Hey Kids, Have You Heard The News? MOSAIC's IN TROUBLE!!!

[mikeweil]

1 hour ago, king ubu said:

Also found the James P., luckily, as Scott thinks that one won't re-appear ... that order hasn't arrived, so crossing fingers, knocking on wood and all that.

Don't blame me if I ask you for a CDR of that one some day in case I will not get it .... crossing my fingers, of course.

[Clunky]

1 hour ago, mikeweil said:

Don't blame me if I ask you for a CDR of that one some day in case I will not get it .... crossing my fingers, of course.

The JPJ is the one I really want/ need/ now ordered. I think JPJ is a relative forgotten figure but one who for me is always fascinating to hear. I really hope that it reappears. Kicking myself for not ordering it earlier but who knew...... ....

[sidewinder]

Yeah, me too..

[mikeweil]

Maybe we have a chance when we all place our oder now?

[OliverM]

Same here. Ordered it a moment too late during the last sale. Really hope it will come back.

Would also get Clifford Jordan in priority.

1 hour ago, erwbol said:

I just bought a copy of a Japanese reissue of Glass Bead Games to be safe. I thought that was probably the best album of that set, so I won't lose sleep over missing out on the Mosaic.

There is also a japanese edition of In The World which seems still available.

[Clunky]

The JPJ is such a recent set too you'd have thought there would be plenty of buyers yet interested in it.

[sidewinder]

1 hour ago, mikeweil said:

Maybe we have a chance when we all place our oder now?

I think there's scope for a 'Bring Back James P.' pressure group 

 

Edited May 6, 2017 by sidewinder

[mikeweil]

I already placed the JPJ in the cart but obviously forgot my recently changed password 

[Ed S]

My order for JPJ set was submitted a couple of days ago

Also ordered the back-ordered Savoy and Mingus sets.  At least those are coming back.

[erwbol]

1 hour ago, OliverM said:

There is also a japanese edition of In The World which seems still available.

Thanks for the tip. 

[Rooster_Ties]

1 hour ago, erwbol said:

Thanks for the tip. 

I have an extra copy of that Japanese "In The World" on CD too (which I don't need, cuz I bought the whole box), if anybody needs to go that route. Mini-LP, w/ obi!

Edited May 6, 2017 by Rooster_Ties

[miles65]

1 hour ago, Clunky said:

The JPJ is such a recent set too you'd have thought there would be plenty of buyers yet interested in it.

And at $102 an affordable set.

[king ubu]

1 hour ago, erwbol said:

Thanks for the tip. 

Fabulous album. And I guess the highlight of he set to me.

Got that edition too, not sure I've not already passed it on though.

[Dan Gould]

13 hours ago, BFrank said:

J.A.W. posted this on the Hoffman forum today: "Just heard back from Scott in another matter and he told me they've been swamped with orders - finally a more positive note"

I have to wonder how getting swamped with orders changes the fundamentals of the company.  Maybe enough to continue on and fulfill some of the future projects but it seems to me they are only maximizing immediate revenue, but if they pass the immediate crisis, revenue still won't match expenditures in coming months.

The only way I can see them continuing as a going concern is if they attract capital from a label or a sugar daddy jazz lover.

[Scott Dolan]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

I have to wonder how getting swamped with orders changes the fundamentals of the company.  Maybe enough to continue on and fulfill some of the future projects but it seems to me they are only maximizing immediate revenue, but if they pass the immediate crisis, revenue still won't match expenditures in coming months.

The only way I can see them continuing as a going concern is if they attract capital from a label or a sugar daddy jazz lover.

I agree. There's no way this is a long-term fix, but it does buy them a little more time to look at all of the options available to them to remain viable. Who knows? They may just sell out their stock, cancel any orders they cannot fulfill, and call it good. 

I just think it's really cool that we pulled together as a community to show our appreciation, which I'm sure isn't lost on them. 

[trane123]

About ten years ago, as I was ordering my 100^th big box from Mosaic, I just happened to note on the order form that this was indeed my 100^th set.  The day after the set arrived I received a card from Mosaic that included a nice note from Michael C. thanking me for being such a loyal customer along with a $100 Mosaic gift card.

 

I mean, how cool is that?

[romualdo]

Wow!! looks like I've been lucky - for the last 4-5 years I've bought all of the Mosaics (that I wanted) as they were released & mainly from Jazz Messengers (great service IMHO). That free shipping over 60 euros is the clincher - makes them much more affordable here in Australia. Have over 100 sets now (been picking them up since the early 90s). Nothing I really need.

