Something to note regarding sales figures of past Universal albums is that it's been 15 years since that first Marco Polo recording appeared, and a whole host of Baby Boomers have died and/or lost their retirement/spending funds, and the entire music industry has changed, and what sold a dozen years ago is not relevant to what will sell today.
While YOU might still be alive and love scores of the past, there are many others who have not been so lucky! Even though we still plan to do more albums featuring classic horror/monster scores of the past, we do not believe for one minute that they will sell as well as our previous releases of the past.
Something to note regarding sales figures of past Universal albums is that it's been 15 years since that first Marco Polo recording appeared, and a whole host of Baby Boomers have died and/or lost their retirement/spending funds, and the entire music industry has changed, and what sold a dozen years ago is not relevant to what will sell today.
While YOU might still be alive and love scores of the past, there are many others who have not been so lucky! Even though we still plan to do more albums featuring classic horror/monster scores of the past, we do not believe for one minute that they will sell as well as our previous releases of the past.
Understood. I guess my point, though is that A&C Meet Frankie is enduringly popular. It's one of those movies that boomers introduce to their children early and I know hardly anyone older than five who hasn't seen it. By contrast, I barely know anyone my age (48) or younger (who's not a deep film fan) who has even heard of Charge of the Light Brigade or Prince and the Pauper, let alone seen them. In other words, as much as there is a market for golden age film music, it seems to me A&C would find a happy reception in it.
I think it would have been a lot more saleable 30 years ago. I really do. If I asked any kid today about this title, they would know Frankenstein, but they would be clueless about A&C.
A recording of this will be a Vanity recording. I doubt highly that it will sell. That's the way it is.
You are probably hanging around a group of people VERY similar to you, because 90% of all the children I know older than five haven't even heard of Abbott and Costello, and 99% of them have never seen any of their pictures, let alone noticed the music in them and wanted to own the music. As my wife teaches in three schools, she can attest to the fact that kids today who have heard of anyone who was famous before 1990 are a dying breed. As far as 1948 is concerned, well -- forget it! They don't even know who John Wayne or Bob Hope or Bing Crosby or President Kennedy were!
As I said, there aren't a lot of Boomers left who obsessively collect film scores from 1940s horror films. If you think that any of these boomer's children are going to support the 3,000 or more copies a manufacturer is probably going to want to sell at the very least, you're mistaken. If they like the music at all, they'll just download it for free from somewhere, because that's basically what boomer kids do. Again, just because somebody likes a film doesn' t mean he or she cares one whit about the music in it. This is something film music fans just can't seem to understand. There are people out there equally obsessive about continuity problems or make-up or the origin of props in the movies, but that doesn't mean you or I care or notice things like that when we watch our favorite pictures. There are many reasons people love the cinema, and the music aspect of it is one of the tiniest sub-cultures of them all.
You are probably hanging around a group of people VERY similar to you, because 90% of all the children I know older than five haven't even heard of Abbott and Costello, and 99% of them have never seen any of their pictures, let alone noticed the music in them and wanted to own the music. As my wife teaches in three schools, she can attest to the fact that kids today who have heard of anyone who was famous before 1990 are a dying breed. As far as 1948 is concerned, well -- forget it! They don't even know who John Wayne or Bob Hope or Bing Crosby or President Kennedy were!
As I said, there aren't a lot of Boomers left who obsessively collect film scores from 1940s horror films. If you think that any of these boomer's children are going to support the 3,000 or more copies a manufacturer is probably going to want to sell at the very least, you're mistaken. If they like the music at all, they'll just download it for free from somewhere, because that's basically what boomer kids do. Again, just because somebody likes a film doesn' t mean he or she cares one whit about the music in it. This is something film music fans just can't seem to understand. There are people out there equally obsessive about continuity problems or make-up or the origin of props in the movies, but that doesn't mean you or I care or notice things like that when we watch our favorite pictures. There are many reasons people love the cinema, and the music aspect of it is one of the tiniest sub-cultures of them all.
So true. A good many friends of mine love the movies, love the obscurata, but care not one WHIT for movie music in particular.
Anna, Bill and John know that we'll all love whatever they choose to produce, whenever they choose to produce it. As to the commercial viability of another Skinner Universal monster release, I personally think there are always imponderables, and it would be as wrong for anyone to predict failure for A & C M F as it would be for someone else to predict success.
