old favorites in DVD-A? It's certainly no more ludicrous that doing vinyl in the 21st century, my friends. If you heard a proper DVD-Audio release you'd be in considerably less of a hurry to get that turntable out of the attic. Improved sound arrived several years ago, have an open mind and seek it out.
I request that Goldmine support high-resolution surround column as releases warrant. The hi-res surround format, whether known by DVD-A and SACD labels today, MVI or something else tomorrow, deserve proper coverage; because sound matters. Thanks for your time.
Respectfully, Tim
Friendly moderator at quadraphonic.com
Surround formats of yesterday, today and tomorrow
re: Platter Chatter
Warner/Reprise launches vinyl era
Hello,
It's certainly nice to read the hoopla over the recent announcement at BecauseSoundMatters.com, because music fans need a morale booster. But either through an oversight or editorial decision, part of the message was obscured. Here is the statement that some of us have practically memorized for the last four months:
Because Sound Matters is an on line record store that will sell all kinds of Vinyl and DVD-Audio from the Warner Bros. Records family of artists and labels. As you are probably aware there is an incredible amount of music around here...both old and new. The simple statement is, we are very lucky to be around all this amazing music and want to share.
I understand this article was written for a vinyl collector's column, but would it have been too much trouble to include just a sentence or two in italics to keep high resolution DVD-Audio fans in the know? As it stands, your article appears to be written about a site named BecauseDVDAudioDoesntMatter.com.
Is there some kind of conspiracy to keep people from knowing about DVD-A (and SACD) formats or is it just collective ignorance? We're still out here, just as devoted to our formats as the vinyl hounds because we believe in them strongly enough to keep enduring slaps in the face. At least vinyl fans got their wish with this article. Perhaps this is our Rodney Dangerfield moment; can high resolution audio get a little respect?
How many people know that there have already been high resolution versions of some of the biggest albums in music history? Beach Boys - Pet Sounds, Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (SACD), Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms, David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (SACD), Stage & David Live, Allman Brothers - Live At Fillmore East and Eat A Peach (SACD), Roxy Music - Avalon, Billy Joel - The Stranger, complete sets of studio albums by The Doors, Moody Blues (SACD), Seal, Talking Heads, R.E.M. (Warner albums), Elton John (1/2 done in SACD), not to mention releases by Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, Alice Cooper, James Taylor, Sting, Norah Jones, Nine Inch Nails, Steely Dan, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Stone Temple Pilots, Donald Fagen, etc. [I know, save the column inches]
Let's not forget the breathtaking Love 5.1 DVD-A by some band called The Beatles. This should be a taste of exciting things to come, shouldn't it? Some artists with vision like Porcupine Tree and Bjork have even taken matters into their own hands, making sure these 5.1 mixes are available for fans. Don't you wish more artists stood up for their catalog? If the labels don't get it, they should license masters to the smaller firms who can satisfy our demand for product.
Why is it still a niche? Education through promotion comes first.
Would people buy these releases if they knew about them? Do they know that some of their DVD players either handle the high resolution tracks or support DTS / Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mixes that millions of home theatre setups are capable of playing back? People need to know that hybrid SACDs play in CD players and many DVD-A releases are bundled with a standard CD, allowing these products to provide further value with existing platforms. What are most music-related magazines doing to promote this? Not as much as we'd like to see. One incredible bright spot is the current Sound & Vision issue that declared their advance copy of the DVD-Audio version of Porcupine Trees' Fear Of A Blank Planet to be a REFERENCE quality disc a full six months before it's Sept 2007 commercial release.
Sadly, some of these titles have gone out of print lately and fetching big prices on eBay. We see BecauseSoundMatters.com as the logical solution to bring most or all of these back along with delivering mixes that we know have been completed already. Paul Simon - Graceland in 5.1 anyone? That mix has been completed for at least three years, just waiting for a release. Buying DVD-Audio from BecauseSoundMatters.com makes a lot of sense for us, eliminating all of the clueless clerks and non-supportive stocking and display of product in retail locations, lessening the frustration for hi-res surround fans.
Shame on the labels for under-promoting two competing formats and dropping support before reaching some market penetration. Shame on the retailers for not educating their people what the formats are and how to demonstrate them; Shame on the press for not educating themselves that a "DVD" doesn't always mean just some cheesy videos that will be soon forgotten about. To the contrary, the DVD-A discs provide rich repeat listening experiences.
As an 18 year Goldmine subscriber, I'm disappointed that news/reviews have missed facts about exciting surround releases. Excuse me, but the entire Genesis catalog being issued in the 5.1 surround format is a big deal indeed but there was nary a mention of that fact. Fans that have literally been waiting for years for these surround mixes to see the light of day have every right to feel slighted. It's just like walking into the music store and asking clueless clerks about an important release and getting nothing useful in return. We depend on media to get it right.
When the Cadillac commercials were blaring Led Zeppelin 5 years ago, it was the perfect time for a Led Zeppelin DVD-Audio catalog release. Can you imagine the promotional value for all concerned? This was possibly one of the greatest missed marketing opportunities ever. Several Acura models feature DVD-Audio as factory equipment; BOSE just introduced a head unit that plays DVDs, SACD and DVD-Audio so it's not exactly going away. We need new product to feed these jewels.
Labels are struggling today; what better way for them to cash in while also rewarding true music fans by mining their catalog again and releasing a steady flow of our new and old favorites in DVD-A? It's certainly no more ludicrous that doing vinyl in the 21st century, my friends. If you heard a proper DVD-Audio release you'd be in considerably less of a hurry to get that turntable out of the attic. Improved sound arrived several years ago, have an open mind and seek it out.
I request that Goldmine support high-resolution surround column as releases warrant. The hi-res surround format, whether known by DVD-A and SACD labels today, MVI or something else tomorrow, deserve proper coverage; because sound matters. Thanks for your time.
Respectfully, Tim
Friendly moderator at quadraphonic.com
Surround formats of yesterday, today and tomorrow
But I tend to range far and wide in terms of formats, so as to maximize my options depending on where I am or what I find.
