The Future of Physical-Music Retailing?

edited December 2010 in Bricks & Mortar
YepRoc just sent me a notice about Gang Of Four's new album CONTENT, which (in addition to the usual CD package) will be released in a Deluxe Box Set - apparently a rectangular metal "can" that will contain "vials of the band members' blood."

Presumably this is an ironic commentary on the state of physical music retailing in the digital age, considering who it's coming from. Nevertheless, I predict other bands will follow suit, and that eventually those of us who still purchase physical CD's will be getting many, many samples of blood, sweat, hair, toenail-clippings, bits of skin, belly-lint, boogers, spooge, and various forms of excreta from our favorite recording artists with each new release.

I'm already making space in my medicine cabinet! (Though I might store the spooge in the freezer, just in case.)

Comments

  • Gang of Four is on YepRoc? It's not the original quartet, is it?
  • I just lernt a new word, spooge.

    Isn't learning wonderful?
  • Back in the day, there was a Kiss comic book that was supposed to have been printed with ink mixed with blood from the band members.

    tumblr_l75060gTq31qa9h8wo1_500.jpg

    You can't make this stuff up/! Yes, I once owned a copy.
  • Gang of Four is on YepRoc? It's not the original quartet, is it?
    No, it's just Jon King and Andy Gill.

    They already released one "new" record - actually re-recordings of stuff from the first three albums, called Return the Gift. Not sure why they did that - must've been skint, I guess - but CONTENT will be the first genuinely new album of new material from Go4 (or what they're calling Go4) since 1991, I believe. Almost 20 years! They were probably just waiting for that whole "silly CD craze" to die down before they got back into the game, so to speak.
  • timtim
    edited December 2010
    ...Return the Gift. Not sure why they did that - must've been skint....

    They didn't see a dime off those songs the first time 'round, and still don't get any royalties from the original releases. If you care ANYTHING about Go4, and have any affection at all for those first few records, this is your chance to actually PAY THE BAND.

    I bought these a couple of times each on vinyl, and again on CD, but I was thrilled to be able to contribute a few dollars that, for the very first time, went into the right pockets.

    Karma notwithstanding, it's a nice little collection that sounds really really good.
  • Andy Gill's guitar is that essence rare and it is definitely what I live for.
  • edited December 2010
    So I just got an e-mail from Gang of Four with the same info on the box set:
    The Ultimate C O N T E N T Can

    **Only Available 12/1-12/15**



    To celebrate the release of C O N T E N T, Gang of Four has personally designed the limited-edition Ultimate C O N T E N T Can. Pictured on the cover of the standard CD and vinyl version, the Ultimate C O N T E N T Can contains the album and all the great items listed below. A must have for Gang of Four fans and chroniclers of pop culture alike.

    Each Ultimate C O N T E N T Can contains:
    * CD copy of C O N T E N T including the track "2nd Life," exclusively available with this package
    * Smells Book: Scratch n' Sniff book reflecting key areas of human activity
    * History Book: art piece on ceramic tiles depicting the last 40 years of world history
    * Blood Book: vials of the band's blood!
    * Emotions Book: Rotoscoped photographs of the band's emotions
    * Words Book: lyrics

    It's $49.99. Is it weird that I almost want it? It's weird, isn't it.

    Craig
  • No, it is not weird. In a better world, it would not only be appropriate, it would be tax-deductible...
  • edited December 2010
    Could be worse...

    edit: Board did not like the original url on that link! Or could it be that Wikipedia redirects...?
  • edited December 2010
    I was thinking about using the ceramic tiles to fix the backsplash in my kitchen, actually.

    I guess this is similar to what XTC started to do about 10 years ago - once they got out of their Virgin contract they started releasing demos, box sets of various descriptions, all sorts of things. The latest thing Andy Partridge has released is (was?) a limited-edition CD called "Powers," inspired by the covers of old sci-fi paperbacks:

    powerslge-213x300.jpg

    Next up is supposed to be another b-sides collection called "Bric-a-Brac Breakfast," which I guess is for b-sides released after "Rag & Bone Buffet," except that there weren't all that many - once they got into the 90's they started releasing demos as b-sides, and those have all been released as part of the 8-CD "Fuzzy Warbles" collection. They also recently released a "proper" vinyl reissue of "Skylarking," as the Virgin and Geffen vinyl releases came out in the late 80's when nobody cared about vinyl anymore, so apparently they were substandard in some way. The big draw there, though, is that the cover has the original not-quite-pornographic artwork, not the "censored" version that the labels insisted on.

    People like me keep buying all this stuff, and you have to feel bad that they didn't get paid for their major-label releases... but at some point you just have to say "enough is enough." If there's a reason to buy C O N T E N T, it's because it's new material music-wise, not because you get blood and odorama along with it. Besides, those metal cans are too big to be filed with your other CD's - I have that same problem with the "Repo Man" special-edition DVD. Where do you put something like that? If you put it on top of your bookcase, the cat will just knock it over.
  • @ScissorMan what you want to keep nick-knacks in place is Museum Putty. Your home center should have it. You may find it more economical to apply the Museum Putty to the cat to keep it in place. We've got about a half-dozen felines here, and my wife has everything on the hutch of her workstation stuck down with Museum Putty.
  • I saw the reunited Gang of Four on tour a few years ago in DC, with what I believe to be the same lineup they have now, and it was a tremendous show. I'm on board to check out the new stuff.

    @Doofy, I also owned the KISS comic book back in the day. I have no recollection of tossing it, and I'm somewhat of a pack rat when it comes to stuff like that, but I lost track of my copy years ago. Still have some KISS Army stickers though.
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