SACD

[71 dB]

Why is that?  And how is that?  If companies can't make enough money to stay in business offering a given product, then the product should no longer be made.

Of course but who says they aren't making enough money?

[Todd]

Of course but who says they aren't making enough money?

Each company would have to determine that and alter their business models accordingly.  That's what Naxos did, that's what BIS will do, and that's what other companies will do. 

Do you have in mind some other entity that should determine how and when music companies should alter their business models and determine when they are making enough money?

[nut-job]

I think it is clear that eventually physical media will become a legacy format, replaced by electronic distrubution.  The question is when. 

I think SACD will remain viable for a while longer, because it is the most widely distributed high fidelity surround sound format.  But at the moment I'm not terribly enthusiastic about electronic distribution systems because 1) licensing and copy-control is clumsy and you can easily loose access to your stuff by loosing track of your passwords/license.  2)  I'm not thrilled with the possibility of having all of my music on some disk drive that fails, causing me to loose a lot of stuff.  3)  It's great if you want to listen to an mp3 on an ipod, but equipment for high-fidelity playback of high resolution formats is not so readily available and standardized.

[71 dB]

Each company would have to determine that and alter their business models accordingly.  That's what Naxos did, that's what BIS will do, and that's what other companies will do. 

Do you have in mind some other entity that should determine how and when music companies should alter their business models and determine when they are making enough money?

Yeah, they would and according to their actions I will or won't pay for their products/services. Simple as that.

Each company should find their own segment on the market. What works for Sony or Naxos don't nessessorily work for others. I believe physical formats SACD included will retain one segment that can be made profitable. 

[Todd]

I believe physical formats SACD included will retain one segment that can be made profitable.

Possibly, but it will much smaller than today if the market niche exists, with few titles; you're living in the golden age of SACD right now.  (Or perhaps that was a few years ago.)

[Bulldog]

Do you have in mind some other entity that should determine how and when music companies should alter their business models and determine when they are making enough money?

Obama.

[71 dB]

Possibly, but it will much smaller than today if the market niche exists, with few titles; you're living in the golden age of SACD right now.  (Or perhaps that was a few years ago.)

The market will be balanced to meet the demand. It will be what it will be. If tomorrow is not the golden age of SACD it will be the golden age of something else.

My personal collection of SACD releases is growing all the time so for me personally the golden age of SACD is in the future.

[Todd]

My personal collection of SACD releases is growing all the time so for me personally the golden age of SACD is in the future.

This makes absolutely no sense.  My collection of SACDs (of the hybrid variety) is also growing, though I couldn't care less about SACD, but the golden age of SACD has already past.  Bountiful times are not centered around single individuals.

[71 dB]

This makes absolutely no sense.  My collection of SACDs (of the hybrid variety) is also growing, though I couldn't care less about SACD, but the golden age of SACD has already past.  Bountiful times are not centered around single individuals.

Well, tell me what makes sense? I buy SACDs and enjoy their awesome multichannel sound. Makes sense to me. It's my money and my enjoyment. Who are you to judge it?

[Todd]

Who are you to judge it?

Boy, aren't you a bit snippy?  I guess I just find the entire notion of a personal golden age a bit self-absorbed, but whatever floats your obviously too sensitive boat there big guy.

[71 dB]

Boy, aren't you a bit snippy?  I guess I just find the entire notion of a personal golden age a bit self-absorbed, but whatever floats your obviously too sensitive boat there big guy.

Don't all people have personal golden ages? I just don't think this "Hey, stop enjoying SACDs because it's a dying format"-thing just doesn't make sense to all of us.

[Brian]

Obama.

[Todd]

Don't all people have personal golden ages?

What a truly silly question.  What does it even mean?

[nut-job]

What a truly silly question.  What does it even mean?

The fact that you two can bicker the entire day over nothing doesn't reflect well on either of you, IMO.

[Todd]

The fact that you two can bicker the entire day over nothing doesn't reflect well on either of you, IMO.

Bickering all day over nothing is one of the beauties of the internet, sheesh.

[Gurn Blanston]

The fact that you two can bicker the entire day over nothing doesn't reflect well on either of you, IMO.

This is the Golden Age of Internet Bickering.

Well, if I take a liking to 78's (god forbid! ) and in prowling around I discover a cache of thousands of pristine 78's, this will not make it, under any circumstances, the Golden Age of 78's. Just sayin'...

[Bulldog]

Don't all people have personal golden ages?

I hope everyone does have at least one.   

[nut-job]

Well, if I take a liking to 78's (god forbid! ) and in prowling around I discover a cache of thousands of pristine 78's, this will not make it, under any circumstances, the Golden Age of 78's. Just sayin'...

If you want to make a point rather than just annoy people you can say something with factual content, such as 5% of new releases offered by MDT are SACD, but 2.5% of existing titles offered are SACD.  On the other hand, 0% were 78 shellac discs.  Now there is a basis for deciding how golden an age we live in.

[Coopmv]

Why is that?  And how is that?  If companies can't make enough money to stay in business offering a given product, then the product should no longer be made.

But if small labels continue to release SACD's, they must be making money since they have much lower overhead and thereby much lower breakeven points than the mega labels. 

[nut-job]

But if small labels continue to release SACD's, they must be making money since they have much lower overhead and thereby much lower breakeven points than the mega labels. 

It is not a matter of break-even points, I suspect, since big labels should have lower overhead due to economies of scale.  It is a matter of smaller firms being interested in serving smaller markets.

I suspect that SACD will be dropped by major labels like Universal and major equipment manufacturers like Sony.  We'll be left with specialty manufacturers like Marantz and boutique labels, at least until high resolution downloads become more practical.