Mr. Townson's sent me this letter and has asked me to pass it on to the various forums as a follow-up.

I hope you find it of interest.

Best Wishes.

Ford A. Thaxton

The Times They Are A-Changin=ED
From: Robert Townson-Varese Sarabande
The Times They Are A-Changiní

Itís been about two years now since a letter I wrote to a collector, in which I tried to explain some of the nuances of CD duration, made the rounds. I thought it time to offer, by way of an update, a few more words on the subject in response to the latest batch of e-mails received and message board postings we have been made aware of. This scarlet ě30-minuteî label attached to Varese as a signature trait seems to live in infamy, regardless of grounds in truth.

Lets look at Varese Sarabandeís output so far for the year 2000:

DIAMONDS 39:11
MY DOG SKIP 37:29
SCREAM 3 32:45
THE 10th KINGDOM 54:52
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS 56:48
HANGING UP 44:46
COLOR, RHYTHM AND MAGIC 55:38
MOVIE MEMORIES 69:40
BORN FREE 53:35
ARABIAN NIGHTS 69:21
DON QUIXOTE 71:24
I DREAMED OF AFRICA 60:04
UP AT THE VILLA 55:30
BATTLEFIELD EARTH 48:54
HAMLET 39:14
28 DAYS 36:23
RUNNING FREE 57:18
ON THE BEACH 73:49
SHANGHAI NOON 57:30
THE BIG KAHUNA 33:32
XENA: LYRE, LYRE Ö 48:30
PEYTON PLACE 50:17
HOLLOW MAN 51:31
WHAT LIES BENEATH 29:58
MARNIE over 50 minutes
DRAGONHEART: A NEW BEGINNING over 40 minutes
KIMBERLY 32:05
STEAL THIS MOVIE! over 40 minutes
LOVERíS PRAYER 43:50
URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT over 70 minutes
THE REPLACEMENTS over 60 minutes
THE WATCHER over 60 minutes
JAWS 52:01
FIRST BLOOD 40:41
HERCULES: VOLUME FOUR 60:16

Of these 35 CDs Ö 4 are less than 35 minutes, 4 more are between 35 and 40 minutes, 7 are between 40 and fifty minutes, 11 are between 50 and 60 minutes, 6 are between 60 and 70 minutes and 3 are over 70 minutes.

Are there not fewer 30 minute CDs than ever? There are indeed and this has been a conscious decision. I was once guided by the feeling that collectors would rather have a 30-minute CD than no CD at all. I no longer believe this and have sadly passed on a number of soundtrack releases which I would have otherwise taken on in past years. It shouldnít be too difficult for people to look over the yearsí unreleased scores and pick out the ones which, once upon a time, would have been Varese Sarabande titles. If we have now arrived at a point where even four out of thirty-five CDs with a running time inside 35 minutes overshadow the other 31 releases with and average time near 60 minutes, then things are indeed grim for scores recorded in Los Angeles, not to mention any score with a modest running time to begin with. In the case of THE BIG KAHUNA and KIMBERLY, the CDs contained virtually every note of score written for each film. With nothing left to add, would collectors really have preferred there to be no CD released at all? This leaves only SCREAM 3 and WHAT LIES BENEATH as scores where the running time was directly affected by re-use fees. In every other case I elected to pass on the release of the score all together.

I find it interesting (not to mention quite sad) that the longest CD among all of these, ON THE BEACH, containing a whopping 73:49, has received nothing but rave reviews and has sold a decidedly un-whopping 137 copies. No, thatís not a typo. Soundscan numbers last week for sales across this country Ö from sea to shining sea, as they say Ö 5 copies Ö this past week 0!! As it is, this CD will clearly lose money. If this score had been recorded in Los Angeles and been produced exactly the same way, its re-use cost would have come very near $200,000.00! Who can afford to make decisions like this?

Itís an argument staged more frequently than DEATH OF A SALESMAN. When does it die? What does it take? Is the wish that none but the three CDs over 70 minutes were released? Is the wish that the four CDs under 35 minutes were not produced? What song would the collective chorus of soundtrack collectors like Varese Sarabande and other labels to hear? From a label that tries very hard to be as many things to as many people as we do, we seem most adept at eliciting unrest and discord.

We are at a crossroads. Collectors are in a position to affect the direction soundtrack releases take in the future. With the proliferation of bootlegs, MP3s, services like Napster and all the like, the implications could be significant. There has already been enough of an impact to derail soundtracks that would have been produced at another time. While many unions, from SAG to the AFM, have worked for years to achieve their current level of compensation, they are now being forced to rethink their past actions in the midst of a very grave set of circumstances. Their actions of years past have directly affected the climate of today, and not in a positive way. I hope the world of film music collectors venture onward with greater forethought.

