Miles Davis News

[A Lark Ascending]

The 'whining' here is not so much about the existence of these endless boxes as they way Sony is focused on exploiting this part of its inheritance to the exclusion of everything else.

Personally I'd prefer to see less 'glossy' explorations of other areas of its vast holdings; and a resurrection of interest in contemporary, newly-minted jazz.

Constantly repackaging the Miles catalogue might make good business sense and please 'collectors' but...

I agree with Roger on the spine sets. They are nigh on perfect as ways to collect the music, look great on the shelves but are not easy to read or get discs in and out of.

[martini]

I'm a little surprised that the Complete On the Corner set is already OOP. I thought I would be able to find one used for cheap at a later date, but it doesn't look as though that will happen.

With all of the recent repackaging of Miles's catalog, I'm also surprised that the Plugged Nickel box hasn't been reissued. I know that I'm not the only one who would love to pick one up at a reasonable price, and who regrets not doing so 15 years ago.

[RogerF]

Martini, you are definitely not the only one who regrets not buying that particular set!

Edited May 9, 2010 by RogerF

[king ubu]

As for the "Plugged Nickel", I guess the cheaper used copies on amazon are roughly in the price range I paid for the set back then, 15 years ago... I guess everything up to 200$ is a no-brainer for such a terrific set!

[CJ Shearn]

I'm not selling mine, hehe

[Bill B]

I offered mine for $160 plus S/H some while ago-no takers

[Kyo]

If I'm reading this release correctly, the box set version has all that the Legacy version does, and more, so if you want all they are releasing, you only have to buy that box set, once.

Right, I misread it (or maybe they changed the exact wording since?), it

says that there is a third CD, not a third disc (so the DVD is also included).

Still pretty annoying - I'd like to buy that live DVD and the new live

CD, but I'd have to pay for yet another edition of BB on CD and an LP

edition of the album just to get those bonus discs. I doubt I'll do that.

EDIT: Just saw that the pre-order price on amazon.com is $124.98 - looks

like a nice set for people with too much money, but I'm not one of those.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Kyo

[king ubu]

EDIT: Just saw that the pre-order price on amazon.com is $124.98 - looks

like a nice set for people with too much money, but I'm not one of those.

ouch! same here... but at least we now know we're drama queens

[JETman]

EDIT: Just saw that the pre-order price on amazon.com is $124.98 - looks

like a nice set for people with too much money, but I'm not one of those.

ouch! same here... but at least we now know we're drama queens

Ha ha ha ha ha. Joke as you may, my point is that if I posted everytime I DO NOT buy something, I'd have about 9 billion posts. Either keep the complaints to yourselves, or direct them in a constructive manner to Sony or reps of the Miles Davis estate. There is nothing constructive about complaining about what you're not getting in this setting.

I was always under the impression that a forum like this is meant for discussing purchases that you feel worthy of wider exploration.

People will burn copies of the DVDs for their friends and Sony will be amazed that no one is buying their set.

Bertrand.

I guess this means you'll never view the DVD!

[Kyo]

Ha ha ha ha ha. Joke as you may, my point is that if I posted everytime I DO NOT buy something, I'd have about 9 billion posts. Either keep the complaints to yourselves, or direct them in a constructive manner to Sony or reps of the Miles Davis estate. There is nothing constructive about complaining about what you're not getting in this setting.

That is just plain nonsense. We're making it quite clear that there is interest

in the bonus material, just not when we're forced to play an additional $100 for

stuff that we already have or just don't want. Why exactly you fail to see that

part of the equation I don't quite get, but then your comments here haven't been

"constructive" in any way to start with (if there's one thing that never helps on

a forum, it's people bitching about too much bitching). And Sony people scanning the

web for reactions to their recent press release are quite likely to read this thread.

[JETman]

Ha ha ha ha ha. Joke as you may, my point is that if I posted everytime I DO NOT buy something, I'd have about 9 billion posts. Either keep the complaints to yourselves, or direct them in a constructive manner to Sony or reps of the Miles Davis estate. There is nothing constructive about complaining about what you're not getting in this setting.

That is just plain nonsense. We're making it quite clear that there is interest

in the bonus material, just not when we're forced to play an additional $100 for

stuff that we already have or just don't want. Why exactly you fail to see that

part of the equation I don't quite get, but then your comments here haven't been

"constructive" in any way to start with (if there's one thing that never helps on

a forum, it's people bitching about too much bitching). And Sony people scanning the

web for reactions to their recent press release are quite likely to read this thread.

