Beatles Revolver Box Set (Dolby Atmos Mix available for streaming; No Blu-Ray)

[GOS]

wrt BluRay, The sales numbers on the Revolver sets will certainly tell us how important the Blu-ray’s were in driving purchases. While important to us surround fanatics and the audiophiles, I don’t think the general buying public will care about it.

Who knows how many purchases the below graphic represents....

 

[Rickenbacker]

For what it's worth, I'm waiting this out to see which precedent is set by this box. It will be either:

1. The first legally downloadable Atmos mix (in this case, with a download card, a GOOD precedent), or
2. The first super deluxe edition that requires a subscription to hear the multichannel or Atmos mix (a BAD precedent).

Correct me if I'm wrong about either. Like many of you I'm expecting it to be the latter, but I'm holding out a little hope that it's the former.

I won't rent music. It's not like I don't OWN multiple copies of Revolver already.

100% what really sticks in my craw is that even in days of iTunes, when you would purchase a downloadable track, the fine print stated that this was a limited, licensed use. Furthermore, the terms went on to say that it did not guarantee it would always be available.
There was an article years ago written for a prominent publication where the author mentioned that when he noticed selections from his iTunes were missing, he went to the cloud to get the back-ups.
Surprise! They were also missing from the cloud.
The takeaway was that any virtual/digital purchases need to also be backed up to a separate hard drive or USB.
Failing that, don't expect your virtual music to always be there.

This is why I like my shiny aluminum (and gold) discs.

 

[Bill B]

Who knows how many purchases the below graphic represents....

View attachment 83324

That's kind of funny. Since all of these bands' peak years were at least 30+ years ago, the only thing you can infer from this is that older people are the only ones still buying CDs. Otherwise there would certainly be more current entries at the top. As I said above, I sure would like to see the sales of this box set compared to the previously released box sets with a blu-ray (in about a year).

 

[ar surround]

I won't rent music.

Doc, it seems that the future is to rent almost everything. Rent your home; rent your car; rent your films / TV shows; rent your software, etc. Who knows where this will all end up, but it's getting to the point where one will even have to rent the use of the family jewels...It's that absurd.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Who knows how many purchases the below graphic represents....

View attachment 83324

I find it interesting that Ozzy is outselling The Beatles; probably wouldn't be the case if it was closer to $100
or had a Surround Blu-ray in it! *(can you hear my disgust?)

 

[marcb]

Not sure anybody is saying he is. Certainly not me. He does use his twitter account though. He's a possible contact and key player.
If you know the appropriate contacts, by all means, please use them.

I believe Giles Martin has said he has no say or input into these decisions. i’m not sure why people think engineers have influence over product and distribution strategies.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Doc, it seems that the future is to rent almost everything. Rent your home; rent your car; rent your films / TV shows; rent your software, etc. Who knows where this will all end up, but it's getting to the point where one will even have to rent the use of the family jewels...It's that absurd.

And with the cost of RENTS today, AR, a lot of us should consider living OFF THE GRID.

As far as renting 'family jewels' ........ imagine the tax on a wild zucchini?

 

[sjcorne]

1. The first super deluxe edition that requires a subscription to hear the multichannel or Atmos mix (a BAD precedent).

There have already been several Super Deluxe reissues with streaming-only Atmos mixes:

• Tom Petty - Wildflowers & All The Rest
• Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...
• George Michael - Older
• Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

 

[marcb]

Jon, I have another angle on this that might be helpful. Why is surround music not appreciated, and listened to, by most people younger than boomers?

Hardware. very few people have or are buying BluRay players because everything they want to see and hear is available by streaming through their mobile devices and SMART tvs. Other than us surround and audiophile fanatics, no one cares about hi res stereo and surround content on a disc. Because of this, the availability of new ( and old) surround music on discs has been fading, and fading fast.

i sincerely believe that the best hope for seeing surround music availability survive are the recent initiatives like those between Apple, Tidal and the record companies. In the last 9 months with Apple Music, I’ve listened to more “ new to me” surround music than I did in all the years since the early 2000’s when I bought one of the first Pioneer Cd/DVDA/SACD players and gleefully listed to Roxy Music Avalon.

there are also financial benefits. For $11 a month I have virtually unlimited access to an huge amount of recorded music including lots of surround content. Included in this were the Super Deluxe surround content found on Rolling Stones GHS, many of the Elton John recordings, Abbey Road, Let it Be, Get Back, All Things Must Pass, Beatles 1 in ATMOS and many more. Do the math….if I purchased 10 of those deluxe sets on disc, at $120 ea, it would have cost me $1200. Instead I spent $132 with Apple. My only slight concern is that at the present time, streaming ATMOS is lossy compared to content on a disc, but I would expect/ hope that this will change at some point with further advancements in the technology.

