MiC up for order on Amazon, August release

[Wirestone]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

[rab2591]

You guys are hard-heads. It's not about how you see it, but how Capitol and their people see it. Right or wrong, that is how it is done. The GV Box did pretty well, so they can't be completely wrong about who they are targeting.

Bean Bag is right when he says they are a percentage though isn't he? You don't include a disc of rarities and a collectors book which pushes the price up to target John Q Public after all.

No, and you don't include 3 discs of hits and album cuts to hardcores either, now do you? As for the book, I see for both equally. This is geared towards both, rightly or wrongly.

I agree it's targeted at both, but Capitol is doing a piss poor job of catering to your average fan by making the price this high.

Do you guys remember the days following the initial pre-order date for TSS? If I recall correctly, the set was in the top 10 of the Rock music category on Amazon and fairly high in the regular music category. THAT was geared towards hardcore fans yet it was killing everything else (the pricing probably had a lot to do with it). MIC is geared towards any type of fan (but especially hardcore fans) and it's currently #566 in the regular music category on Amazon. Why? Capitol has done no promotion for this set and they've listed a ridiculous price for it.

I'm not trying to be a Phil Cohen here. Nor am I bitching about the content of the set (I'm friggin ecstatic about what we're getting). I'm just bummed about the price. I know the price will drop, but they're alienating a lot of fans out there who, currently, won't bat an eye at ignoring the set because it's $145.

[bonnevillemariner]

Oh, so the rest of us above that age bracket doesn't exist on this Earth? Who the F do you think is buying and able to afford this box set? Surely not the 18-25 age bracket pissing and moaning about it in here.

I wouldn't consider this group a representative subset of the rest of society.

No, but the subset that buys physical media is surely 45 and above.

Exactly, which is why this approach to the box set doesn't make sense to me.  Who buys physical media?  45+.  Who has the money to drop on box sets?  45+.  Who is aware of and giddy at the prospect of unreleased material?  Diehards, most of whom I bet are 45+.  So then why exactly are they going with a box set that includes a bunch of hits and album cuts?

[drbeachboy]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Then why are record companies having trouble selling CDs? Why has every big box dropped their CD Depts. to nearly nothing? Why are just about all the big B&M shops out of business? The 14-45 demographic doesn't buy much physical media; they download.

[drbeachboy]

Oh, so the rest of us above that age bracket doesn't exist on this Earth? Who the F do you think is buying and able to afford this box set? Surely not the 18-25 age bracket pissing and moaning about it in here.

I wouldn't consider this group a representative subset of the rest of society.

No, but the subset that buys physical media is surely 45 and above.

Exactly, which is why this approach to the box set doesn't make sense to me.  Who buys physical media?  45+.  Who has the money to drop on box sets?  45+.  Who is aware of and giddy at the prospect of unreleased material?  Diehards, most of whom I bet are 45+.  So then why exactly are they going with a box set that includes a bunch of hits and album cuts?

MONEY! From day one, I never thought otherwise. It's my decision to decide whether or not it is worth my hard-earned dollars. To me. it is.

[bonnevillemariner]

MONEY! From day one, I never thought otherwise. It's my decision to decide whether or not it is worth my hard-earned dollars. To me. it is.

Ok, but my point is that this is not targeted to John Q Public.  It's targeted to 45+, serious to diehard fans.  That being the case, people complaining about the inclusion of so many previously released tracks should be quite understandable-- everybody who will buy this box set has already purchased these tracks at least 10 times.

[drbeachboy]

MONEY! From day one, I never thought otherwise. It's my decision to decide whether or not it is worth my hard-earned dollars. To me. it is.

Ok, but my point is that this is not targeted to John Q Public.  It's targeted to 45+, serious to diehard fans.  That being the case, people complaining about the inclusion of so many previously released tracks should be quite understandable-- everybody who will buy this box set has already purchased these tracks at least 10 times.

You're telling me that a casual fan that is 45 years or older is not part of John Q Public? Sure he is. He is just in a demographic that is more likely than not, willing to buy physical media.

[Wirestone]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Then why are record companies having trouble selling CDs? Why has every big box dropped their CD Depts. to nearly nothing? Why are just about all the big B&M shops out of business? The 14-45 demographic doesn't buy much physical media; they download.

Because I wasn't talking about CDs. Please read my post. I was talking about vinyl records.

[bonnevillemariner]

MONEY! From day one, I never thought otherwise. It's my decision to decide whether or not it is worth my hard-earned dollars. To me. it is.