Quite a few of the sets turn up here for sale second hand & there doesn't appear to be a big demand for them - I've picked them up for very reasonable/good prices. My latest score  (last week) was one of my holy grails ie The Basie Roulette Studio Recordings 10CD in mint condition - I never picked it up at the time (didn't have the finances). That was sitting at Birdland Records in Sydney for quite a few months (deceased estate) & they kept dropping the price with no takers - I'd forgotten about it & when I looked again last week the price had been dropped significantly so I pounced. Currently I'm negotiating a price for the Bechet, Hodes & DeFranco sets (all vinyl) with a shop here in Brisbane.

Really hope Mosaic can find a wealthy benefactor or crowdfunding could be an option - they've been a large part of my life for the last quarter of a century.

Edited May 7, 2017 by romualdo

[JSngry]

5 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

I agree. There's no way this is a long-term fix, but it does buy them a little more time to look at all of the options available to them to remain viable. Who knows? They may just sell out their stock, cancel any orders they cannot fulfill, and call it good. 

I just think it's really cool that we pulled together as a community to show our appreciation, which I'm sure isn't lost on them. 

A slightly better case scenario is that they sell out their stock on a Last Call basis, no more reprint/restocks of anything going forth and go forward with whatever few occasional projects they're able to muster with whatever advance funding they can get together. Maybe crowd source like Artist Share or something.

That might require Crazy Fool Level Of Dedication, and maybe everybody's getting too old for that (especially the crowd sourcing part, that' SO un-Old School, , but otoh, part of Crazy Fool Level Of Dedication is never being too old for it, even when you really should be.

Either way, they really did raise the bar and kept it high for far longer than anybody had a right to expect. Hopefully the brand/concept can move forward with a nest-gen business model, but if not, hey. well done!

[BFrank]

Resonance posted this message on FB today, followed by Cuscuna's email text. Very thoughtful!

"NEED YOUR SUPPORT! The gold standard of archival jazz releases Mosaic Records needs our help now (read letter below). Zev Feldman says, "If not for Mosaic Records and Michael Cuscuna, Resonance wouldn't be doing what we're doing. Period." Please visit mosaicrecords.com and place an order today!"

[David Ayers]

Mosaic stopped distributing their catalogue years ago. I wonder if that made a difference or was already a sign of the times. 

[sidewinder]

They dropped down to one catalogue per year back in the late 2000s.

[David Ayers]

I haven't had anything from them for years. 

[sidewinder]

11 hours ago, romualdo said:

The Basie Roulette Studio Recordings 10CD in mint condition - I never picked it up at the time (didn't have the finances). That was sitting at Birdland Records in Sydney for quite a few months (deceased estate) & they kept dropping the price with no takers - I'd forgotten about it & when I looked again last week the price had been dropped significantly so I pounced. 

Well done - saw that one a few weeks ago too. Was tempted but the shipping and taxes would have made it prohibitive.

[mikeweil]

5 hours ago, David Ayers said:

Mosaic stopped distributing their catalogue years ago. I wonder if that made a difference or was already a sign of the times. 

A sign of the times? Yes, as far as the raise of shipping costs, for international orders in particular, over the last years, is concerned. Printing of paperwork also became more expensive (Jonathan Horwich once remarked here on the forum that it was the foldout cardboard sleeves that were killing). I used to receive a catalogue twice a year from an Austrian publisher who asked us to switch to e-mail instead to help them save on costs; another in Berlin used to print and ship an almanach once a year (on a lifetime basis!) but now apologized for sending a pdf file via e-mail due to some unexpected events that forces them to reduce costs. 

As far as I can it is the separation of manufacturing, distribution, and publishing that increases costs, too. A label without their own pressing and printing plant saves on storage, but depend on others to keep their catalogue available, and smaller numbers of a product require almost the same costs for recording, mastering, research, printing and pressing as a larger quantity. Just like a single, unique handmade chair is more expensive than one from IKEA. Remember the Weis brothers and Fantasy? They had their own pressing plant, which was a great advantage. Until .....

And, I hate to say that, there are enthusiastic supporters of Mosaic as well as choosy connoisseurs who do not like the design etc. 

As long as the call for profit dominates, it will be that way. If it can be balanced, quality product can survive. In the case of Mosaic, quality is the research, the essays, the remastering - which you do not get with any of the cheapo box sets. It's always cheaper to take an LP master from the shelf and make a replica reissue than do all the discographical research and search for the best sounding source. 

And only listeners with decent hi-fi equipment and ears care for sound. We are and always were a minority, that's a fact. The solidarity with Mosaic certainly helps, but the times-they-are-a-changing, I'm afraid.

Edited May 7, 2017 by mikeweil

[Scott Dolan]

Physical items simply aren't necessary any more. Books, magazines, newspapers, catalogs are much more rare in physical form these days. Hell, our local Barnes & Noble recently went under. Most people with newspaper subscriptions read them on their tablets or phones these days. I even read a story some time back about university libraries cutting back on physical stock so theycan create more space for computer stations. 

So Mosaic discontinuing their catalog makes perfect sense, and I seriously doubt it hurt their sales in any significant way.