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Don Cox wrote:
Well, the big companies do reissue a great deal, and license other recordings to
specialist reissue companies such as Testament or Mosaic.
It is more likely that they will stop making new recordings.
The reissues are few and very select. If the 'name' is big enough, every
note is in print and likely to be issued yet again with every irrelevant
or incidental technical advance. There may be no reason to have 24/96
transfers of Caruso's recordings, but they are likely to be in process now.
The second rank is covered less well but there are reissues. Similarly,
there are reissues in print for brief periods of specialty material
(e.g., EMI's collection of French operetta). But the vast bulk of worthy
artists and works seem as far from reissue as ever.
Unfortunately, new studio recordings are increasingly unlikely. Some
orchestral groups are getting the message with self-published recordings
through few outlets and some small companies are issuing live recordings
with sound engineering, good packaging and minimum promotion. But many
major players are deserting classical music and their historic product
of all sorts except those approved by the accountants. Frankly, my
choice would be to grant rights in perpetuity to the blockbusters so
long as all rights are relinquished to the 'routine' material when
allowed to languish for a set period.