What do you think the margin is on those $120 box sets? You spend $1,200 - ONCE - but the label makes a small fraction of that. Lots of other fingers in that pie. And the label is at your mercy as to whether or when or how much you’re willing to spend.

Whereas streaming can provide a steady, predictable, perpetual and higher margin revenue stream which also provides near complete control over the intellectual property.

Physical discs - particularly for surround music - are basically done. Sure, a few may bubble to the surface over the next few years for a few legacy acts trying to milk one last dime from older fans. However, by and large, they’re on-life support but effectively brain dead.

One can try to wishfully convince themselves that the powers-that-be are leaving money in the table. But in terms of long-term strategy, the net profit from a few thousand box sets is a pimple on a gnat’s ass.

The only hope is 1) we can get lossless surround via streaming and 2) the labels/streaming services don’t throw in the towel on home system Atmos and don’t go all in with headphones surround only.

 

[marcb]

There have already been several Super Deluxe reissues with streaming-only Atmos mixes:

• Tom Petty - Wildflowers & All The Rest
• Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...
• George Michael - Older
• Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

Those aren’t the only ones…

 

[key_wiz]

Honestly, because of the point you make, I have doubts about how much longer Super Deluxe CD sets will be offered.

wrt BluRay, The sales numbers on the Revolver sets will certainly tell us how important the Blu-ray’s were in driving purchases. While important to us surround fanatics and the audiophiles, I don’t think the general buying public will care about it.

I agree. The market for these set is, obviously, hardcore Beatles fans. Of which there are many. I don't think they need the blu-ray to move the units they hope to sell. The number of people so put off by this that the lack of a blu-ray is a deal breaker for them is probably in the low single-digits percentage-wise. I'd venture this ends up selling more copies than the Let It Be box just because it's a better/more popular album to being with.

 

[key_wiz]

The only hope is 1) we can get lossless surround via streaming and 2) the labels/streaming services don’t throw in the towel on home system Atmos and don’t go all in with headphones surround only.

My fear -- especially in light of what Warners is currently doing -- is that they all go to upmixes for surround. Certainly must be much cheaper to do, and as long as it can create some sort of surround-effect for those using headphones, how many listeners will know the difference or care?

 

[marcb]

My fear -- especially in light of what Warners is currently doing -- is that they all go to upmixes for surround. Certainly must be much cheaper to do, and as long as it can create some sort of surround-effect for those using headphones, how many listeners will know the difference or care?

Agree, I should have added upmixes as a concern to my comment as well.

 

[sjcorne]

My fear -- especially in light of what Warners is currently doing -- is that they all go to upmixes for surround. Certainly must be much cheaper to do, and as long as it can create some sort of surround-effect for those using headphones, how many listeners will know the difference or care?

Even well-done Atmos mixes by the likes of Steven Wilson or Bob Clearmountain don't give that pronounced of a surround effect through Apple Spatial. Ironically, the '70s quad mixes in Dolby Audio seem to translate better over headphones (likely due to the extreme separation of instruments).

 

[edisonbaggins]

Tweet has gone out toward the powers that be.
If any of you have Twitter accounts, consider liking, replying and retweeting.
Could help!

 

[key_wiz]

Tweet has gone out toward the powers that be.
If any of you have Twitter accounts, consider liking, replying and retweeting.
Could help!

Done!

 

[Guitmark]

Tweet has gone out toward the powers that be.
If any of you have Twitter accounts, consider liking, replying and retweeting.
Could help!

Done

 

[dr. simple]

There have already been several Super Deluxe reissues with streaming-only Atmos mixes:

• Tom Petty - Wildflowers & All The Rest
• Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music...
• George Michael - Older
• Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory

Ah, okay. I must have missed the discussion of these. Were these all situations in which the Atmos mix was expected with the SDE but not included, and was streaming on release day?

 

[marcb]

Ah, okay. I must have missed the discussion of these. Were these all situations in which the Atmos mix was expected with the SDE but not included, and was streaming on release day?

What do you mean by “expected”? “Expected” because it was originally indicated there would be one, but it ultimately wasn’t included? Or “expected” because people wishfully thought it would/should be included, but there was never any real indication it would be included?

Bottom line, many of the boxes released in the last 6-12 months did not include an atmos mix and there was never any pretense one would be included, but the atmos mix was available via streaming on the day of release (often with a preview track(s) available weeks or more in advance). The Stones‘ Tattoo You and El Macambo boxes, the Elton John Madness box, and so on.

I don’t recall a circumstance off the top of my head where an atmos mix was originally announced for inclusion but was ultimately withheld. But there may have been a few like this (and/or boxes where an erroneous announcement was made which was quickly corrected)

At this point, it’s more than a coincidence and is clearly a conscious strategy, IMO.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Just got home from record shopping.
27 albums for approximately the cost of the Revolver 5 CD (which could fit on 2 or 3 CDs) Deluxe set!