Robert Townson
Varese Sarabande Records

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ford A. Thaxton:

I find it interesting (not to mention quite sad) that the longest CD among all of these, ON THE BEACH, containing a whopping 73:49, has received nothing but rave reviews and has sold a decidedly un-whopping 137 copies. No, thatís not a typo. Soundscan numbers last week for sales across this country Ö from sea to shining sea, as they say Ö 5 copies Ö this past week 0!! As it is, this CD will clearly lose money. If this score had been recorded in Los Angeles and been produced exactly the same way, its re-use cost would have come very near $200,000.00! Who can afford to make decisions like this?

Robert Townson
Varese Sarabande Records

---

This comment here is very disturbing! As On the Beach, I beleive has to be one of the best scores written this whole year. It's highly emotional stuff.
137 copies? Is that like less than one in each country?
I think what hurts the sale of this score is that fact that noone has seen the movie including myself, it aired on some premium cable network (Showtime?)That most people don't have. Why couldn't they just air it on regular cable like the rest of the Hallmark films? I just bought it becuase one day I had some extra cash, and I saw the name Christopher Gordon and I rememberd I liked his score to Moby Dick, so I took a chance and just bought it. Boy was I in for a surprise!
But not many have heard of this movie! And no offense to Varese's cover art artist but the cover of this CD looks rather goofy, not really at all appetizing
And could be easly passed up.

I'd like all of you to please check this score out and get it while you can, because if it's only selling less than 140 copies worldwide theres obviously no chance of it appearing agian once it's OOP (and it probably already is!)
Think of what Gordon himself must be feeling right now!

NP On the Beach 7/5!!

Shaun

I've never complained about the sometimes (scarce times) short(er) Varese releases. I found out about the re-use fees several years ago. I don't really agree with the re-use fee structure (I think the (commercial product) artist should get paid a one lump (decent fee) sum for his/her product (playing music) and that is that. They're hired for 'a' job. You don't see the painter or the scupltor (or their estates) getting paid by the 'viewing'). It almost seems like there's too many hands in the cookie jar.
It seems that the way to go is the '3000 limited issue' way for most things nowadays.
Face it, even the 'big' scores don't sell that many anymore. Even probably one of the most anticipated scores in the next year and a half, Lord Of The Rings, probably won't sell more than 50,000 copies, even if it turns out to be the best thing since sliced bread. Call me a cynic.

We all know that Horner's Titanic score CD did extremely well (was that due to Celine Dion?). And we know that the Trevor Jones/ Randy Edelman mish mash that is Last of the Mohicans has also sold rather well over the last decade, as well as Gladiator.

but then On the Beach tanks and we're surprised. Well, how well was it marketed? Not very.
Truthfully, outside of a score CD, I never heard of the show. I don't know, but you gotta look ahead and project how many CDs might be sold. This is a fairly ovscure production and you can't be surprised when no one buys the CD. It also doesn't help that sound files at amazon are NOT available so that I can preview the score to decide whether I will purchase or not (and in a way, this is a case for a modified version of the Napster service).

People say it's good. But for me, Christopher Gordon is untested and I am, so far, unwilling to plunk down $15 for his score. If I did that every time someone recommended a CD, I'd be broke. (Lord, how many times had I heard that Armageddon was the bomb? Bought that on word of mouth and was sorely disappointed).

There's too much Barry, Williams, Goldsmith, etc. I'd rather buy.

And on that note, I do want to say that you people need to go out and buy Ryko's CD of The Misfits by Alex North. fun little score by a REAL composer that's sold only about 1,000 units according to Chris Neel.

Let's hope the MovieMusic.com store can get more film music sold to more people. That's the whole reason I created this (and other) websites).

Also, the moviemusic.com store stand no chance at making any real impact, unless it call sell THOUSANDS of CD's.

And even Amazon.com hasn't been able to do that for 99% of the score CD's they sell.

The Townson letter really makes a very important point:

It's tough to sell these CD's and it's not going to get any better.

Regards

Ford A. Thaxton

Your statement is a little vague, when applied to Robert Townson's point. Do you think I'm trying to make it harder to sell soundtrack CDs by opening up an online soundtrack store? You've got me confused.

Goodness. And the comment about Amazon.com? Amazon.com is a hard-to-find-book seller. It's not known as a movie OR music web site. Sure, they are selling everything from the kitchen sink to seed for your lawn (for those who live outside of L.A.), but they are not specializing in selling soundtracks - it should be no surprise they've not affected score album sales.

PeterK

I've bought quite a few of Townson's Varese releases over the years, and if this is his letter to loyal buyers, I am sorely disappointed myself. Don't get me wrong. I VERY much appreciate what Varese does, but I don't want Rob Townson DEMANDING thanks from me, as this letter seems to indicate.

