Any Updates on RA 6

[DavePlym]

I wonder if half the problem with these sort of releases is getting the message to the general public rather than the 'dedicated' who'll
spend hours searching the net. Maybe the title 'retro:active' isn't a title people will accidentally come across. Recent more commercial titles go for the obvious titles so that random web searches will find them, eg, 'extended eighties' and '12 inch eighties' - these can be happened upon either via ebay, amazon, gemm etc. Maybe a title change for the series would pay dividends. Had I not joined this site i'd never have found out about the series.

[Sean]

Good suggestion Dave. I had my own synthpop label for awhile and it's amazing how much more you can sell if you put "synthpop" in the title. It's boring but effective. Maybe this series can be called the "New Wave Retro:active Collection" or something.

[n/a13]

I have purchased one of these for a song that can't be found on any other CDs. I would prefer the regular versions rather than the extended versions. I would purchase more of them if this were the case. I don't know if it's harder to get a license for original than extended though.

[Alex Hush]

Thanks Paul, much appreciated.


[quote][i]Originally posted by Synthpopfan[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Alex Hush[/i]
<br>Almost compiled now but still much to do. Probably early in the new year. It is looking more and more like RA6 will be the last one of the series, as at present the sales do not make it worth while doing the cds. We will see what happens with this one.


[quote][i]Originally posted by Sean[/i]
<br>Yeah, I can't wait either. Alex?!?
[/quote]
[/quote]

Thanks for the update Alex. I will be keeping my eyes out for this title next year then. I`m sad to here that this might be the last one, but I appreciate your hard work & dedication with all these wonderful RA comps. You are indeed a true pro & a class act.

Kind Regards, Synth (Paul)
[/quote]

[Alex Hush]

Speaking of help...I have started working on a RA MySpace where we will be doing updates (contests etc), so if anyone here is 1 of the gazillion people who have a MySpace account, please feel free to send us a Friend Request!

http://www.myspace.com/retroactiverareremixed


[quote][i]Originally posted by Sean[/i]
<br>Sad to hear the news Alex. If people only knew what they were missing. I believe the normal number pressed for these kind of releases is around 5,000 copies. How many do you need sold to make it worth continuing? Maybe we can all help or something.
[/quote]

[obs]

[i]Maybe the title 'retro:active' isn't a title people will accidentally come across.[/i]

Yeah, ditto to that. Don't know how well the series has been promoted either.

Mind you, I haven't heard any news of another 12"/80s compilation either, so it might not just be the title/promotion.


[i]I would prefer the regular versions rather than the extended versions.[/i]

There's already tons of 80s compilations with regular versions, though, which is what makes Retro:Active appealing.

[Jeffrey]

Dear Alex,

I would be absolutely heart broken if the Retro: Active Series stopped. I was fortunately able to discover the series through Amazon when it first came out and have been such a fan of the care and thought that goes into each release. It would be extremely devastating if RA6 was the last one. Whatever we can do to help, please ask and it will be done.

You know, I was thinking, maybe it could go the route of a limited edition compact disc club item. Varese Sarabande records has a soundtrack club on their website, with only limited editions of hard-to-get film scores. You can only buy these items via their website and no where else. If this would keep the Retro: Active series going, I would be behind it all the way. There is so much music (remixes/12-inch versions) that have not seen their way to the digital format and it would be a damn shame if this outlet went away. Please, do what you can and tell us what we can do too. You have been great Alex, and I am forever grateful for the compilations we have right now.


An advid fan,



Jeffrey

[Sean]

I'm with Jeffrey on the heartbroken part as well as the whatever we can do to help. Looking at all the new 12" compilations that are coming out, they just keep repeating the same hits over and over. No one keys on the rarities like you do on this series. This is the one series that I think really personifies this whole newsgroup and for it to stop is really disappointing. Alex, how many do you need to sell for it to be able to continue. Can you break it down for us in numbers. Maybe we can find a solution for you. If each of us buy 3, 4, 5 copies, will that help. We can give it to our friends and families for Christmas or even keep extra copies for ourselves. A lot of the songs on this series, I think many of us were willing to pay $30 plus for another cd if we saw the song we want on there. At least as a collector, that's what I would do. Alex, let us know!!!

