Posted by Jay Bertolet on January 24, 2000 at 21:21:52:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Chicago Low Brass Section posted by Swami on January 24, 2000 at 19:32:59:
I wish I did know who did the original. Actually, I've never heard this particular recording (GASP) only heard of it. And yes, it is on my list of recordings to acquire...
The unfortunate truth is that recording companies are a business that has to turn a profit like any other. The orchestra I play with has been offered recording deals one after the other since I've been here but 3 out of every 4 never come to fruition. And it isn't because of a lack of performance quality; the last recording we released (Mahler 1st) won the best Mahler recording of the year from the Mahler society. And there were entries from several big orchestras that year. We were supposed to do a whole Mahler cycle but it ended with the first recording because it didn't turn enough of a profit. This whole thing is based on dollars and cents. The simple arithmetic is that it will never be profitable to market such an album because the potential buyers group is so relatively small.
I agree with the suggestion that a smaller outfit, like Summit, would be a good choice to champion a re-release. But I don't think they would do it unless they could keep from losing money on it or if the project helped them make money some other way. Any financial wizards out there?