Jump to content

Blue Note CD-Rs now on Amazon


mjzee

Recommended Posts

I picked up Odyssey of Iska. The packaging has a bootleg feel to it - the cover colars are washed out, the print is less than crisp, tha paper is of a lower quality and the booklet had been previously folded in half. The CD itself also has a "less than professional" feel to it.

The music itself sounds fine.

Setting aside scarcity, I think $15 a unit is way too high, but I guess I paid it. A good way to fill in the gaps of your collection I suppose, but I would feel a little better paying $5, maybe $6.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That, and they're hoping just to fool a few people into thinking these are regular ol' CDs.

Which would be an easy mistake to make, given they call them "CDs", at least on the header page. I didn't dig too deep but is there any mention of the fact that these are actually CDR burns? Also, is there any mention of the quality and file type? In other words, are they lossless or MP3?

IMO Amazon is open to claims of false advertising unless they make it more clear that these are CDRs...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would there be any sound quality difference between a CD and a CDR? They look good to me..ordered a couple already.

Depends on the extraction (rip) method used, and the file type of the burns.

I find it hard to imagine that Amazon would not use a lossless extractor, e.g. FLAC, but you never know. If they use a lossless extraction and encoding process, the CDR should be sonically indistinguishable from the original CD. But if they are burning using MP3, you very well may be able to tell a difference in playback quality, especially on a good quality system and/or using good headphones.

I think its great to have this music available, but personally won't be buying any of these. As others have indicated, until they provide 1) more details about the extraction/encoding process, 2) lossless downloads and PDFs of the album art, and/or 3) lower prices, I'll just keep hunting for the original CD issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why release these as CD-Rs? Why not just straight downloads?

My guess? They expect a generally older demographic that's "frightened" of digital downloads.

See, this is just nuts AFAIC. "Frightened" of digital downloads, yeah, ok, I know the type, but geez, they're all gonna be dead in, what, 30 days or so? :g Everybody else has figured out that you can either A) Buy this type stuff legit used or elsewhere if you look hard enough B) Get a burn from a friend and/or C) Download it from the internets for free.

But what you can't find w/similar ease is the packaging. A professionally-printed booklet (not some ink-jet job) would be welcome, as would, in some instances, tray cards, etc. Not sure what the cost/benefit ratio on this would be, but I'd be more prone to pay, say, $4.95 for a real booklet than I would $14.95 for a CD-R of something (that I can easily get elsewhere in some form or fashion) and some "almost real" artwork...

Hell, even build artist/composer/publisher royalties into the price to compensate for non-sales due do the promiscuity of digital reproductions of the musical content. I know that's a bit altruistic, but hey, it's new day!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it hard to imagine that Amazon would not use a lossless extractor, e.g. FLAC, but you never know.

Why would they use anything but WAV files as they are on the original CDs?

Good question. There is no need to losslessly compress the WAVs to FLACs if the files aren't going to be stored on a hard drive. So hopefully their CDRs are comprised of WAV files. I would assume they are, but I've been taught to "never assume"...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is just my "guess", but these are most likely "Image Files" of the originally released CD...that way they only have to store a single file and burning is very quick. I can't see them wasting time doing anything else. Image files are exactly the same as the original CD...even the table of contents is identical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No sign of James Newton's 'Romance and Revolution' there...though 'African Flower' is.

I seem to recall the boss saying there was no chance of a CD reissue several years back. Would be ideal for something like this.

Does seem an 'interim' solution - given much of their main catalogue is downloadable it can't be because of fear of pirating. Blue Note could still authorise it for digital distribution, perhaps at a bit more than the popular albums.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair to Amazon, the product description says "CD-R" (as opposed to "Audio CD") right at the beginning, and the longer description text says "recordable media". So I don't believe they will fool anyone into thinking these are manufactured CDs.

That must be new.

These CD-Rs have been discussed at least twice in other threads, there others also pointed out that only in the small print below somewhere, it said that these were CD-Rs, while on the top of the listing it said "Audio CD". I wouldn't have bought one of these, otherwise (it was Patton's "Accent on the Blues", I think it cost 13.99 - I'm also of the opinion that 10$ is the maximum prize to ask for a lossless download, or if they prefer selling that, a CD-R)

I haven't read this whole thread yet, but why don't they give us the option to get a download and then ask a bit less for that? Like that, they could justify the higher costs for a CD-R by comparison, as that needs to be manufactured by someone (burned at 52X I'm sure! I'll have to rip the Patton and make my own burn of it!) and then brought to a post office as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

doesn't blue note have some kind of archive for their own releases? :unsure:

They don't have any archive that I'm aware of other than the analog masters. They probably still have the CD mother stamper somewhere in the pressing plant, but they don't have any kind of library of all the CDs they've ever made. Cuscuna used to keep a copy of each that he produced, but I think even he gave up and downsized.

Besides, these CD-R issues aren't "Blue Note". They're licensed for sale by Amazon. This is how Amazon has chosen to do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Bill Barton

Thanks to Chuck for the elucidation on the cost of the "on demand" process. Now the prices make more sense to me. But probably Romance and Revolution is about the only one that I'd consider forking over top-dollar for because of its ultra-rare status.

And thanks to Kevin for the continuing "CD/CD-R 101" course. Very informative!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you imagine sitting in the meeting with the guys that came up with this one?

"OK. so I didn't sleep a wink last night. Lightning struck and it came to me. I've got it!"

"(Sigh) Let's hear it..."

"OK, so you know that record label that I was telling you about? Blue Note Records? Yeah, yeah, the jazz label!"

"CD-Rs."

"What?"

"CD-Rs!"

"How in the hell is this a good idea?!"

"We don't have to pay anyone for duplication! We are going to do it ourselves!" (Motions to an external CD-burner that he purchased on the way in this morning)

"You're a moron."

"Look. We burn the discs. We print the booklets. We print disc labels. We trim the booklets. We saddle-stitch the booklets. We print, trim, and fold the tray cards. I'll get an intern to insert the booklets and tray cards into the jewel cases, and snap everything together! We can do this!"

"OK, so you are saying that we spend budget on blanks, jewel cases, paper stock, inkjet cartridges, which cost a fucking fortune, staples, and everything required to get these things into the mail stream. Am I missing anything?"

"I think that's it... and I think you are exaggerating on the price of inkjet carts, don't you? Not bad, eh?!!"

"And this is an on-demand product. No inventory?"

"That's the beauty of it! We have no exposure or risk whatsoever!"

"Well, its possible that we could build into the retail the cost to outsource the print & fold piece. There's an Alphagraphics right across the street."

"See! Brilliant right?!"

"Its not bad... I'm sure there are at least a hundred people out there looking for, say James Newton's Revolution and Romance."

"Pfaaa... at LEAST!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...