After a summer of uber-expensive re-releases, the Beatles' ultimate reissue of their collection of studio albums makes it official: Every label is out to squeeze as much money out of the music industry as possible while they still can.
It should have been easy to predict this outcome beginning last year with Michael Jackson's 25th anniversary release of Thriller. Little did he know, he was just ahead of the curve. It was an album worth remembering and covering, plus it was inimitable, so consumers and critics didn't think twice, which can certainly be said for a handful of the reissues from this year.
Personally, keeping track of Neil Young's archive releases began to take its toll on me, but when the first volume came, it delivered. ten Blu-Ray discs including 47 previously unreleased songs, hidden tracks and video footage, downloadable and updatable content and the relief of knowing you own every song he recorded satisfied obsessive collectors everywhere. And someday, when I have the extra 300 dollars lying around, I just might join that crowd.
Which brings us to the first problem (other than the manipulation of the market through these transparent ploys) of the box set boom: even if a rerelease is worthy, it's so expensive only middle-aged collectors religiously devoted to saying they paid the extra hundreds for remastered versions are able or willing to pay. In short, it can create unnecessary exclusivity and elitism among some music snobs.
Not to mention a number of these artists do not need to remind fans of their work and they often don't have any substantial updates to offer. Admittedly, finding out about the Replacements a couple years ago by reading about a re-release of Let it Be made me appreciate the format. And this year, I can't complain about a Nick Cave collective, a James Brown singles album or a reissue of Company Flow's Funcrusher Plus. All are underappreciated by modern crowds and under-recognized by all standards.
But the Beatles are still one of the most popular groups around. It's not just the baby boomers keeping the Fab Four relevant—it's their music, cultural status and built-up brand. Similarly, did Radiohead need to reissue their most popular releases from around a decade ago? We all know their music—this just gives extra bragging rights for those willing to spend the bucks on the artifact.
I know labels need to make money somehow, but I prefer more creative methods that are often simpler. For example, Of Montreal offered a laundry list of complementary gifts with a purchase of Skeletal Lamping last year, and Dan Deacon's Bromst came with a mini-foldable tent seen on the cover. Others offer shirts, deals and exclusive artwork. All genuine attempts, and it's worked a couple of times on me.
But reissues and box sets are the result of labels being lazy. If I'm going to buy an album, it's going to be the original release. I can always download the bonus tracks added later, but having the original gets you the real tracks guaranteed (though downloads are quite reliable nowadays) and can possibly put you ahead of trend curves. As far as students go, box sets mean you have money to burn. And for adults, it means you were probably there... i.e. you're old. Where's the appeal?
Got enough extra money to waste on box sets? Send it to Justin's Paypal account by e-mailing him at jstephani@wisc.edu.
