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Hi Y'all, Some comments for the Hi-Rez crew from moi:
Believe it or not, there are some people at Sony Music who care about quality SACD releases. But let's remember, it's a really big company. The SACD department is a small one. It's true if we call Sony and the receptionist on the other end doesn't know what an SACD is or how to order one, it can be a pisser, but it's not the end of the world as we know it. I know some of you who call DCC Compact Classics and don't have your questions fully answered get ticked as well. Record companies have always been uneasy about dealing with the general public on a one to one basis. Try calling up Universal Studios sometime and tell them you liked The Grinch. The operator will say "thanks" and hang up on you. Such is life.
Regarding licensing, it's never easy. Sony is actually easier to deal with than some other companies. It's just a question of politics and money, like everywhere else. DCC has three SACD titles cleared by Sony at the moment with more on the way. Trying to find the right tapes is always an adventure, and if you want to read some of 'em, visit the DCC Forum at www.dcccompactclassics.com for thrills and chills! David R. is better able on this site to express the troubles, pitfalls and eventual joy, in licensing and releasing great product. I, on the other hand, have to live it 24/7 so it is sometimes harder for me to see a light at the end of this tunnel. I think (and hope) that the major record companies of the World (and movie studios as well), have discovered that it is wise to safeguard their back catalog as best as they can. Nonetheless, there could be fifty master mix reels for every new compact disc on a major label. If 20 new discs are released a month at, let's say, Sony Music, wow, does that add up fast. They just can't save everything. Piles of tapes would be forced into the ocean! That being said, there is a lot of good stuff waiting to be mined. I'm never been a very happy red tape cutter. (Hey, I made a pun, sort of.) I just want the right stuff to remaster, and I want it now. So, to all of you, what I can say is, "We're working on it!" While I'm thinking about it, there are some artists that has taken matters of tape preservation into their own hands. I'm speaking primarily of The Doors. Danny S. and The Doors have gone all out, with a state of the art vault that rivals Ft. Knox. They have reclaimed every single Doors' tape, audio and video, from the Whole Wide World (including Elektra) and they are now stored, safe from harm, forever. Wonderful for me, 'cause I can find everything I need for the DCC Doors' remasterings under one (very cold) roof. So what if there are armed guards :). Not many other bands out there with this kind of clout though, but it's a start. I'm going back to work now. Thanks for letting me ramble....
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