Blip! - last few copies

BG · **Posted:** Wed Jul 03, 2013 1:41 am

MondoJohnny wrote:

You got it all wrong man! It's not like he wanted to do this! He had to cut down the production. Then because he realized people weren't even going to get any music at all, he decided to give in to something he has been fervently fighting against for years. And all that just since I've been around! Bill has stated in no uncertain terms many times that he is against the idea but what can he do? Let's see that picture again of all the CDs still sitting on the shelf. If that doesn't break your heart then you are made of stone!

A picture of a kitten in a microwave breaks my heart, all that ruined glass . . as to the question of who buys the CD's and uploads them to sell , its is common knowledge those naughty sites buy music from just about every artist and label themselves - they make enough money ripping, stealing and selling this music to cover the initial outlay cost of the CD - all this conspiracy theory malarky reminds me of a Quentin Crisp quote - ' There is no Great Dark Man ' - man !

JohnR · **Joined:** Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:56 am **Posts:** 57

I don't really see the problem. If downloads offer a way to make Bill's music legitimately available in a way that is economic for him then that's fine by me. A cd production run of a few hundred copies is not a minor expense for an independent musician, as my nephews' groups have found out to their cost.

I'd rather have his music than nothing at all. There's lot of his back catalogue that could be made available in this way where a cd-only release could be financially risky for him. For new releases, the combination of limited run cd and download option seems a good way of keeping all camps happy.

Yes, I much prefer to have some physical product in my hands as that appeals to the collector side of me. Bill's artwork is always stunning and the manufacturing quality always that bit better than you can do at home. However, the flac downloads enable me to burn a cd that gives me music quality bit-identical to a manufactured cd, so the music I get to hear is exactly the same as as the cd release. Score Collector 0, Music Lover 1.

Theoretically, downloads could offer 24 bit recordings, so it's a possible route for even better audio than cd but if there is a 16 bit step in the mixing chain, then there's little to be gained from this.

Bill Nelson · **Joined:** Sun Apr 03, 2005 4:40 pm **Posts:** 14139

BG wrote:

500 really isn't good enough, especially for those in different time zones

Of course 500 isn't good enough...especially for me...it halves my potential cd sales and therefore halves my potential income. But the cd manufacturer works in increments of 500, as I've already explained in various posts. I can't ask for 750, 510, whatever, it has to be in increments of 500 discs. So to bump up the physical quantity would require me returning to the 1000 cd production run which, as I've also explained elsewhere, doesn't work either, (witness the boxes of unsold cds on SOS' warehouse shelves...and the dead financial investment those unsold albums represent.)

If enough people bought the cds to warrant pressing 1000 copies, there wouldn't be a problem. But waiting over 7 years for 1000 discs to sell out is impractical and unsustainable. At the moment it seems that the most sensible way to keep the music available is to offer a digital download version of the album, once the physical ones have sold out. Nothing's perfect but, as has been noted by others, no-one need now miss out on enjoying the music...and whilst the income from this is more modest, at least it's a little more dependable.

Dar 13.1 · **Joined:** Sun Dec 30, 2012 11:03 am **Posts:** 6465

BG wrote:

MondoJohnny wrote:

You got it all wrong man! It's not like he wanted to do this! He had to cut down the production. Then because he realized people weren't even going to get any music at all, he decided to give in to something he has been fervently fighting against for years. And all that just since I've been around! Bill has stated in no uncertain terms many times that he is against the idea but what can he do? Let's see that picture again of all the CDs still sitting on the shelf. If that doesn't break your heart then you are made of stone!

A picture of a kitten in a microwave breaks my heart, all that ruined glass . . as to the question of who buys the CD's and uploads them to sell , its is common knowledge those naughty sites buy music from just about every artist and label themselves - they make enough money ripping, stealing and selling this music to cover the initial outlay cost of the CD - all this conspiracy theory malarky reminds me of a Quentin Crisp quote - ' There is no Great Dark Man ' - man !

Makes more sense than anything. They don't discriminate ; they take whatever will sell. It's just (shady) business.

MondoJohnny · **Posted:** Wed Jul 03, 2013 4:08 pm

BG wrote:

A picture of a kitten in a microwave breaks my heart, all that ruined glass . . as to the question of who buys the CD's and uploads them to sell , its is common knowledge those naughty sites buy music from just about every artist and label themselves - they make enough money ripping, stealing and selling this music to cover the initial outlay cost of the CD - all this conspiracy theory malarky reminds me of a Quentin Crisp quote - ' There is no Great Dark Man ' - man !

Ha! Well ok then!

The fact still stands that unless a thousand CDs can get sold it just not commercially viable to make that many. That's my theory anyway! :lol:

Analog · **Posted:** Wed Jul 03, 2013 4:55 pm

Bill Nelson wrote:

I can't ask for 750, 510, whatever, it has to be in increments of 500 discs. So to bump up the physical quantity would require me returning to the 1000 cd production run which, as I've also explained elsewhere, doesn't work either, (witness the boxes of unsold cds on SOS' warehouse shelves...and the dead financial investment those unsold albums represent.)

Mr. Nelson,

Just out of curiosity, what is the production run for a Cherry Red re-issue, and would the crowd that press their titles press in smaller increments? If they are amenable to smaller production runs, maybe the way to go would be 500 initially through SOS and then immediately as they sell out, a production run in the smallest quantity that the Cherry Red suppliers will produce, just so your entire catalogue is always available for old and new fans alike to add to their collections.

The board statistics regarding newly registered members indicate that your fan base is growing and certainly many would, I'm sure, avail themselves of your back catalogue if it were still available. The Cherry Red re-issues are of a quality standard that is without peer and would help out if the initial pressings sold out quickly enough. Most of the talk on this board is centered around the SOS pressing quantity so I am curios as to how Cherry Red might impact on your pressing more than 500, but not necessarily 1,000 of any title.

By the way - LOVE "Blip 2", and thanks for making this more widely available.

www.billnelson.com

Blip! - last few copies

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