Ok, but my point is that this is not targeted to John Q Public.  It's targeted to 45+, serious to diehard fans.  That being the case, people complaining about the inclusion of so many previously released tracks should be quite understandable-- everybody who will buy this box set has already purchased these tracks at least 10 times.

You're telling me that a casual fan that is 45 years or older is not part of John Q Public? Sure he is. He is just in a demographic that is more likely than not, willing to buy physical media.

I'm saying John Q Public is probably skewed toward 18-45 (probably closer to 14-45), and I'm saying it's unlikely that the casual fan will buy this box set.

[drbeachboy]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Then why are record companies having trouble selling CDs? Why has every big box dropped their CD Depts. to nearly nothing? Why are just about all the big B&M shops out of business? The 14-45 demographic doesn't buy much physical media; they download.

Because I wasn't talking about CDs. Please read my post. I was talking about vinyl records.

OK. At the B&M record store that I go to, I see both buying vinyl, but still mostly older 40 plus doing most of the buying, especially vinyl from older bands.

[bonnevillemariner]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Agreed.  I'm a vinyl nut, and most everybody I see in record stores buying vinyl is (by my estimation) mid-30's.

[Jim V.]

Just for yucks, and setting aside for a moment the fact that we're all a bunch of geeks with collections far larger that they legally should be, below please find listed the material on the box which will be new to John Q. Public.

7.    Sail Plane Song (2012 Stereo Mix)
27.   Soulful Old Man Sunshine
25.    Summer In Paradise (Wembley 1993)
25.    Surf's Up (1967 Version) (2012 Mix)

Wait...so all these will be new to us? "Sail Plane Song"? They found new stuff for that? Same for "Soulful Old Man Sunshine"? And wasn't that live "Summer in Paradise" on some charity comp in the '90s? And "Surf's Up (1967 Version)", it would be quite odd if there was another version on this set.

No - unsurprisingly, you have willfully misread what I posted, that is "new to John Q. Public", the likes of whom has maybe Sounds Of Summer and possibly Pet Sounds... or perhaps naively I assumed you could comprehend a simple declarative sentence written in the Queens English. My apologies, and I won't make such an assumption again.

Hey Andrew, I can see why your life is so miserable, and why you always complain about it on this board. You write things that can be taken in a number of ways, and then get mad when people don't see things your way.

Example, John Q. Public won't know "Surf's Up 1967"? That's odd, seeing as how it was on the hit 2011 album The SMiLE Sessions. Also, I've seen Endless Harmony for sale in quite a few places, and I assume quite a few members of John. Q Public picked up the set. Which means they are probably aware of stuff like "Sail Plane Song" and especially the first real song on the CD, "Soulful Old Man Sunshine".

But I guess you can't comprehend your own writing, and I promise I won't make such an assumption again.

[drbeachboy]

MONEY! From day one, I never thought otherwise. It's my decision to decide whether or not it is worth my hard-earned dollars. To me. it is.

Ok, but my point is that this is not targeted to John Q Public.  It's targeted to 45+, serious to diehard fans.  That being the case, people complaining about the inclusion of so many previously released tracks should be quite understandable-- everybody who will buy this box set has already purchased these tracks at least 10 times.

You're telling me that a casual fan that is 45 years or older is not part of John Q Public? Sure he is. He is just in a demographic that is more likely than not, willing to buy physical media.

I'm saying John Q Public is probably skewed toward 18-45 (probably closer to 14-45), and I'm saying it's unlikely that the casual fan will buy this box set.

I agree with you on that demographic, but I doubt seriously that that is the demographic that they are taking aim at. They are looking at the  demo's with the most money, and like buying physical media; and that 45+ demo is the John Q Public that they are targeting.

[Nicko1234]

Don't worry Andrew, I understood exactly what you meant. I'd recommend in future just not bothering.

So would I. 

[Wirestone]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Agreed.  I'm a vinyl nut, and most everybody I see in record stores buying vinyl is (by my estimation) mid-30's.

In my local store, it skews even younger. Mostly guys and girls in their late teens / 20s buying the new vinyl. But not necessarily classic acts, I'll grant drbeach that. And the old vinyl sells to everyone.

[pixletwin]

Baby Boomers are a pretty huge demographic. Just because they don't fit the 20 to 30 something mold, doesn't mean they can't be a major target.

[shelter]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Agreed.  I'm a vinyl nut, and most everybody I see in record stores buying vinyl is (by my estimation) mid-30's.

True. I'm 34 and I know quite a lot of people my age who collect vinyl.

[Jonathan Blum]

[never mind]

[Mikie]

Oh come on, tell us!

