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Scores issued and sold, how many?
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Topic: Scores issued and sold, how many?
logied
Oscar® Winner
When in comes to bragging rights for Singers, movies, books and the like, there
seems to be no problem in finding out how
many were published, cds sold, people went to
see it, or in general how did it do. When it
comes to film scores, this seems to be an
exception. If a Titanic does well it is ok to
tell or if Williams does a SW it should be
a good bet that 50,000 or better copies are
a shoe in but what about regular issued
scores and compilations. If a label issues
a certain advertised amt (are only scores
issued in limited editions and if so,why?)
then you know at the very least how many are
available. What makes scores collectable and
why? A couple of years ago I remember that
Cutthroat Island was difficult to get, now
a guy on ebay seems to have a limitless supply for 5.00 each. How many new star trek
the movie reissues were made and how did it
sell? Some people (like Ford T) mention often
that a soundtrack sold well, how does he
know, where is the information or is it only
available to some.
The dynamics of film scores as a business is
interesting to say the least. From creation,
purpose, listening, marketing, buying and
collecting, it seems to maintain a good board
level like this one.
I once asked a label how many copies of a
certain cd did they make and or sell. They
wrote back saying that was private information to the company. I understand the
right to the information, I don,t understand
the requirement. How many do they need to sell before they don,t mind telling anyone?
posted 06-09-2000 10:55 AM PT (US) PeterK
FishChip
Let's put it this way: if a label sells more than 25,000 copies of a score CD, it's considered a success. A small number, but it's slightly growing nonetheless. Last I heard, the average score album sells (I should say presses) around 10,000 units. There are many many factors that go into how movie soundtracks sell - the reason why it's hard to pinpoint any detailed information. In the 10,000 unit example, this number only represents a certain kind of soundtrack - the pure score play from a film with an average box office success. Add one pop song to the thing, and the numbers are dramatically different. A John Williams score-only album may sell more than a Jerry Goldsmith score-only album (although I get the feeling that this race is evening out). Of course, this only reflects USA. Does anyone know how big Goldsmith is in, say, Japan? You'd be amazed. The point is, the name of the composer even affects the number of units sold. There are no real by-the-rules examples.If you want the hard facts regarding soundtracks sold, the industry's SoundScan measures this. Unfortunately, it's closely coveted and not very public info. If an album does really well, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) issues certificates (seen as those gold, platinum, etc, records hanging on producer's walls) for milestones like 500,000 units sold, 1,000,000,000 units sold, etc. The public is free to look at all this at the RIAA website. Billboard also charts soundtracks, but again, this info is hard to unearth if you don't have the right tools to dig.
Hope this helps a little. I have no idea about the Cutthroat Island thing at eBay. Perhaps the album was rare for a month in 1996, but when Silva released it wide, it became very available. I guess just because it was rare once, people on eBay like to use it as a selling point.PeterK
NP - "Magnolia" songs by Aimee Mann
[This message has been edited by PeterK (edited 09 June 2000).]
posted 06-09-2000 11:20 AM PT (US) PeterK
FishChip
Of course, the above only accounts for current soundtracks. All these limited releases of older soundtracks are like doggie bones. You throw out 10 doggie bones if there are 10 dogs in the park, maybe toss out a few extra. There is an entire business model behind these limited releases, from the marketing to the research to the legal ease of it all. People who participate in these kinds of pressings are VERY in touch with the collector's market. They have to be, otherwise they would lose way too much money if they overestimated anything about who they are selling to. In fact, they are so in touch, I am sure they'll post right here in this thread if they feel like it.PeterK
posted 06-09-2000 11:26 AM PT (US) Darth Fart
Oscar® Winner
I heard that the Trek:TMP reissue didn't sell very well. Can Ford Thaxton confirm?Also, Close Encounters didn't shift enough copies.
I want to know if the Superman expanded CD has been successful?
posted 06-09-2000 12:35 PM PT (US) logied
Oscar® Winner
I sometimes think that when it comes to marketing that FSM hit a real niche with
their issues. At 20.00 a pop there is a 60,000 posssible return before a (guess) about 15.000 expense plus royalties. At 1 a
month that is a good 1/2 mil possible cash
flow. I,m sure it is not near that but for
a single area of the overall FSM pie, not
bad for a poor area of the music business.
In rock star land this is peanuts but I like
peanuts.
It seems insane but someone offered the new
FSM release Omega Man (19.95) from FSM on
ebay and the last I checked the bid was up
to 36.00. My dad would call that bidder a drut. (spell it backwards)
I also like checking Footlight records for
what they are offering. Italian scores alone
take up a couple pages. Where else could you
get a CD of My Fair Lady in german. With the
ethic mix of New York city and a population
of how many mil now, the score and film music
fan must come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Also, check out their overstock list
on a regular basis.
As a film music and score fan, the last 5
years and the internet have been hell on my
wallet and heaven to my ears.
posted 06-09-2000 06:19 PM PT (US) Old Infopop Software by UBB