It hasn't happened here, really, but finally being on the side of the "definite buyers", and I suppose "hardcore fans", something has just really clicked for me about why music in surround/high-res doesn't sell.
On another forum, where there is a particularly long thread about this release (currently over 700 posts), a conservative estimate is that 30-40% are complaining about the price, not of the Locked N' Loaded Edition (US $999) but of the Super Deluxe Edition ($179).
Now, remember, this release was just announced yesterday, and we have heard at best
one song that will be in the set, assuming the mastering is identical. $180 is the list price of the set, and in all likelihood, it will be available for less online between now and June 29th. Yet, literally dozens of people are already proclaiming that they won't buy the release, or that it should be a lower (or significantly lower) price, or that a cheaper variant is missing some crucial component (e.g., there is no "vanilla" CD/Blu-ray Audio for less). While most posts are just taking in details or asking questions, already the number of complainers dwarfs the number of people who seem actively excited for this release.
For me, as a fan of this band and album, it is extremely deflating to see so much negativity
already, well before anyone has gotten their sets, and well before anyone has even heard 99% of the music on offer. While I should think this is only a vocal minority, I nonetheless cannot imagine how it would feel to be from GNR or Geffen/Universal Music, and go online and see this kind of reaction happening less than 24 hours after the release is announced. I imagine that multiple people worked very hard on this release, and tried to cater to as many consumers as possible by offering several different packages. I'm sure that Universal Music wants to make money, so yes, some things are not ideal, but I still think at the end of the day, for an artist as big as Guns N' Roses, the band and the label and everyone else did a pretty good job setting up this release, much better than a few more legendary (read: older) artists and bands from major labels who have released similar product on a much more exclusive and restrictive basis. Of course, there have also been several releases that surprise with how inexpensive/valuable they are, and while this GNR release isn't necessarily one of those, I don't think the price-to-content ratio merits the level of derision I have seen in that thread, and also in a few other "comments" sections online.
And so now, I have a new, clearer perspective on why so many popular artists have stayed away from things like Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-A, and the like, and why there are so few truly special releases from popular artists (and major labels) anymore. I think this one will be worth the wait, and there is always the possibility I'll be disappointed, but I'm honestly just really happy to be able to even order something like this from one of my favorite artists, and I wish the grouches on the other forums and sites would go away, at least until the sets are released, and then they can all pick apart and argue over the build quality of the memorabilia and the sound quality of the remastering.