[drbeachboy]

Except for vinyl. I'd suspect the majority of record purchases go to the under 45s.

Agreed.  I'm a vinyl nut, and most everybody I see in record stores buying vinyl is (by my estimation) mid-30's.

In my local store, it skews even younger. Mostly guys and girls in their late teens / 20s buying the new vinyl. But not necessarily classic acts, I'll grant drbeach that. And the old vinyl sells to everyone.

How big is vinyl these days? It is still a pretty niche market I would think considering the prices really haven't come down much in the past few years.

[Jim V.]

Not checked recently, but I don't think Endless Harmony or Summer Love Songs are still in print (granted, they're up on Spotify), but two of the other three tracks are on the 1993 box, which is still readily available and has been these last 20 years.

How can a member of John Q. Public (who in your words owns maybe Sounds of Summer and Pet Sounds) also own the GV box set and the 15BO/LY and LA/KTSA twofers among other things?

Yeah care to answer that Andrew? Does John Q. Public know "I'll Be He's Nice"? Does he know "The Trader"? How about "Our Car Club"? Maybe those shoulda been highlighted too.

Wait....let me guess. You had a bad day.


But hey, you gotta forgive me for being mean to you, cuz I might be having a bad day. And that's an excuse to be a major piece of sh*t.

[TV Forces]

Don't worry Andrew, I understood exactly what you meant. I'd recommend in future just not bothering.

Wipe that brown sh*t off your nose.

[bonnevillemariner]

I agree with you on that demographic, but I doubt seriously that that is the demographic that they are taking aim at. They are looking at the  demo's with the most money, and like buying physical media; and that 45+ demo is the John Q Public that they are targeting.

So pretty much exactly what I said originally.  They're going for the 45+, semi-serious to diehard fan.  I'll argue again, though, that the 45+, semi-serious to diehard fan is not John Q. Public.

Baby Boomers are a pretty huge demographic. Just because they don't fit the 20 to 30 something mold, doesn't mean they can't be a major target.

A huge, but (unfortunately) shrinking demographic, and one that's turning increasingly to streaming/downloadable media.  There's a reason CD shops are an endangered species, and that Amazon sells more digital downloads than CDs.

How big is vinyl these days? It is still a pretty niche market I would think considering the prices really haven't come down much in the past few years.

I think it's still a niche market, but it's becoming increasingly vibrant.  Many newer albums come with a code to download mp3 versions for free.  So I get a nice vinyl record to play at home (my preferred way of listening to music), and an mp3 version of the album for on the go.  That makes the ~$18 worth it to me.  I don't remember the last time I bought a CD (aside from that dumb zinepack for DiA 2012).  Maybe 5 years ago.

[drbeachboy]

I agree with you on that demographic, but I doubt seriously that that is the demographic that they are taking aim at. They are looking at the  demo's with the most money, and like buying physical media; and that 45+ demo is the John Q Public that they are targeting.

So pretty much exactly what I said originally.  They're going for the 45+, semi-serious to diehard fan.  I'll argue again, though, that the 45+, semi-serious to diehard fan is not John Q. Public.

Baby Boomers are a pretty huge demographic. Just because they don't fit the 20 to 30 something mold, doesn't mean they can't be a major target.

A huge, but (unfortunately) shrinking demographic, and one that's turning increasingly to streaming/downloadable media.  There's a reason CD shops are an endangered species, and that Amazon sells more digital downloads than CDs.

How big is vinyl these days? It is still a pretty niche market I would think considering the prices really haven't come down much in the past few years.

I think it's still a niche market, but it's becoming increasingly vibrant.  Many newer albums come with a code to download mp3 versions for free.  So I get a nice vinyl record to play at home (my preferred way of listening to music), and an mp3 version of the album for on the go.  That makes the ~$18 worth it to me.  I don't remember the last time I bought a CD (aside from that dumb zinepack for DiA 2012).  Maybe 5 years ago.

+45 does not mean semi-serious anything. Though I will admit that that demo is more prone to like the music and want physical media. Right now, that shrinking demo doesn't mean anything at the moment. There are enough of us still around to buy this box set and make it successful. I really don't think this is aimed at a younger demographic. There isn't enough interest from that group in the band. The few serious younger fans will most likely buy the cd or outright steal it, as a few here have intimated.

As much as I love vinyl, I refuse to buy new product at today's prices. It is outrageous and I understand that the quality control can be suspect. I am strictly buying used at this point.

[Jay]

This is starting to get ugly. It's a shame that the topic announcing that we can now pre-order the box set might have to be closed simply because a few people here don't know how to act like adults.