Albums that shouldn't be out of print...

While he was not a big star, I'm kind of surprised that quite a few of Buddy Miles Mercury LPs never came out in the CD era.

Electric Church ('69)
We Got to Live Together ('70)
A Message to the People ('71)
Buddy Miles Live ('71)

Them Changes with the obvious Hendrix tie seems to have stayed in print and Colombia put out some of his later ones on CD not that many years back. I got it, but Expressway to Your Skull has also come out on CD, but went out pretty quick and now goes for a few bucks.

What I have heard of the above is pretty solid early 70s R&B/rock. I'm guessing it's probably a licensing or masters missing issue perhaps? I dunno, seems like something at least one of the reissue labels would have licensed and done if whatever conglomerate had no interest.

The three full-lengths Karp put out are all out of print and sell for stupid money. I'm not sure what K's situation is now, but it seems like reissuing those would bring in some cash flow.

There are some other 80s-90s punk/indie from other labels doing similar. Laughing Hyena's Cds are going for a few bucks now online when I was looking to find them again.

Saccharine Trust ('80s SST jazzbeatartpunk band) seem to have everything they ever put out in print EXCEPT Surviving You, Always, their first LP (and follow-up to the Paganicons EP, which is probably their best-known thing). It's a completely great album, and I know it's useless to speculate about why Greg Ginn does what he does, but it's very odd that this is the one Sac Trust SST release he doesn't bother with.

For a while my guess was that it had to do with the cover of "Peace Frog" by the Doors not being cleared. But SST still sells a live album with a performance of that song on it. So it's a mystery.

I saw a current incarnation of ST 2-3 years ago (Jack Brewer was with them, but I don't know about other players), so Jack, at least, is still around and in the biz.

Plone - For Beginner Piano

In response to JRN, there's a whole host of stuff from the SST catalogue e.g. I'd love to see the Slovenly back catalogue get the box set treatment.

Looks like all the later Gun Club CDs go for a few bucks these days. I'd imagine the vinyl on those are really sparse on those out in the wild.

So, uh, that really nice Trees 50th Anniversary box set that was just released to get their albums back in print? Out of print already, barely two months after being released. I had a pre-order in back in early December that kept getting pushed back and pushed back before finally being canceled completely last week. Apparently more LP sets are coming in June of this year, but no more CD box sets.

I get that physical media right now is a gamble, but between this and the Richard & Linda Thompson box set that was sold out before it was released, it seems like labels just have no clue at all how to anticipate demand.

On the contrary, I think it's deliberate.

Seems the strategy is to create a panic buy.

yeah FOMO

really nice to see the recent Zoviet France reissues, and the Vanity label catalog

I don't know that I buy that it's 100% deliberate. I mean, obviously, as pointed out in another thread, creating demand and artificial scarcity is business 101, but when a hyped box sells out before the release date even hits, doesn't that also show that the label is leaving money on the table? At that point the only people profiting on it are the flippers and secondhand sales on places like Discogs. Seems like running out that fast would merit at least one more run, if the demand is there, but I don't run a label so...

I'm more specifically talking about the labels that are, "nope, that's it, we're done", not so much the labels that follow up with additional pressings later after they've gauged demand.

Yeah, that mentality that every reissue is a Rhino Handmade.

I read a little chat with George Clanton (who runs his own label) about this sort of thing, he says it's pretty much impossible to figure out demand for vinyl. Some stuff sells out immediately and gets flipped for 4x the price, some get a flurry of orders right away but then will sell just 1-2 copies every week. He's pretty good with doing extra runs every time something gets sold out but idk how feasible that is for bigger labels. There's definitely this culture, especially with boutique labels like Light in the Attic, where if you don't preorder on Day 1 you miss your chance forever, and I'm sure the labels don't mind that exactly

the Richard & Linda Thompson box set that was sold out before it was released

I had no idea that sold out. I think with an elaborate boxed set for an artist like the Thompsons, who were never big sellers, the (reluctant) label has to be convinced to make it happen in the first place. They probably agree to do it along the lines of, "Fine, fine, we'll put it out, but since no one buys this stuff, we'll only press x copies." Then it sells out, but the label has no major incentive to repress. The profits that something like the Thompsons box generate for a major label are probably so minuscule as to be the equivalent of an accounting rounding error.