I'm done with this for now.

well, Townson DOES have a point. They have released a lot of longer CDs lately.

We all gripe about these short Varese releases like, for example, Under Siege 2, Hot Shots Part Deux!, and What Lies Beneath.
(I even griped about Miller's Crossing, which apparently contains all the score anyway, including a 5 second track).

This is the service that BILLBROAD uses to for all of their charts.

so to date, nationwide they have only sold about 140 units according to that service.

The ranking at Amazon.com is just where a title falls within their sales, in short at 25,000, it's not selling very much at all.

Regards

Ford A. Thaxton

Ford, what's the SoundScan rating for "Movie Memories" ?

Based on that I will buy that beach score although i never heard of it before.

I also decided to go against napster now. If this will result in fewer scores, than that is not what i want.

Guys, releasing soundtracks is not a very lucrative business, i suppose. If we are serious about scores, we gotta help peter with his store and we gotta support the market. I know we all do, but these guys from sarabande and intrada should be thanked. I mean if it werent for them it would be very sad wouldn't it.

I remember when sarabande came out. I was so happy about some of the scores, alhthough i though varse sarabande was an odd name and that logo, still don't understand it to this day. Yet they have done wonderful things and as I look at my colliction, i must admit that red-brouwn side cover shows up a lot, more than any other cover.

quote:

---

I find it interesting (not to mention quite sad) that the longest CD among all of these, ON THE BEACH, containing a whopping 73:49, has received nothing but rave reviews and has sold a decidedly un-whopping 137 copies

---

Mind you, this is just my opinion, but although this CD might have received "rave" reviews, it's not something I would purchase. It just doesn't interest me.

I've bought a lot of Varese stuff in the past, and will do so in the future. But since I'm one of the people who aren't "rolling in the dough" I have to make choices. Also, unlike others, I don't go out and buy every single score that comes out (not that there's anything wrong with doing that, It's just not what I do).

My most recent purchases were The Patriot and The Perfect Storm. Before that, well, I can't tell you when I purchased a CD. It's been a long while. I may not have a life, but I've got priorities where money (what little I have) is concerned. And frankly, keeping a roof over my head is more important than buying CD's or DVD's.

I know - call me a heretic. Ban me from the board. Make me an outcast, a pariah. I buy what I like, when I can afford it.

I share Mr. Townson's concerns, but there is more than one side to everything.

Kevin
NP - Blue Planet/The Dream Is Alive (IMAX)

I think he was just making the point that he's trying, and the results haven't been all that rewarding.

What people seem to forget, and what Townson and Thaxton keep bringing up, is that these companies are in business. Regardless of anything else, the albums they release have to make a profit, or the label goes under and no more albums get released by that label.

If Townson sounds a little annoyed it's understandable. The responses he tends to get from fans imply that film scores...

1. ...are all recorded under the same conditions
   This is apparent from comments like "I don't understand why <Score X> is 29:31, while <Score Y> is 62:27, when <Score X> is clearly the better of the two..." <Score X> may have been recorded in Los Angeles with an extended orchestra and chorus, with numerous overdubs, while <Score Y> was a more modest affair recorded in Seattle.
   
2. ...would sell better if they were marketed better.
   Bull. The general public couldn't care less about film scores. As Fran Drescher puts so eloquently in This is Spinal Tap, "You can not tell me that an album cover has so much to do with whether an album sells or not. Look at the white album. That was nothing." While an album cover may attract the meandering eye, the chances that someone will buy and album based on album cover are pretty damn slim.
   
3. ...would sell better if they were longer.
   ...see point B.
   
4. ...are really secretly desired by the public, as evidenced by the occasional runaway success.
   Legends of the Fall and Braveheart sold because of their attachment to films starring heartthrobs. Titanic sold for a similar reason, as well as that song by Celine Dion. Hell, even Star Wars only sold what it did because of the impact that it had on the box office. Reread point B. It's sad but true.
   

I don't understand why I have to keep making the same point about how the general public is apathetic to film music. It should be pretty obvious to everybody. That understood, it follows that we are a small "fringe group" with some mighty expensive tastes.

Certainly, I've done my bellyaching on the subject of 30 minute releases, but at the same time, I am aware of the fact that we live in a world with market realities, as well as cost-of-living situations. While I don't like buying an album with only 30 minutes of music on it, I don't hold Townson responsible, he did the best he could.

If On the Beach is that good (and I liked Moby Dick), plenty of people who's recommendations have given me hours of listening pleasure have spoken for it, I'll buy it as soon as this @#$%ing strike is over.

it seems some are giving PeterK the same kind of attitude as they gave clay. I find that funny.
People the cd store is a great idea and I for one hope, wish and pray it'll take off like a Sunday afternoon.