[fiftypercent]

It probably sounds simplistic, but if the series is only going to sell so many units, then in order to break even the price is going to have to go up. Personally, I place a much higher premium on rare stuff I can't find than, say, on buying the latest Elton John or Meat Loaf CD. If I can pay $12-$15 for that, I would pay double for a rarities disc. And more if my selections were front and center!

The reason I like the RA series, and others, is that (a) I want an official shiny non-bootleg CD with cool stuff on it (b) I'm sorry but even an mp3 ripped at the highest rate possible is no substitute for an official "collectible" product (c) I like the fact that kudos is going to artists who weren't in fashion even the first time around and keeps their music alive (d) I also like that we fans get to have a say on what we want - imagine if the Now series was produced that way.

To weigh in on the discussion about extended mixes or single mixes, I would say this: in all honesty, a lot of 12" mixes were kind of crap, even if they are rare. A lot of great hard to find artists didn't even produce a 12" mix, let alone one that beats out the 7" mix every time. But collectibility is a big part of the selling point. I would also say it's probably easier for a group of fans to come to a consensus on great 12" mixes to include, because the field is so much smaller. I think if everyone selected 15 single tracks to include on a compilation, there would be very little overlap. I'm also wondering if licensing some of these more obscure 7" records might be a nightmare too.

Perhaps the solution would be this: straw poll fifty or so contributors to the forum giving the top 50 single tracks they would like to see on a disc. Tabulate all the results and look into the licensing issues for the top 25-30. Go with 15 that are easiest to license. If nothing else, go with the artists that are popular even if different tracks are suggested. Call the CD something different and go the Marillion route and have fans like us pre-order the disc at a fair price (say $25) to put towards costs. I'm sorry but I think it's unlikely that the kid on the street is going to jump up and down to buy something that has Troy Tate, Kevin Kitchen or Secession on it. It's up to us, guys.

[Sean]

That sounds good to me fiftypercent. I wouldn't mind paying a little extra and pre-orders. Alex, what do you think? Would that help?

[Jeffrey]

I'm with Fiftypercent also! I have shelled out a lot, even if it was for one song on a compilation so I would happily pay more for new "Retro: Active" volumes!!!! I too love having a physical object to collect. MP3's are fine, especially when I'm desperate, but nothing is better than having the real macoy on the excellent comps Alex and company work on. Plus, you get to read the artists' input in the liner notes. You don't get stuff like this from iTunes - no producer information and/or credit to the remixer. PLEASE Alex, if charging more would keep "Retro: Active" alive, then I'm all for it!!!

This group ROCKS!!!!



Jeffrey

[Synthpopfan]

I`m with the rest of these guy`s on raising the $ sign on the RA cds if it means keeping them around for future releases. I also like having the actual cd in my hand. I don`t use I Tunes & have very few mp3 downloads.

Thanks

[Sean]

Or keep it at the same price and we will pre-order for multiple copies, 2-3 or even more and just give to your friends and family. I think because of the quantity that you have to print, you need to get rid of them faster. Also, if ordering direct helps you recooperate cost better, we can do that too. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

[Alex Hush]

Hey guys
Thanks for the amazing support for the RA series - it's most appreciated. We are working on getting the word out about the cds even more and trying to find as many retailers as we can to stock it. There is no plan to raise the price of the cds as that would be adding to the already tough sell in today's marketplace and keeping the series at a decent price point is something we want to do.
I guess the best way right now is just word of mouth. If you know anyone who enjoys the tracks/mixes on the RA series, maybe just let them know it is worth a purchase. RA6 continues to come together and I already have some stellar input from some world class producers and artists ready to go
Stay tuned and rest assured we are working on keeping the series alive.


[quote][i]Originally posted by Sean[/i]
<br>Or keep it at the same price and we will pre-order for multiple copies, 2-3 or even more and just give to your friends and family. I think because of the quantity that you have to print, you need to get rid of them faster. Also, if ordering direct helps you recooperate cost better, we can do that too. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
[/quote]

[Sean]

Hi Alex,

It's been quiet for awhile regarding this. Any updates or ETA of when volume 6 will released? Beyond anxiously waiting. [:)]

Sean