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There is no NEXT generation of dedicated film music collectors like us. Not in the numbers that would sustain the expense of putting out expensive expanded scores. 
You may well be right. Still, I have to pass this along...
A couple of months ago, one of my best friends, whom I've known since high school, told me her 14-year-old son loves the Star Wars movies -- and their music.
Of course, there's nothing especially unique about that, in the era of The Force Awakens and Rogue One, but I had an extra copy of The Phantom Menace, and a number of other scores CDs lying around (older, un-expanded editions, or duplicate copies, etc.) and I asked my friend if she thought her son would like them. "He'd probably love them!" she replied.
So I sent him The Phantom Menace, as well as my old CDs of Raiders, Superman, some of the old Bond scores, as well as Dances With Wolves, The Lion in Winter and the Ben-Hur/Quo Vadis 2-disc set.
He got a kick out of them. Yes, even Ben-Hur. So maybe there is a glimmer of hope.
My friend's son is probably not typical of most kids his age. But I still think it shows there will always be an audience that appreciates great film music from classic movies. It's clear by now that Williams' Star Wars scores are here to stay (as are Indiana Jones and his Harry Potter scores). After more than half a century, the James Bond Theme is still cool. Herrmann's music for Citizen Kane and the Hitchcock films won't be forgotten. The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur remain Passover / Easter traditions, and their scores will be remembered.
But sadly, the many great scores we've loved from obscure (or even bad) movies -- no matter how fine the music -- will probably be forgotten. I can't see future generations sharing my enthusiasm for Doppelganger, Heartbeeps, Twilight Zone: The Movie or Ruby Cairo.
Still, I'm boxing up another batch for my friend's son -- the old PEG Clash of the Titans CD, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek V and Hoosiers. We'll see how those go over...
Growing up, I was definitely not typical of most kids my age. In real life—that is, out there in the real world apart from this message board—I have encountered exactly one person with a similar interest in and appreciation of film scores. We exist; we simply aren't legion. But then, have film score fans ever been strong in number?
The idea that the world's existing film score fans are a dying breed, born out of a certain era, is categorically false. All it takes is that one score from a beloved movie to awaken the fire within and a new film score fan is born. Neither age nor era has anything to do with it. There will always be film score fans and in the same numbers as there always has been. Short of films ceasing to contain music any longer, I can't think of anything that would change this.
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Why do I get the feeling that the latest batch of Varese CD Club releases didn't sell very well...?
I am not involved with ANY sales figures at Varese. This analysis is with talking with MANY people in the industry, labels and others. This is MY personal opinion which is based on a variety of things, conversations and other. Thank you kindly.
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I still say it's the economy stupid.
yeah, and "brilliant' marketing decisions like putting out a 3cd set of WYATT EARP (!)
Once again, you speak from "authority"
We have sold nearly 2500 units of Wyatt Earp.
MV
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Posted: |
Apr 8, 2017 - 9:08 PM
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By: |
PFK
(Member)
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It's true that for the past 8 months our sales have been up. Prior to that sales were mediocre. I thought 2014 would be our last year, but we have managed to survive and have a slate of releases scheduled until 2019. A large part of our success stems from working with the best guys in the biz. It may cost more, but their tireless efforts pay off in spades with customer satisfaction. We try to follow trends and be ahead of the curve. Diversification is a must. Jump from a Ferris to a Jonny Quest, top it off with Jurassic and then do a vinyl release of a Trek title. Toss in a Classic Elmer score and then go back to a fan favorite like X-FILES and you have made folks from many different fandoms happy.
Sadly new stuff tends to sell poorly, unless you luck out with digital rights, something we have been fortunate enough for getting on occasion.
Spacing out releases and releasing them when they are ready to ship is also a must. Folks want instant satisfaction and hate to wait.
The sky is not crumbling just yet. This particular market is good until 2022. That will put us, La La Land, at 20 years, which is not a bad run. After that, we'll see.
MV
Thanks for the encouraging words MV.
I'm looking forward to SONS OF KATIE ELDER! 
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Why do I get the feeling that the latest batch of Varese CD Club releases didn't sell very well...?
On the other hand, I had to wait several weeks to get Barefoot In the Park/The Odd Couple because it was out of stock.
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Before the retro-soundtrack boom started, there was so much wanting and so little delivered. The market, small as it was, was like a wound-up spring.
As wants have been met, the spring has relaxed bit by bit. And the market has shrunk without renewal.
On the plus side, I've bought soundtracks I would never have bought if the boom hadn't happened. Eye of the Devil is just one example.
There are still holy grails to be had, but as they become fewer and farther between, I can imagine fewer pennies are changing hands.
It was good while it lasted. May it last a little longer.
Cheers
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I don't think it's all that doom and gloom. From our perspective, big titles like RAMBO II, DICK TRACY, ROCKETEER still sell as well as ever. We have to keep repressing ROCKETEER. Where I do see sales dropping off are the smaller, lesser known titles that people aren't as willing to take a risk on, like I'LL FOLLOW YOU DOWN. We have one such release next week that will probably not do so great...it's an LP reissue that someone at the licensor was very passionate about and we thought it would be fun to make that dream come true even though we know most will not take the plunge. Fun film though, but people will ask Huh?
The reason we dropped from two releases to one every two weeks is not because of the market, it's because as I think I mentioned there were a lot of very complicated projects -- like DICK TRACY and like RAMBO II that took so much time it slowed us down. There are only so many hours in the day. And then worse -- you'll love this -- we have TEN projects that are done. Some were very hard - one four CD set, two three CD sets, a few two CD sets. Some exciting stuff but very resource intensive to complete...and they're all stuck in approvals. That's much more disillusioning to me than sales figures, TBH.
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The reason we dropped from two releases to one every two weeks is not because of the market, it's because as I think I mentioned there were a lot of very complicated projects -- like DICK TRACY and like RAMBO II that took so much time it slowed us down. There are only so many hours in the day. And then worse -- you'll love this -- we have TEN projects that are done. Some were very hard - one four CD set, two three CD sets, a few two CD sets. Some exciting stuff but very resource intensive to complete...and they're all stuck in approvals. That's much more disillusioning to me than sales figures, TBH.
So in other words, you're TOO busy.
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How can anyone make those generalizations? I don't understand.
It is indeed a generalization, but I think there's a shared sense among many of us (most of whom probably got the bug when we were kids ourselves) that the instinctive appeal we knew drew us to this art - in the form of great melodies, leitmotifs and kick-ass main title marches - simply doesn't exist, by and large, in today's major motion pictures.
Some of us have refined our tastes over the years and can appreciate beyond this, but young ears are generally going to need something really catchy to hit that soft spot and sweep them up as we were in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Generalization, yes, but mostly true I'd say.
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