Varese Bag 9/11/00
Compiled by Lukas Kendall
Oh my. Following are the letters we received in response to Varese Sarabande
producer Robert Townson's letter about CD lengths in August.
This is kind of an annual topic for us.
From: "Prytz, John (DPL)" <John.Prytz@aph.gov.au>
I buy a lot of soundtracks, including many titles produced by Varese
Sarabande, and that I would rather have a 30 minute soundtrack CD than
no CD at all. Quite obviously economics must play a role in whether a soundtrack
is released commercially and what length it is going to be. Varese Sarabande
is a commercial firm which must show a profit (or at least break even)
at the end of the day. And clearly, not all films have 120 minutes of music
in them. If a film has 30 minutes of score, and the soundtrack CD to that
film has 30 minutes of score, nobody can gripe! And while more/longer tends
to be better (more music for your buck), I don't quite share the obsession
many soundtrack fans have with length and completeness. I don't feel I
need to have every note that was in any film ever released or every note
that any particular film composer ever wrote. I am pleased to tell Mr.
Townson that on the whole I've been quite happy with Varese Sarabande and
the length of their soundtrack CDs. What gripes I do have relate to quality
control (the recent electronic noise in track 22 of "Arabian Nights"
for example) and the often lack of liner notes in new release soundtrack
CD booklets. Finally, I'm pleased to note that I'm one of the happy customers
who bought the TV soundtrack to "On the Beach". (I'm sure more
than 137 copies sold if you take into account overseas customers of which
I am one. Still, I quite agree the quantity sold is quite a pathetic number.)
I hope Varese Sarabande keeps up the good work and I'll look forward to
buying their products in the years ahead.
From: Fisccm@aol.com
In response to the letter from Robert Townson: I definately would
prefer a 30 minute CD to no CD at all.
From: Frank Raitter <steve01@epix.net>
I found the letter on soundtrack CDs very interesting and would
like to comment on my buying habits. Yes, I prefer longer disks and will
re-purchase an old favorite for additional music. I will also buy shorter
cds if it's a score I really like. Over the years of collecting, I've come
to feel it's the music that matters. However, I don't get to see as many
movies as I did in days of old and find myself purchasing fewer new soundtracks.
In the case of ON THE BEACH, I do not get the channel it played on and
seldom purchase music without hearing it or being familar with the composer.
I suspect one of the reasons that this cd is not selling well it the show
has not yet aired in syndication. I also like the recent trend to re-record
some classic music such as PSYCHO or the universal Frankenstein films.
From: Jackie Holstein <stanleykubrick70@mindspring.com>
I am glad this was brought up again. I have yet to see What Lies
Beneath but I was curious about the score for the film. Just because Alan
Silvestri scored the other Zemeckis film Death Becomes Her which to me
took me back to Herrmann's scores for The Trouble with Harry and Psycho.
I picked up the CD saw the running times of each track and quickly looked
at the record label and said to myself .. " [deleted] figures!"
From: "DJ Dr. Funkle" <megatronman@hotmail.com>
Mr. Townson's defense of his CD lengths is effective and convincing.
If not for Varese, the world would be a less satisfying place to inhabit.
I think collectors attack the CD lengths as cover for some other painful
episodes like all the missing music from Total Recall and shit like that.
It's hard to forget that stuff.
People who would complain about the length of a CD like Demolition
Man -- which is 30 minutes but better than anything in the last 7 years
-- are too stupid to be of concern anyway. Ditto for the people who would
actually buy Shanghai Noon.
And that's the crux of the issue: I'm sitting around wondering why
Varese doesn't spend some of the money they spent on On The Beach -- people
don't even know what the hell that is -- and invest it in something else,
like putting out Predator or "Jerry Goldsmith rarities" or something
with at least some interest and awareness. Or how about licensing some
Goblin scores so I don't have to pay goddamn import prices? And what the
hell is up with Nelson -- the long-haired blond rockers from the 80's?
One of their recent CDs has the Varese logo on it -- what the hell?
Also, Townson's attempt to blame CD collectors for why he hasn't
released certain scores is a fascinating blend of rationalization and hubris.
What is he talking about? As far as I can tell, every last fabulous score
by James Newton Howard, John Debney, Graeme Revell and Joe LoDuca has seen
the light of day. What more can I ask for?