(Then again, the live Jam box that came out a few years ago also sold out quickly, wasn't repressed, and the Jam were huge in the UK.)

Ha I emailed george Clanton recently about doing another run of the Windows96 reissue they put out. He said they would like to but it’s a matter of getting the rights again or something

that thing sold out in like an hour or two

same with the I'll Try Living Like This repress, which I think really surprised him, since the original run on Orange Milk took a couple years to fully sell out. these were gone within like an hour and I think a lot of people were pissed because he didn't even have time to formally announce it before they were all spoken for. I think FOMO does play a huge role here, much easier to convince yourself to pull the trigger if you think you won't have the choice in a half hour

Oh yeah, FOMO is a big driver for sure. It's just aggravating to miss out on a limited window only to see, inevitably, six months later there are 18 copies popping up on eBay and Discogs, still shrink-wrapped and clearly bought specifically for flipping.

yeah it really annoyed me to see all those Hosono reissues sell out immediately and go for 3x the price. I feel like if you've been posting about the guy for a decade you deserve a shot at a copy, even if you didn't preorder.

Or, more aggravatingly, trying to find a out-of-print boxed set, and then the artist dies, and the same set is a couple hundred $ more than a week (or a day) earlier. Aretha Franklin's Take A Look was going for maybe $100-$175, but right after she died, it was (is) impossible to find for less than $350.

when a hyped box sells out before the release date even hits, doesn't that also show that the label is leaving money on the table? Seems like running out that fast would merit at least one more run, if the demand is there, but I don't run a label so...

― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0)

Minimizing risk seems to take priority over maximizing profit these days. They need or want to sell everything pressed.
Especially those running smaller boutique or vanity labels who have to store their own stock, vs. labels whose unsold stock sits in a distributor's warehouse.
Fwiw I have spoken to artists who are very frustrated by this practice, and others who grudgingly accept it.

As you say the focus is not (and imo, should not be) on physical product

Yeah, that all makes sense, and I get it. My expectations adjust depending on the label, artist, etc. I have a little less understanding when a label like Universal blows it with something like that Thompson box set.

I hung around waiting for a copy of that Trees box set to appear as an Xmas present that had been ordered and supposedly sent to me. It never appeared. NOw just had to pay for a copy so hoping that is the end of the story.

I thought i got the audio for the Thompson box which had the late 70s lps by the couple then couldn't find it. Shame would love a copy cos I don't know that late 70s stuff between Pour Down Like Silver and Shoot Out The Lights. & that was a box that was getting publicity and reviews almost everywhere and Thompson is not exactly unknown either. So yeah what exactly gives like.

im sympathetic to risk-averse labels insofar as (ime) people saying "i would totally buy that" do not in fact always totally buy that

Oh, absolutely. I just hate to see buying new music turn into some sneaker drop thing where you have to be on the right website or see the right tweet at the exactly right time to snag a pre-order.

no yeah totally. as a consumer there can be this almost demeaning element to it. like yesterday i got a promo email from a label about a short run repressing of a recent-ish release i wanted , "COPIES IN STOCK, WILL SELL OUT!", i immediately followed the link and bought a copy, and while i'm excited to get this album theres also a weird gross feeling about like buying something on command

I am upset that I feel bad I missed out on the Deepchord - Lanterns limited repress. FOMO is a valuable tool. The same thing exists with boutique video game publishers; it's their entire business model.

I've been lucky enough to score a Grouper 7" that remains $75+ on discogs

On the other hand I've been had by the "X copies remaining" manipulative device on bandcamp and overpaid for an album or 2. Freaking FOMO.

I’m guessing they are in indie ownership rights limbo but I would figure there would be interest in getting those early Screaming Trees records into print again.

To me, Buzz Factory was my favorite one they did and it is crazy expensive on secondary markets as a cd and Lp at this point.

i saw copies of the first three SST Lps yesterday at a store- don't know how long they'll be available though

here it is-

https://sstsuperstore.com/products/screaming-trees-buzz-factory-lp

More than a few old Rhino Handmade releases, but especially T Bone Burnett - Proof Through the Night/Trap Door EPs