Poll: Booklets that come with CDs - Firewood or Essential Reading?

[DavidRoss]

Quality control!  My daughter works in Duesseldorf right now, and has been working in Germany for a decade, which experience has prompted her to opine that the legendary German work ethic has faded in our decadent, "entitled" times.

How sad.  Whodathunk that the West would fall not to the Commies, the Jihadists, or any other fascists, but to it's own woefully spoiled and ill-educated children?  Sigh.

I like the well-made booklets that usually are included with the first editions of recordings on major labels (meaning major classical labels, thus hyperion and harmonia mundi, for instance, do count).  I like thoughtful notes about the composer, the composition, its historical context, and the performers.  I especially enjoy notes penned by the performer(s) or, in the case of contemporary works, the composer.

But just about the only time the expected quality of the booklet affects my purchasing decision is when I'm choosing between the lavish initial release of an opera recording and the later, less lavish, cut-rate release.

[Lethevich]

I like the well-made booklets that usually are included with the first editions of recordings on major labels (meaning major classical labels, thus hyperion and harmonia mundi, for instance, do count).  I like thoughtful notes about the composer, the composition, its historical context, and the performers.  I especially enjoy notes penned by the performer(s) or, in the case of contemporary works, the composer.

But just about the only time the expected quality of the booklet affects my purchasing decision is when I'm choosing between the lavish initial release of an opera recording and the later, less lavish, cut-rate release.

Yah - it was sad to hear that the original LaSalle recording of the Schoenberg quartets on DG came with a booklet practically the size of a small novel analysing the works, but my Brilliant reissue lacks that. I don't expect Brilliant to reproduce something this opulent, but to think that this information is now relegated to the fortunate, or the rich second-hand buyers is a bit sad.

I'd be happy to pay a quid extra for a decent online reproduction of note likes that, especially given how digital selling has such better profit margins, so surely labels should be offering incentives such as these for people like me to cross over into this content delivery method which is supposedly more convenient for all of us. Just a crappy scan-to-text software run-through would suffice.

[Cato]

Yah - it was sad to hear that the original LaSalle recording of the Schoenberg quartets on DG came with a booklet practically the size of a small novel analysing the works, but my Brilliant reissue lacks that. I don't expect Brilliant to reproduce something this opulent, but to think that this information is now relegated to the fortunate, or the rich second-hand buyers is a bit sad.

I'd be happy to pay a quid extra for a decent online reproduction of note likes that, especially given how digital selling has such better profit margins, so surely labels should be offering incentives such as these for people like me to cross over into this content delivery method which is supposedly more convenient for all of us. Just a crappy scan-to-text software run-through would suffice.

There is a marketing idea for the classical labels if I ever heard one!