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Dumb record companies

Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4976
Printed Date: 07 June 2025 at 4:22am
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Topic: Dumb record companies

Posted By: Brian W.
Subject: Dumb record companies
Date Posted: 01 June 2009 at 9:56pm

Well, looks like we will probably never see the release of the 45 version of "The Chipmunk Song" on CD

I've suggested a "Chipmunks: Complete Liberty Singles" set several times on the Steve Hoffman website site. (Remember, he was in charge of mastering the recent "Gary Lewis Complete Liberty Singles," using all the right tapes for a change.)

Finally Ed Osborne, producer of the "Complete Singles" line, responded:

CCM requested a Chipmunks package and could not get permission.

Wha?! Can you believe that?

Steve Hoffman had this to add:

Honestly though, with the state of the Music Biz these days, to refuse a Chipmunks comp to a notable third party is just short of ludicrous.

When I first started at Dunhill (DCC Compact Classics) we asked EMI for a list of stuff we could license from them (this was May, 1987). They sent over this:

"We can give you BOZO". (as in "Bozo The Capitol Clown")

Swear to God that's what they sent over.

Marshall ran in to the staff: "Guess what, we got BOZO!"

He saved that memo for years. Classic. Had a good laugh over that one, for years!

Ed Osborne then added:

DCC should have asked them "Which Bozo?" since there were/are so many walking the halls of the corporate music biz.

It's rare to find an industry that refuses to make money off its assets. Over ninety percent of any label's catalog is just sitting there, gathering dust.

It's like the crew members of the Titanic refusing to use the lifeboats just in case they really needed them some day.

Egad.

Replies:

Posted By: Hykker
Date Posted: 02 June 2009 at 5:22am

First question, who owns the rights to the Chipmunks? Ross Bagdasarian's estate perhaps? Could be that they, not EMI is the bottleneck.

Secondly, realistically, how many copies of a Chipmunks box set are likely to sell? Sounds like a money-losing proposition to me.

Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 02 June 2009 at 8:12am

Hykker wrote:

Secondly, realistically, how many copies of a Chipmunks box set are likely to sell? Sounds like a money-losing proposition to me.

Well, even if it were, it wouldn't be EMI that was losing the money, it would be Collector's Choice, and they wouldn't have requested it if they thought it would be a flop. The Chipmunks have been selling records and CDs for 50 years... I'd argue the sales potential of that was far greater than that of the three-disc Jay & the Americans they've got coming out.

Anyway, the whole gist of the post was not just confined to the Chipmunks. It was the major record labels letting their catalog product gather dust instead of licensing them out to other parties who might actually make a little money off them.

Posted By: sriv94
Date Posted: 02 June 2009 at 9:11am

OK, I'll bite. Is there a difference between the 45 and LP, other than a mono mix vs. stereo mix?

-------------
Doug
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All of the good signatures have been taken.

Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 02 June 2009 at 10:20am

sriv94 wrote:

OK, I'll bite. Is there a difference between the 45 and LP, other than a mono mix vs. stereo mix?

Yes, that's been covered in several threads here. The 45 has a completely different take of the vocal for the entire first verse. It's never appeared on CD.