Swashbuckler,

Verizon has been such a thorn in my side, I'd love to strike with you. Yet I hope things get resolved quickly so you can get back to work and earn a living. I'll pray for you.

There has been quite a bit of market research done here. Compile all of this research with the marketing machine in store for this site, and I find there aren't any overwhelming odds against this website generating more sales in the soundtrack division.

Where do you you get your data? Thanks for your response.

VS job is to provide the kind of listening experience that the average "Joe" hearing the music in a theater might be willing to shell out some bucks for anyway. In addition to this, they are not given much help in local music stores. Rarely have I seen a Varese release featured in one of the Borders or Barnes & Noble listening sets. I have even encouraged a couple of managers to add things like VS's "Peyton Place" disc to their overhead music, but this is evidently not a possibility. (Mind you, Silva's releases get the same sort shrift.)

I hate the name "Verizon."

NP: Sergei Rachmaninov "The Isle of the Dead"
Russian National Orchestra/Pletnev (Deutsche Grammophon)

Zwar, thanks for your thoughts. I'll just take them as your gut feeling then! I thought you might have been referring to more calculated odds... a la the tote board at the track.

PeterK

"This scarlet '30-minute' label attached to Varese as a signature trait seems to live in infamy, regardless of grounds in truth."

The simple fact is that it was a reputation long established. Such reputations do not go away so swiftly.

T - "I was once guided by the feeling that collectors would rather have a 30-minute CD than no CD at all. I no longer believe this and have sadly passed on a number of soundtrack releases which I would have otherwise taken on in past years."

At one time 30-minute CDs were better than none at all, because there were (virtually) none at all. But then many other labels showed up (and some released longer CDs). The reputation you're effectively (if impatiently) killing didn't arise in the initial vacuum in which your company arose, it came about when you guys started getting company out there. The bar was raised, in the eyes of some of your consumers. Varese didn't meet it right away. At times that seemed deliberate.

If you've passed on some scores, and no one releases them, and if it matters to people, then it'll get said. Varese is now responding to a complaint that has been levied against it for years. You're making the choices you (and others) have said would be required in doing this. So let it play out.

T - "In the case of THE BIG KAHUNA and KIMBERLY, the CDs contained virtually every note of score written for each film."

Good. Say so. Not necessarily on the front in big, friendly letters, but certainly there's no reason to not do so on the back. It would surprise me if a complaint about those particular CDs lengths would not be met with that correction from whatever board or newsgroup received it. Clearly, people tend to be upset by short CDs when there was more to release in the first place.

T - "What song would the collective chorus of soundtrack collectors like Varese Sarabande and other labels to hear?"

It sounds like you've heard the chorus. I reluctantly add "finally", only because of the tone of your letter. I'm not certain you're entitled to an immediate change of heart on the part of consumers who've been singing for quite some time.

T - "From a label that tries very hard to be as many things to as many people as we do, we seem most adept at eliciting unrest and discord."

Your letter, well more specifically your list, is definitely one way to go if your main goal is healing Varese's black eye. It makes your point quite well, and it's a necessary step, simply because very few people are going to be interested enough in all of those CDs to notice that on their own.

But it does only make a point that starts Jan. 2000. Do you have a list for 1999? Post it, or send it to Mr. Thaxton and have him post it on all the film music forums that will allow his presence. It's not clutter, don't worry about that. If you can show the same for 1999, then you've got some reason to expect a little simmering. Heck, if you can also do it for '98, then you're probably entitled to verbally b**ch-slap the next complainer. But if you've just started this in 2000, then you'll have to wait for it to sink in. I'm sorry, but reputations go away slowly.

And if you're putting those longer running times, of which you should be proud, on the backs of CDs as well, then you're doing another good thing. You've got track times, you might as well slip in the total running time.

As to actual producing, it sounds like you're making the right decisions. I'm one of your consumers. I've most recently bought The Hollow Man. It's 51:31. Is it complete? I don't know. I haven't seen any mention of it online, let alone complaints, and when I saw the film I didn't yet know the music well enough to notice any ommissions. Would I have known, or noticed, or cared if the CD had been under 35?

Yes. To all of those.

I would have wished someone else had released it.

As to eliciting unrest, consider the tone of your letter. You've ruffled a few feathers - not everyone's, and it's clear that frustration might be the source - but does that really help you? Will I change my opinion because someone suggests they're entitled to such a change? No. Likely I'll raise my expectations further in response to the demand. Your list was good enough. Make your case, but don't try to push the win. Really, no one owes you that.

T - "I hope the world of film music collectors venture onward with greater forethought."