MiC Sales Report

[SloopJohnnyB]

Does anyone know how MiC is selling? In the U.S. U.K.? Worldwide?

I've been searching the board for info but haven't found anything.

Significant because sales of MiC could affect future releases?

We'd like to see it do well, anyway. 

[mikeddonn]

I can't help with the figures but I'm just back from Glasgow, Scotland and couldn't find a copy of the box in several record stores (including a few of the big chains like HMV and Fopp).  One Independent was selling it (the same one which had POB on vinyl when it came out a few years ago!).  It also annoys me that they have all these box sets by other artists and not the Beach Boys.  The same goes for vinyl.  All the big groups are well represented, yet someone can't actually go in and purchase a still-in-print version of "Pet Sounds" or any of the other 180g releases.  Surely some of these vinyl albums should always be in print?  I'm ok 'cause I have all the stuff and know how to track it down.  How could the box set be for anyone other than hard core fans if record shops aren't stocking it?  So why bother including all the stuff we have several times over on it?  I know the last point has been debated already!

[Eric Aniversario]

Does anyone know if it charted in its initial week?

It's not on the current billboard 200, but I'd be surprised if it didn't chart its first week

[Jason]

To go gold it'd need to sell 83,333.333333333 copies in the U.S. Platinum would require sales of 166,666.66666666667 copies.

[Bean Bag]

I think the highest it got on Amazon's sales rank was the mid-60s?  Last I checked, anyway.  That's not that good, considering the bilge that did better.  The deluxe Dylan box was much, much higher (top 12 or so) and pretty close in price.  Clearly, a properly marketed rarities set would have been the right decision.  But I like the boxset a lot for what it is.

Even though it's been 20 years since the GV Box -- there's still just such an over-saturation of career retrospectives for this band.  And as such, a $120-140 set was pretty bad marketing decision -- I would think.  Even though it's a pretty darn good retrospective.

[TimmyC]

 Clearly, a properly marketed rarities set would have been the right decision.  

YES. I don't care how many times it's been said.

[Nicko1234]

I think Bruce's Rock Cellar Magazine interview showed why this was always likely to be a hard sell.

Bruce: 'The general public is not gonna sit through and listen to a box set.'

[DonnyL]

I think this IS the 2-CD rarities set.

Look at it this way: We got a 60-track rarities set. The amount of money put into the box was probably not much more than what would have been put into a rarities set. Most anyone who was interested in this type of release forked out $120, about 6 times the cost of what a 2-CD set would have been. And as a bonus, anyone else who bought it for the 'box set' appeal simply provided extra profit. Capitol would really have gained nothing by going the 'rarities' route.

[Jason]

Yeah, it's basically a three-disc box set of rarities in disguise. It's also the largest single plundering of the vaults since the Smile box AND larger than any other single plundering of the vaults except said Smile box.

A 53 minute disc of actual new(ish) unreleased tracks, a 53 minute disc of new live tracks, and a 78 minute Hawthorne-esque disc of demos/stereo remixes/alternates/a cappellas/backing tracks. Not too shabby. Sure, we could nitpick and wonder why we didn't get another 26 minutes on each of those hypothetical first two discs, but hey. I'm satisfied with it. I'll buy the set when I get the money, sure. I have a CD burner. I can make my own compilations. It's not a botch job. They did us pretty good. 39% of this set can't be found anywhere else.

[Bean Bag]

DonnyL/TRBB -- yeah, all true.  That's a great way of looking at it.  It's an excellent 2/3 disc rarities set -- plus a swank 12x12 book.

[Jason]

Sure, we can nitpick - I don't think we needed disc 6 to be loaded with 17 minutes of retreads that we already had, but it's a minor nitpick. This might be the last large-scale release that happens unless the band is sitting on a fuckton of stuff we don't know about or Beach Boys Central is about to be trojan horse'd onto us with a laundry list of fanboy wet dreams available for purchase...

[DonnyL]

DonnyL/TRBB -- yeah, all true.  That's a great way of looking at it.  It's an excellent 2/3 disc rarities set -- plus a swank 12x12 book.

well, I was kind of meaning it as a criticism ... but hey, that's business. I think the '93 box is basically better across the board (sound quality, track selection, liner notes, etc.) with the exception of Dennis being better represented on MIC.

[chris.metcalfe]

I'm yet to be persuaded. I looked at it in a store today and thought - do I really need it? I'd have bought the 3-CD rarities version, natch. Without the 2-second delay.

[Cabinessenceking]

I think Bruce's Rock Cellar Magazine interview showed why this was always likely to be a hard sell.

Bruce: 'The general public is not gonna sit through and listen to a box set.'

GV release disproves that. But this is 20 years further down the line and most of the material is widely available. No internet back then meant a dude like me would have to buy the box, now I can hear it on spotify, soundcloud etc.