I will say that if they DO choose to record A & C M F -- and hey, it was their idea in the first place! -- John and Bill will put their hearts into it. God knows the Main and End Titles Bill conducted at the pops concert in San Pedro last Halloween were a big hit with the crowd. The audience, it's very true, isn't getting younger, and the music isn't getting younger. But John and Bill are getting better all the time, and the aesthetic value of this wonderful music seems to only increase as time goes by. We can only hope.
PS: Everything I just wrote about Skinner and A & C M F applies equally to Schumann and THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER -- but John and Bill already know that.
You are probably hanging around a group of people VERY similar to you, because 90% of all the children I know older than five haven't even heard of Abbott and Costello, and 99% of them have never seen any of their pictures, let alone noticed the music in them and wanted to own the music. As my wife teaches in three schools, she can attest to the fact that kids today who have heard of anyone who was famous before 1990 are a dying breed. As far as 1948 is concerned, well -- forget it! They don't even know who John Wayne or Bob Hope or Bing Crosby or President Kennedy were!
As I said, there aren't a lot of Boomers left who obsessively collect film scores from 1940s horror films. If you think that any of these boomer's children are going to support the 3,000 or more copies a manufacturer is probably going to want to sell at the very least, you're mistaken. If they like the music at all, they'll just download it for free from somewhere, because that's basically what boomer kids do. Again, just because somebody likes a film doesn' t mean he or she cares one whit about the music in it. This is something film music fans just can't seem to understand. There are people out there equally obsessive about continuity problems or make-up or the origin of props in the movies, but that doesn't mean you or I care or notice things like that when we watch our favorite pictures. There are many reasons people love the cinema, and the music aspect of it is one of the tiniest sub-cultures of them all.
I'm prepared to let this go, as you are in this business and know it well, but to take your dying boomer argument to its logical conclusion, why record pre-50s Hollywood music at all? I didn't quite mean that kids would want A&C score, but was suggesting that the movie is one that gets passed on, like King Kong, say. It has a contemporary profile (that extends beyond my social circle I'm sure) in a way that She and Light Brigade do not, which would leave me to believe there's some kind of audience for it. Perhaps a more commercial option would be to forego the complete score and include a representative cue or two in a Gerhardt-style compilation devoted to Skinner. He has a fair number of high profile credits, the Sirk pictures, for instance. Or maybe make classic comedies or comedy stars the focus.
Maybe I'm grabbing at straws but I really want this sucker.
"Perhaps a more commercial option would be to forego the complete score and include a representative cue or two in a Gerhardt-style compilation devoted to Skinner. He has a fair number of high profile credits, the Sirk pictures, for instance. "
Skinner was one of a handful that escaped that Universal music department factory anonimity under Gershenson to actually have full score credits in those 1950's Ross Hunter-Douglas Sirk potboilers. Not to mention, any number of soundtrack lps, all very good- BACK STREET, IMITATION OF LIFE, MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES, MADAME X, SHENANDOAH (OK, not a soap opera), and WRITTEN ON THE WIND. He was quite good, in a glossy, Hollywood schmaltzy way.
And he was even better than that, writing for non-schmaltzy movies like HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES, THE WOLF MAN, HARVEY, and -- ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN.
If we are led to believe that re-recorded score sales have dwindled(mainly due to the age of the material and buyers), why in heavens name are they going ahead with CURSE OF THE DEMON, CRACK IN THE WORLD, and ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS - three films with a lot less noteriety than A&C MEET FRANKENSTIEN?
If we are led to believe that re-recorded score sales have dwindled(mainly due to the age of the material and buyers), why in heavens name are they going ahead with CURSE OF THE DEMON, CRACK IN THE WORLD, and ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS - three films with a lot less noteriety than A&C MEET FRANKENSTIEN?
Who is going ahead with these three scores????????
Dog-gone it. David gets all the good stuff! And his label steals our fonts.
I think we'll record short suites including the INDIANA MARCH, STAR WARS main title, TITANIC main-title, Beethoven's 5th, 1st movement, GONE WITH THE WIND main title, PSYCHO shower murder, KINGS ROW main title, and THE REAL McCOYS with vocal.
Haven't you all heard of those Crack in the World fans? They know the dialog by heart, gather for conventions, do role-playing games on the internet. This thing is HUGE! Marky Mark and Beyonce are starring in the mega budget remake directed by Jan de Bont for Paramount. Audience awareness isn already tracking high and didn't somebody say "Oscar?"
I'm telling you, people will be ALL OVER that rerecording when it comes out.
