Forums dot lukpac.org

Here's a sample of some of the recent discussion on the AF site. I'm paraphrasing here because I'm too lazy to type the entire quotes...

Someone suggests The Stooges Funhouse and Marshall replies with (again, I'm paraphrasing) "Not enough Sound Scan sales" and "Iggy Pop's not my thing, but I would appreciate it if you bought a Soupy Sales DVD" (see Soupy Sales thread)

Someone suggests the Pixies and Marshall immediately replies with "I'm not a big Pixies fan so that would be way down my priority list"

I suggest Beefheart Safe as Milk and Marshall replies with "this album is out there already. It's well represented".

Can someone explain to me how they can seriously consider putting out a Soupy Sales DVD but they won't consider the Stooges Funhouse??? Do they think that Italians comp is going to sell better than the Pixies?


Why is it that when Funhouse is requested it's shot down because the Sound Scan numbers aren't there but they are all over a proposed Seeds SACD??? Did Web of Sound have a good week on Sound Scan or something?

I really hope AF is a huge sucess but in my opinion they are WAY too narrow minded about titles. It's one thing to not be able to get the go ahead from the labels but to dismiss titles out of hand because you don't like or aren't familier with the music doesn't bode well for their sucess...

my .02

Chris

It seems like maybe Marshall has a hard time separating his personal tastes from his business decisions about what titles to release. That's the only possible explanation both for some of the things they release (the bizarrely arbitrary "Italians" compilation), and some of the ideas he rejects out of hand (the Pixies, a hot reunited band who already have a pre-existing relationship with Steve Hoffman). This is unfortunate, and doesn't bode well for the success of the company, which is too bad as I like Steve Hoffman's work and it's nice for him to have a regular venue for it. I'd like to support them if they'd consider releasing a title I'm even remotely interested in (interestingly, I would buy all of the rejected suggestions you mentioned, yet have bought none of the titles they have released. That kinda says something).

In some was AF seems like a mom and pop organization. It's like with the art direction for their original albums... you have to wonder if their cover designer is a relative of Marshall's, or has compromising photos of him or something. Picking on those covers is like shooting fish in a barrel, but man...

As Marshall hints at in The Pixies thread, WEA isn't going to just open the vaults for an AF re-issue for the Pixies or Stooges.

Quoting SoundScan numbers for "Fun House" really misses the point. What's the SoundScan for VGPS or similar cult albums? Also, his admission that he hadn't heard of The Pixies until now was truly bizarre. Must be a generational thing.

Until AF or similar start getting the Gen-X market, I have plenty of other places to put my music $$$.

I simply don't understand many facets of Audiofidelity's existence.

Firstly, who exactly is Marshall? Isn't he a friend of Steve's? If so, why doesn't he know seminal rock albums like Fun House? It might've not done well on original release, but surely *everyone* worth their weight in rock trivia is at least aware of it thirty years later.

Secondly, the whole "recommend titles!" thing seems like a fruitless endeavor. I completely agree that Marshall has a hard time separating personal tastes (which, by the way, seem to lie in particularly moldy oldies...this is the label, after all, that released the soundscan-friendly Mel Torme and Richie Valens comps) from professional reality, and it seems often that he has a pre-developed backlog of titles he'd like to do, and occasionally someone recommends one of them and jogs that memory.

Thirdly, why the freakin' fixation on Greatest Hits? I think the entire point of a niche label should be to release things that have been passed over, and rarely do "greatest hits" fall into this category. Let's look at the Alice Cooper example. On audiofidelity.net, someone is quick to point out that the first two AC albums aren't highly regarded. This may be true for golden-period AC fans (I really enjoy those first two albums), but this shouldn't matter; they've been OOP for ages, and a two-fer reissue would snag the 4,000 or so sales from those who are aware of the albums (I'm ignoring the fact for the moment that the original CD releases sound fine). If Safe as Milk is overrepresented, why not "Lick My Decals Off, Baby?" But no; if Marshall does a Kate Bush release, it's going to be "Whole Story" and not "The Dreaming."

Xenu wrote:the soundscan-friendly Mel Torme and Richie Valens

Dur?

Thirdly, why the freakin' fixation on Greatest Hits? I think the entire point of a niche label should be to release things that have been passed over, and rarely do "greatest hits" fall into this category.

Probably because "Best Of The Doobies" will sell a lot better than a reissue of their first album.

I'm not really sure what AF's business model is (if there is one), but it seems pretty clear it isn't like, say, One Way, Sundazed or Wounded Bird. Those labels' focus isn't "this sounds great" (although many of their CDs do sound pretty good) but rather "you can't get this on CD anywhere else".

Then again, this is all speculation (which is what chat boards are best at).

Man, I hope they fix that "China Grove" problem.

That's "Listen to the Music", bitch.

Are we using British rules for comma placement now?

Ryan

I am.

I just never realised how coloured the US way of doing things was.

I guess I should get with the programme.

Ryan

lukpac wrote:Dur?

Sarcasm. I think. I hope.

Probably because "Best Of The Doobies" will sell a lot better than a reissue of their first album.

But how many people have a "Best of the Doobies" by this point? How many people are gonna pay $20 for the priviledge *now*?

I'm not really sure what AF's business model is (if there is one), but it seems pretty clear it isn't like, say, One Way, Sundazed or Wounded Bird. Those labels' focus isn't "this sounds great" (although many of their CDs do sound pretty good) but rather "you can't get this on CD anywhere else".

Exactly. Say hello to "The Big Bopper's Greatest Hits"...

Xenu wrote:But how many people have a "Best of the Doobies" by this point? How many people are gonna pay $20 for the priviledge *now*?

The same people who pay $30 a pop for the whole CCR catalog again and again.

Face it: a lot of people - you and me included - buy the same shit, over and over again, under the premise that it might sound better, or will have a nice bonus track, or whatever. I probably have half a dozen (or more) copies of Who's Next on CD, yet I don't even own Who's Last.

There's a great fear of the unknown. Why buy an album that you may only know one song from, when you can but an album with all of your favorite songs? Remastered to boot!

Exactly. Say hello to "The Big Bopper's Greatest Hits"...

AF releases CD singles?

Priviledge?

Who is Chuck, anyway?

nt