[JohnMill]

Not sure how this factors in but the unboxings of MIC uploaded to YouTube are nil especially when compared to the number of "SMiLE Sessions" unboxings on there.

[Paulos]

I think the highest it got on Amazon's sales rank was the mid-60s?  Last I checked, anyway.  That's not that good, considering the bilge that did better.  The deluxe Dylan box was much, much higher (top 12 or so) and pretty close in price.  Clearly, a properly marketed rarities set would have been the right decision.  But I like the boxset a lot for what it is.

Even though it's been 20 years since the GV Box -- there's still just such an over-saturation of career retrospectives for this band.  And as such, a $120-140 set was pretty bad marketing decision -- I would think.  Even though it's a pretty darn good retrospective.

Gotta disagree here old Bean, Hawthorne CA was a rarities set and I'm pretty sure it sold quite badly. It is my stance that if MiC had been a rarities set the only people who would have bought it would be the people who frequent this board, the blueboard and maybe a few thousand others. 

[Mr. Cohen]

It just amazes me how much work and money it seemingly takes to release music the Beach Boys recorded decades ago. It shouldn't be that hard, but somehow we're given the impression that it's a monumental undertaking.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I think one of the (perceived) problems is that there's not enough unreleased material on MIC. In truth - as has been stated above - there's loads (roughly three discs worth) however because it's all largely concentrated on the final two CD's it seems therefore that we're forking out money for 3+ CD's of music we already own. Which we are of course, but then we were with GV as well, which remains positively revered!

In hindsight, I think the compilers should have had the rarities scattered chronologically throughout the entire set, then the live tracks and BBC tracks on CD 6. We'd have had the exact same amount of unreleased tracks but at least then the impression would've been that there was more. I mean, there's much more unreleased material on MIC than on GV, but it doesn't necessarily seem that's the case when looking at their respective track listings.

Personally I love listening to CD's 1, 2 and 3, despite already owning 95% of the material. The compilers have really put everything together incredibly well, to the extent that even the familiar sounds fresh!

[Jason]

Actually, when you think about it, a third of both the Good Vibrations box and Made In California is unreleased material. That's none too shabby.

[Phoenix]

So I guess no one's heard anything about the sales?

[Andrew G. Doe]

I gather there have been some, yes.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I gather there have been some, yes.

Not read any bad MIC reviews in the press: Mojo (****), Uncut (*****), Record Collector (****, and a great, insightful review!)

Hopefully it'll sell well in the UK at least, what with all these decent reviews and the ever-growing love for the band over here...

[Bean Bag]

I think the highest it got on Amazon's sales rank was the mid-60s?  Last I checked, anyway.  That's not that good, considering the bilge that did better.  The deluxe Dylan box was much, much higher (top 12 or so) and pretty close in price. Clearly, a properly marketed rarities set would have been the right decision.  But I like the boxset a lot for what it is.

Even though it's been 20 years since the GV Box -- there's still just such an over-saturation of career retrospectives for this band.  And as such, a $120-140 set was pretty bad marketing decision -- I would think.  Even though it's a pretty darn good retrospective.

Gotta disagree here old Bean, Hawthorne CA was a rarities set and I'm pretty sure it sold quite badly. It is my stance that if MiC had been a rarities set the only people who would have bought it would be the people who frequent this board, the blueboard and maybe a few thousand others.  

Well, I'll take everyone's word for it -- the 2-disc Hawthorne set may not have sold well -- but without the sales figures, we're not sure that MiC did any better.  Case in point -- as you said, everyone on here (more/less) and then some, bought Hawthorne.  But there's some on this board who didn't buy MiC.  Perhaps they were made-up-for with sales to them "regular" fans.  

Also, I don't think Hawthorne had any sales momentum behind it.  No 50th year extravaganza tie-in.  It was dropped cold.  It wasn't particularly "on brand" either.  No Beach Boys logo or summer-drenched orange (or other related Beach metaphor) -- to the extent that that matters.  I don't think too many fans were familiar with the "Yard Work Session."

On the other hand, MiC had to compete it's own 50th anniversary compliation -- 50 Big Ones.    

[Nicko1234]

Gotta disagree here old Bean, Hawthorne CA was a rarities set and I'm pretty sure it sold quite badly. It is my stance that if MiC had been a rarities set the only people who would have bought it would be the people who frequent this board, the blueboard and maybe a few thousand others. 

That depends on what you mean by rarities I suppose...

Hawthorne had 2 genuinely unreleased songs in Lonely Days and A Time to Live in Dreams. Stuff like Party songs without overdubs were never going to be that desirable...

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Any word on sales yet?

Would be a real shame if it doesn't sell well...