I see all aspects of this issue. We as music lovers want it all, and we want it all cheap. I get that. But, and this is what you're not getting, Sony owes us nothing. Grow up! They could stop pressing Miles reissues and still fare quite well, believe me. So either we accept what they offer, and buy it. Or NOT. Complaining, bitching, moaning and acting in a melodramatic fashion will not change their minds whether they scan the web or not. You have email addresses to send your complaints directly to them.

[Kyo]

Grow up!

Here's an alternative suggestion: Why don't you just take your trolling act somewhere else?

[JETman]

Not trolling. I believe I've made some valid points. If you can't live with the state of the music industry as it is today, find something else to collect. The record companies are not in business to lose money. I think you know that. Consumers of ANYTHING have no God-given right to receive everything they want.

[A Lark Ascending]

I find the idea that we must accept whatever capitalist corporations present to us without complaint a rather strange idea (and probably against the spirit of free market capitalism).

No-one doubts the right of Sony to put out whatever it sees as profitable. These sets are clearly part of the same business model that releases a pop album followed a few months later by the same album with extras, deluxe packaging, remixes etc. Milking the cash cow (and I'm sure anyone studying business could reference a text book page as to how this works).

But as music fans (rather than 'collectors' of packaging) we're more than a little aware of the huge range of music that Sony has rights over but has stashed away. I think its quite legitimate to express irritation at the choices Sony makes (as it is legitimate to express discontent with the choices our governments' make...or should we just shut up and accept what they say?).

I'm not a fan of endless grumbling myself when it comes to music and musicians. But in this case I'd argue there is real reason to express dissatisfaction (in the full knowledge that Sony are so rich and powerful that they will not worry about the grousing for a moment).

Reality is that outside of the highly popular (and in jazz terms that is Miles) Sony are not interested - I suspect we've all long been seeking music of interest elsewhere.

[JETman]

You only accept what is presented if you buy it. Nobody is forcing anybody to buy this. This is not against the spirit of free market capitalism.

In all fairness, Sony did allow people to vote on what they'd like to see reissued. What other company has done that?

[JSngry]

I think the theatre of one guy endlessly complaining about other people endlessly complaining is pretty damn funny, in a late-20th/early 21st Century kind of way.

[rostasi]

I just like slowly working my way up to the best looking,

most complete thing and then selling the rest.

[felser]

I just like slowly working my way up to the best looking,

most complete thing and then selling the rest.

Sony/CBS thanks you!

[rostasi]

and I thank them!

[JSngry]

And I'm sure that Sharon thanks you for that not being an across-the-board ideology!

[rostasi]

Yes, true...but she also knows that many things

that go out the door are expendable, brings cash,

and makes someone else happy while the artist in her

understands that the creative crème de la crème

with special packaging often stays put.

[JSngry]

Exquisitely put, sir!

[Pete C]

It seems that Columbia, the home of the 'Legacy Edition', is run by people with no idea of the legacy they have (though maybe they have more idea than I do of the most advantageous way to deal with the commercial parts of it).

They dumped Seth Rothstein a couple of years ago, who ran Legacy jazz for some time (and was with ECM before that). He was a smart guy who knew the treasures he had (he also couldn't convince the suits to do anything much with the great Mainstream catalog material they were sitting on). Now I don't know if they even have a dedicated jazz guy for Legacy. A lot of Seth's babies have gone out of print, like that beautiful Billie box.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Pete C

[felser]

It seems that Columbia, the home of the 'Legacy Edition', is run by people with no idea of the legacy they have (though maybe they have more idea than I do of the most advantageous way to deal with the commercial parts of it).

They dumped Seth Rothstein a couple of years ago, who ran Legacy jazz for some time (and was with ECM before that). He was a smart guy who knew the treasures he had (he also couldn't convince the suits to do anything much with the great Mainstream catalog material they were sitting on). Now I don't know if they even have a dedicated jazz guy for Legacy. A lot of Seth's babies have gone out of print, like that beautiful Billie box.

1 - I always hoped for those Harold Land/Bobby Hutcherson Mainstream's to come out. I've never seen them listed on CD.

2 - Is Legacy doing anything much at this point, even non-Jazz? Nothing has really caught my eye in a long, long time.

[JETman]

I believe Richard Seidel (formerly in charge of jazz reissues from the Verve family of labels) is overseeing the Miles treasure trove now.