The Limited Edition Club
brianlux
Posts: 42,051
TV- I rarely watch it but tonight I turned it on to a segment of Ed Bradley (right?) doing a piece on Henry Grossman, the famous JFK, Beatles, et al. photographer. So I got curious and did a little research and found this quickly out of print book title, Places I Remember: My Time with the Beatles, by Henry Grossman and Paul McCartney. At printing it was very limited and expensive: $800 bucks and gone before you can say, "Love Me Do".
That got me to thinking about limited edition media in general. When there's a decent general interest version of a book, record, movie etc., everybody gets to got to the show. When it's highly limited, high priced, and the only version out there, then many or most of us are denied that creative experience. As if only wealthy people care about those experiences.
Funny, the song "My Generation" just came to mind.
That got me to thinking about limited edition media in general. When there's a decent general interest version of a book, record, movie etc., everybody gets to got to the show. When it's highly limited, high priced, and the only version out there, then many or most of us are denied that creative experience. As if only wealthy people care about those experiences.
Funny, the song "My Generation" just came to mind.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.
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i mean, to me, the whole point of being an author, writer, musician, etc was to create art and share it with the world. if people did not want to share it, they would not write it.
i saw that 60 minutes episode and it was really cool.
but part of me thinks, if they are going to make a very limited quantity of something and sell it at an inflated price, then they are marketing to a specific type of consumer, and not the kind that i am. if a band or writer prices something out of my pricerange on purpose, i think they are doing something wrong. at some point it goes from distributing your art to an outright moneygrab.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I'm not sure about this.
Look at the limited edition PJ stuff lately. Their music is available for cheap... and they just recently sold a limited edition set of 45s that has everybody that missed out on in a tizzy.
They have made art... they sold it to everyone at a very reasonable price... and they sold additional 'fancy' editions of their art to whomever wished to purchase it.
Considering the amount of people who downloaded versions of their new album for free and paid nothing for it... I'm okay with them doing whatever they wish to profit from their talents and their work. If selling 'additional' versions of their work in the form of limited edition pieces rewards them... then they are entitled to it.
Clarifier: I own no music that I have not paid for. Not one song. I have over 500 CDs and a growing vinyl collection.
Extra: I used to have a huge vinyl collection- partially destroyed by a flood and made obsolete by compact discs back in the late 80s. I used to have a wicked Technics/Denon stereo with Cerwin Vega speakers that impressed many a people. Good days!
Just so you know....Ed Bradley died in 2006 and was black
The reporter for the story was Morley Safer who is white and very much alive
There is a long history of photographers creating book form limited editions of their work. They are considered artists so their book productions are also considered works of art. The more you produce the less the art is worth.
I have a friend who collects this sort of thing and his collection is valued and insured for a very nice 6 figure amount.
Periodically he will allow parts of his collection to be displayed at libraries, galleries, and or museums and also for local high school and college students to use for research.
He refers to it as his 401K
Thank you- yes. Shows you how much I watch TV.
I don't necessarily have a huge problem with rare or collectible editions and I get it that buying and owning such works are something only people well off do, have done and will always do. But I also think a simpler, affordable version of art can be made for the average person as well. I'll never own an original Van Gogh oil painting but I have some excellent monographs and posters of his work that did not cost me half a life's worth of income. For Beatles fans, hearing about the Grossmann book is just a tease at best.
Thirty Bills brought up the Limited Edition PJ stuff and I feel the same way about that as well- OK, make a fancy boxed set of 7" 45's with all the glossy who-ha but why not good old plain 45's in a plain sleeve as well? For those of us who truly appreciate and love the sound of vinyl analog, not being able to hear these songs in this format is just plain frustrating. I don't give a rats ass about the collectible version- to me it's mostly just excess resources like paper and plastic. Some of my favorite records are 45's that came in a simple generic sleeve. Put one of those on, sit back and close your eyes or jump up and dance around the room because other than reel-to-reel or master tapes, this is sound as good as it gets and can easily be made affordable for us working stiffs.
they did. every song in Sevens is on LB vinyl.
However, I think limited edition anything is stupid. all it does is add fuel to the fire that is the secondary market.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
Quite true and a fine album it is. Besides the whole limited edition thing being a game for people with lots of "discretionary income" -- think Carlin's routine on euphemistic language-- I wish we could see a few affordable 45's along with the LP- not necessarily the whole damn album (unless, maybe, it's put out on two 12" 45 RPM discs) but just the best cuts on a single or two with some b-sides. Just throw some spinning bones for the working stiffs please and thank you.
Ah yes, but as they say, "If wishes were horses beggars would ride".
I guess this is PJ's version of a deluxe version of the LP. it's weird, to me, but not unheard of. SG did the same thing with King Animal. $100+ for the album and a dvd in a fancy box or some shit. Fucking ripoff. I'd love to see that DVD, but I won't get to, because I refuse to spend that kind of money on a product like that.
it's sad to me that this band no longer releases b sides to albums. Not since Riot Act if I recall correctly. Either they need to wait to see if the next album is lacking (Pendulum was recorded during BS sessions), or they need to capitalize by releasing another lost dogs. Sucks.
http://soundgarden.shop.bravadousa.com/ ... c=BGCDGA11
here's the link to the SG King Animal "deluxe" edition. Vinyl, dvd, and cd. Add in some pictures/lithos no one cares about and all of a sudden you're dropping a hundred bucks. Although it wasn't limited I guess. But still.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
People can charge whatever they want for any non-necessity (limited or otherwise), the consumer determines whether it is worth it or not by buying or otherwise, a limited edition and whether it is 'right' to release them is a separate issue completely
The value I place on things isn't determined by how many others do or don't have it, nor by the cost. I just have no need for collectibles of this sort. Has nothing to do with income, more to do with not having to have it, and knowing our money would be better-spent elsewhere.
(can't buy what I want because it's free )
If they said it wasn't a limited edition but only put out five hundred and numbered them, it would still be the same. Face value $1000 and three days after they sell out you can purchase one for $5000 or more on ebay.
If there is a demand and some tool wants to part with their cash, somebody else will have something to sell and a price that makes it a steal for both parties.
The poison from the poison stream caught up to you ELEVEN years ago and you floated out of here. Sept. 14, 08
That said, I am not positive what the point of LE stuff is... I like it for what the actual product is, not because it's LE. I suspect there is a valid marketing theory behind this shit though. Create a buzz, jack up prices so that people see the entire brand as desirable, etc. I don't think that money grab is why they do it, because if it were, they wouldn't have very small numbers available. They'd want to sell as many as possible. So assuming there is a valid reason for bands or whoever doing it, then I say fair enough.