And if Townson thinks people are pirating MP3's of Joel Goldsmith's
score to Diamonds, he has a skewed perception of reality. Soundtrack buyers
are anal, annoying humans who cannot do without the original jewel cases
in their hands. If a soundtrack fan wants the score to Diamonds, you can
bet he's gonna plunk 17.99 down at Tower Records.
From: "Luis Miguel Ramos" <mikeramos@telcel.net.ve>
Having read Robert Townson's letter on your web page, it's understandable
the situation that he, and Varese Sarabande, have to face every time they
release a CD. I mean, let's face it: Varese has been the only label that
has taken a particular interest in film music. Certainly there are other
labels releasing soundtracks, but nothing like Varese.
I remember that I was one collector who was affected by those 30-minute
CDs, especially when I considered Jerry Goldsmith's Executive Decision
the best action score of 1996. Varese was going to release the CD, and
I wanted to buy it desperately. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered
that the length of that CD was 29:37. There was plenty of music in that
film, and there were only thirty minutes on that Varese release. I even
wrote a letter to them explaining my dissatisfaction.
Two years later, I read your Mail Bag regarding those 30-minute
CDs of Varese Sarabande (FSM, Vol. 3, No. 8). There was a letter by Robert
Townson explaining why the release of those short recordings: the use of
union musicians when the music is recorded in Los Angeles, the re-use fees,
etc. I also remember a bunch of letters from displeased collectors like
me because of that situation, and Lukas playing the role of the devil's
advocate. However Mr. Townson's response and explanation made perfect sense
to me. It took me a while to discover that if Varese released film music
recorded in L.A. with a higher duration, and if a certain amount of copies
of the CDs were not sold, they would probably go broke.
Mr, Townson, I know what you are going through. Not only do I respect
your position, I admire you for that. Now I am the kind of collector who
prefers to have the CD, no matter how long it is, to have nothing at all.
From: BobSiska@aol.com
I think Mr. Townson's decision to sparingly release sub-35 minute
CDs is a good one. Since many of my favorite releases are from his label,
I will continue to support it. Probably a third of my soundtrack-buying
dollars go for Varese CDs, and I particularly enjoy the re-recordings of
the classics.
From: Mathieu Beauregard <mbeauregard@lexitech.ca>
I thought the 30-minute Varese CDs debate was over. After getting
releases with the help of fan power (e.g. Superman), we are now seeing
the negative effect of fans' influence. If some titles are not released
just because they would be 30 minutes CDs, like Mr Townson is suggesting,
I think it's sad. My soundtrack collection includes many Varese Sarabande
CDs and most are around the 30-minute mark. So what? Like it has been said
many times before: IT'S BETTER THAT NO CD AT ALL! And in some cases, I
prefer not having every single note. For example, I really like the Scream
3 score but, as a listening experience, I don't think I'd sit through all
of it if it were longer than 32:45. Of course, it's only natural to want
the most for the money and when a score I like is released with a longer
duration, I'm happy. I just don't think duration should be a determining
factor for every score releases.
From: "MARK LENEKER" <mtodd8@hotmail.com>
It's possible contractual obligations necessitate NOT taking this
route, but I wonder if Varese has ever thought of using the Limited Pressing
Agreement (which generally reduces artist costs in half when printing under
10,000 CDs). I believe this AFM contract was intended for direct to phonograph
recordings, not a secondary product like the OST to a film and re-use fees,
but it seems it wouldn't take too much wrangling to adapt this contract
to soundtrack releases. Might be a reasonable idea to pursue as many soundtracks
likely sell only a few thousand units as it is.
From: Dennis J Logsdon <logied@juno.com>
I have a few comments on Townson's letter. These are thoughts that
popped into my mind as I read the letter and hope to add dialogue to the
conversation.
I find it interesting that you refer to everyone as COLLECTORS,
not fans, not clients, not customers. It is only because the letter was
on FSM?
As a collector the proliferation of bootlegs, MP3's and services
like Napster have had NO impact on my buying and are seldom used.
I would love to have ON THE BEACH, but it has not been bought for
the following reasons, 1. I will not buy it until I hear it. I could not
see the movie have no method of hearing the score before hand. Most of
the soundbits I heard were to short and poor to make a decision.
2. At no time has the selection of good scores been better. In fact
your reissues alone have reduced my available monies to buy scores of lesser
interest.
My last comment is; As a collector, I have yet to buy a score based
on the length. Most comments about score length comes up after the score
is deemed popular and develops fans that want more of the same. I don,t
envey your position in determining this before hand.
If it is of any interest I have bought 6 cds from your list.
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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