Slashdot Mirror


Columbia Japan Music On Demand, On CD-R

jwlidtnet writes "It seems as if Columbia Records Japan has instituted a series of 'albums on demand' -- written on CDR media (warning: page in Japanese). Granted, most of the items currently offered are Japanese in origin, but this is indicative of a record label that realizes how to embrace *some* aspect of the technological revolution! Various industry types have been espousing this method for years as an antidote to artificial concepts of media supply and demand (e.g. that Big Record Label cannot support small acts as it must press x copies of the album), and as Columbia seems to be offering mostly old catalogue items, this is an encouraging solution to the problem of the control of out-of-print recordings. One final note: of course, a system like this is only as useful as its retailer support, and it appears as if both Tower Records Japan and HMV Japan carry these CDR releases."

5 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. reportage by MacAndrew · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I love these opinion-free stories!

    Not that I disagree with the submitter's bias, and he/she is very up-front about it. :) Interesting contrast to the mainstream press which usually tries to appear impartial.

  2. Re: Technology by grumm3t · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't think it's a matter of technology, but rather the ethics behind doing what the people want.

  3. This would be cool... by rickthewizkid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... if I could gert *any* music track I wanted... even out of print stuff. I would gladly pay, say, $1 per song and pay $15 for a CD filled with stuff I *like* - that may be no longer "officially" available - and not have one or two tracks I like and 13 crappy tracks....

    RickTheWizKid

  4. Re:It's much easier for me.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    It's a lost course - the record industry is already dead... why? Because they failed to keep up with, and use, technology.

    If this was supposed to be anything close to revolutionary, they should provide DVD discs with ogg-vorbis or mp3-files.

    How about an "All music made in 2002"-compilation?

    Selling CDRs is 10years too late. This is NOT being progressive.

    \\hornet

  5. Columbia Japan by Tom+Bombadill · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I find it interesting that Columbia Japan is the first to offer this service.
    Columbia is notorious in Japan for being out of touch with modern music and really bad at promotion for decades. Someone new must be at the helm.

    I also have to wonder how much money the artist will see. I have family who have hundreds of songs recorded with Columbia, mostly in the older catalogs. I will be very curious to hear if any money at all ever reaches them.

    My father in law has around seven hundred recordings with Columbia Japan. If anyone will hear from them I expect him to.

    My expectations are low however, I know Columbia was selling some tapes from the older catalog with my mother in law's works without ever contacting her.