Re: [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes

[David Lewis <davlew@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tom Fine wrote:

You are correct. There were probably 50 more CD's that could have been done
(perhaps more if one 
considered being completist on the mono stuff, which was an unlikely track
because there was 
specific and limited interest in the pre-1956 catalog and that interest was
addressed with the 
handful of mono reissues). Universal decided to discontinue the reissues in
2000 after scaling back 
the previous two releases. Many of the titles are still in print in the US
but seem to be taken out 
of print in most other markets, which is pretty idiotic since they sold
extremely well in the Orient 
and Europe. A good classical issue is like an annuity -- keep it in print
and it will keep sending 
checks to the home office.

>>>>
In 1997 or 98 Polygram sponsored a sale through Tower Records were we were
able to knock the price point down on Mercury Living Presence from midline
to budget, without regard to the number of discs in a set, and I moved whole
basketloads of the titles. Indeed, how else could you get the Brahms
symphonies with Dorati for just $7.99? That didn't leave much room for
margin, but customers loved it and the turn rate was incredible. 


David N. Lewis
Assistant Classical Editor, All Music Guide
1168 Oak Valley Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734 887 8145
 
My life is the clearest proof that if you have talent, determination and
luck, you will make it in the end: Never Give Up. - Sir Georg Solti

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Don Cox" <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 5:23 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes


<snip>

>> 7. Philips reissued some Mercury Living Presence titles in the
>> ill-fated Golden Imports series. In the early CD era, some titles were
>> issued under the Philips label as part of compilations. The Mercury
>> Living Presence imprint was revived when my mother did the CD reissues
>> in the 1990's. For all the changing of hands since she had retired in
>> 1964, many tapes were still around and many were in good shape. Where
>> they weren't, effective remedies could be taken with the titles that
>> were issued over that period (100+ CD's).
>
> I bought them all, on the assumption that a complete release was not
> likely to happen again.
>
> Not all the LP material was released on CD, however. I have a Brahms
> Horn Trio, for instance, on LP only.
>
<snip>
> Regards
> -- 
> Don Cox
> doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx