[TK Doom]

I think SACD needs to get off its ass and start day/dating CD and SACD releases.


Just like DVD/VHS!!!


This past tuesday George Michael released his new album (Sony) and I had high hopes walking into Tower Records to buy it (already had it on import, but I need to support him so I bought the domestic version too) and went through there SACD section, which unfortunately contained the same music as several weeks ago.


SACD is a fine product, but they need to get some software out there!


[/end rant]

 

[nyg]

 MusicTap has this listed under their daily news of DVD-Audio and SACD releases:

What's happened with these things? Did they break?


It's funny because like everyone who likes these formats, they realize that there have been no new titles announced for awhile. I too, would love to see day&date SACD releases but I guess it ain't meant to be. The future looks grim for these formats IMO. The new George Michael CD is excellent, even on redbook CD. I have had the import since it came out and it hasn't left my CD changer yet.

 

[audiophile_walt]

From what I read on Audio Asylum the culprit is extra royalties demanded by music publishers for mch and sacd formats here in the US. Ex is Beyonce's new sacd released in Asia/Europe but not US.

 

[Rachael Bellomy]

Quote:

Originally posted by audiophile_walt From what I read on Audio Asylum the culprit is extra royalties demanded by music publishers for mch and sacd formats here in the US. Ex is Beyonce's new sacd released in Asia/Europe but not US.

Apparently, Sony is confident that they're going to lose the lawsuit and are cutting their losses (or profits ) already...?


3, apparently, cancelled Sony hybrids would include the new Aerosmith album HONKIN' WITH BOBO, Joe Satriani's new one IS THERE LOVE IN SPACE, and Nellie McKay's GET AWAY FROM ME. Why do I say this, well, they all SACD titles/graphics that read out on Sony SACD players. The Nellie Mckay is on 2 CD's and would of fit on one SA-CD. This seems rather likely to me anyway. Sony CD's don't normally have Graphics on them.


So, it appears that Sony has chosen to hold U.S. SA-CD consumers hostage in their quest to minimize payments to those darn publishers. They don't have this legal problem in other countries.


Sony should come clean and make a public statement about SA-CD. Are they killing it in the U.S. over royalties? Or are they going to resume a release schedule and pay the pipers?

 

[dugpa]

There are still plenty of new sacd releases coming out, it's just that no one seems to know about them (and MusicTap is hardly a good source for new releases in any format). Universal is putting out Sting's "Brand New Day" this summer, as well as some titles by The Allman Brothers Band, Diana Krall, Eric Clapton, Derek & the Dominos, and Sheryl Crow, not to mention some Moody Blues titles in September. ABKCO is releasing some Herman Hermits and Animals discs. Sony has some upcoming releases from Indigo Girls, David Sanchez and more Bob Dylan titles. Koch is putting out 13 Kinks albums. All this doesn't count numerous classical and Jazz titles being released. So there's hardly no new titles coming out, though I agree that it seems to be a slow trickle on releasing titles. The biggest one that annoys me is that I know the new Norah Jones album will probably get a sacd release down the road, but of course I bought the regular cd when it came out to hold me over. I really do wish they'd get with it with more day and date releases, like their doing with the new Ray Charles Duets sacd and cd in August (which also features Norah Jones).

 

[nyg]

Quote:

Originally posted by dugpa There are still plenty of new sacd releases coming out, it's just that no one seems to know about them (and MusicTap is hardly a good source for new releases in any format).

There may still be a lot of SACDs coming out but how many day&date releases as is the main question of this thread? None, or next to none? What is a good source for finding out about upcoming music releases? I check MusicTap and High Fidelity Review frequently and they seem to cover most of the major titles. If there are other sites that are better I'd sure like to hear about them.

 

[dugpa]

High Fidelity Review is probably the best, but sa-cd.net is also a good one for upcoming info.


Yeah, day and date is a problem, but then remember back in the early days of dvd their were hardly ever any day and date releases either. It took almost two years before studios really started putting out most titles on dvd day and date with vhs.


I think a lot of the problem in this case with getting titles out is convincing the artist/management that it's worth mixing an album for surround. Right now albums that get surround releases tend to do so more because the artists and their managers or engineers want it and are willing to spend the time and money on it, rather than because the record company wants it. If more top selling artists demanded a day and date surround release (be it dvd-a or sacd), you'd see more of them. But it seems to me most artists, at least the big selling ones that might really help push the format to the mainstream, don't care about surround or hi-res.


My suspicion, sadly, is that sacd/dvd-a is always going to be a niche market like laserdiscs (which rarely released day and date with vhs). If the mainstream public is willing to settle for crappy sounding compressed downloaded mp3s over cds, which seems to be the common trend, then convincing them they need an even higher resolution format like sacd is going to be a tough sell. Cds caught on with the mainstream not because they were superior sounding to vinyl (yes, I know that's open to debate, but that's a different discussion), but rather because they were more convinent by being smaller and less prone to wear. Sacd's don't offer any benefit over cds except the sound quality, which is admittingly a major benefit to those us here, but less important to the majority of joe sixpacks and teeniebopers who make up most of the marketplace. Now, before you flame me for saying all this, let me say that I take no joy in any of this. I love sacd and dvd-a, and I'll be buying them as long as they put them out. But realistically, I just don't see them ever catching on with the mainstream the way cds and dvds have.

 

[nyg]

Quote:

Originally posted by dugpa If the mainstream public is willing to settle for crappy sounding compressed downloaded mp3s over cds, which seems to be the common trend, then convincing them they need an even higher resolution format like sacd is going to be a tough sell.

I think you hit the nail on the head. At first I had high hopes for these hi-res formats but now I agree that they'll remain niche markets. I haven't bought an SACD in quite awhile. I'd love to have many more but only if they're multichannel hybrids. You'd think bands like Radiohead would love to mix their albums in 5.1 but it just isn't happening. NIN has a new album coming out this year that no doubt would benefit form a multichannel track but I won't be getting my hopes up.