The complete score to Trevor Jones' THE DARK CRYSTAL and PAUL McCOLLOUGH'S Complete score to the 1990 remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Each release is fully licensed and 100% authentic.

In regards to Dark Crystal, our plan is to release the complete score in film order in stereo sound. It will be limited to 5000 copies...each one hand numbered to ensure the collector that only 5000 cds are manufactured. The booklet will be extensive and contain new linear notes regarding Mr. Jones' remarkable score. We plan to release it in mid August. Retail price will be $19.98. It will be available exclusively for the first 30 days at an unspecified website, then after 30 days it will be made available to other specialty soundtrack stores.

In early July we are coming out with the complete score to the 1990 remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. This will be a 3000 hand numbered limited edition run. Price will be $19.98.

John Harrison's Day of the Dead soundtrack is still available, but supplies are limited.

Regards,

MV Gerhard
VP Numenorean Music

quote:

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Originally posted by JeffBond:
I would have to assume that a licensed release of this score would involve Jones' participation and a completely digital album.

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I'm looking at the new issue of FSM, and Jones states as much in YOUR interview, Jeff. I'd say your assumption is a pretty safe bet!

quote:

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
It will be available exclusively for the first 30 days at an unspecified website, then after 30 days it will be made available to other specialty soundtrack stores.

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LMAO! This stuff is, like, getting weirder all the time.... smells like an Intrada promo debacle waiting to happen all over again.

If we guess which unspecified site before publicly announced, do we win a free copy of each release?

If we guess which unspecified site before publicly announced, do we win a free copy of each release?

Please excuse my inanity, but holy cow this was funny.

Mr Kelly,

You have a strict policy on your boards when it comes to advertising other sites. When I have posted links here in the past you have removed them. I wish to respect that policy by not posting here which website will be selling the item exclusively for its first 30 days.

Oh, and if you're the first to guess the website you get a free lollipop!

And for the record, this is NOT a promo. This is a fully licensed released with a signed contract from the Jim Henson Company.

Regards,

I did not say these CDs were promos.

The comment "like an Intrada promo debacle" simply refers to a similar problem Intrada faced by announcing a title (promo or not), then announcing it would only be available from a specific site, and then not having it available at all from any site. Nowhere in that line of thinking can you gather I said these CDs were promos. At least to me.

Why is this available exclusively from one website only for 30 days? How does this help soundtrack collectors?

I did not say these CDs were promos.

The comment "like an Intrada promo debacle" simply refers to a similar problem Intrada faced by announcing a title (promo or not), then announcing it would only be available from a specific site, and then not having it available at all from any site. Nowhere in that line of thinking can you gather I said these CDs were promos. At least to me.

No, you're right. I misread what you wrote and I apologize. Plus, I just wanted to reiterate to any that may doubt the legitimacy of this release. Sometimes people have trouble believing that the "new kid on the block" is the REAL DEAL.

Why is this available exclusively from one website only for 30 days? How does this help soundtrack collectors?

Contract obligation. Numenorean Music signed a contract with a distributor stating that with DARK CRYSTAL they get a 30 day window before we can wholesale out. If I'm not mistaken, FSM, Intrada, and other collector labels do likewise.

Regards,

quote:

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
If I'm not mistaken, FSM, Intrada, and other collector labels do likewise.

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I speak from first hand experience when I say this is not the case, or at least such policies have not been pressured onto MM purchase orders. Most of these limited editions are immediately available wholesale or not at all (like FSM or Varese club titles, which are not available wholesale to anyone).

Is this a digital recording, as Jeff Bond asks?

Do we get free copies if we guess the website?

We are working with Mr Jones right now to ensure the listener the best possible recording.

"...please, brutus, wipe that silly grin from your face! I can't stand it anymore!"

"I wish I could, but I can't, I'm SO EXCITED! It's going to be released, released, RELEASED!"

quote:

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
Numenorean Music signed a contract with a distributor stating that with DARK CRYSTAL they get a 30 day window before we can wholesale out.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Mark:
Pete, buy these from the distributor and you won't have to wait 30 days to order from the label.

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Well, that's all fine and good if Peter wants to pay retail, to sell at retail, and make no money - and possibly take a loss.

Heck, Mark - what's stopping YOU from buying them from the distributor and selling them on eBay or something? Nothing!

I'll have to wait like everyone else.

I see now that "buysoundtrax.com" is the "distributor" of these CDs.

Is it me, or is this scenario slightly unfair? I am sure Intrada, Screen Archives and others are not too pleased to hear this requirement of them.

quote:

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Originally posted by PeterK:
A distributor exists to sell product in bulk at wholesale prices. I don't know any true "distributor" selling product for retail prices. Dan, you are miss the point in this case.

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I'm sorry Peter - I got my terminology mixed up. Distributors don't sell retail. My bad. however, I still doubt you'd buy your CD from BuySoundtrax.com for their price just to sell them here, without some sort of profit margin, right?

quote:

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Originally posted by dgoldwas:
I'm sorry Peter - I got my terminology mixed up. Distributors don't sell retail. My bad. however, I still doubt you'd buy your CD from BuySoundtrax.com for their price just to sell them here, without some sort of profit margin, right?

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It appears you aren't the only one mixing up terminology.

Dan, in thirty days, I can buy 30 of these Dark Crystal sountracks at retail price, resell them, and make more money than buysoundtrax.com or even the label can make on each one combined. I have a waiting list of 30 or more people who'd be willing to pay $50 or more for this CD.

But you know what? I am not gonna do that. That's not cool. That's ripping people off.

In one sense, this 30-day window thing is unfair to businesses like Intrada, Screen Archives, etc.

In another sense (the LMAO one), the movie and music is 20 years old. What's thirty days? It's funny, that's what it is.

"As The Moviemusic World Turns"

Or

Same Movie Time
Same Movie Channel

Numenorean Music has decided to cease selling our product via our own website and have all of our sales go through a company called Buysoundtrax. Buysoundtrax is run by my art director and very good friend, Mark Banning. I could have gone to Craig at SAE or Doug and Jeff at Intrada, or to you, Mr Kelly, at MM, but since Mark is a good friend I came to him first. Of course, he agreed to do so. Buysoundtrax is currently selling our first title, DAY OF THE DEAD, and will be selling our second title very shortly, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. They are the OFFICIAL website selling Numenorean Product. In August (we hope) we will have Dark Crystal done. Thus far, this has been a VERY expensive project and I'm betting we haven't even reached the half way point in terms of cost.

Like FSM and Varese, we chose to sell this item exclusively on Buysoundtrax for a 30 day window. This is not an uncommon practice in the industry. "Exclusives" are set up all the time with "windows", to take in "first dollar sales." Video stores have a 60-90 window when it comes to new releases, then those movies can go to pay-per-view cable. A site like Amazon can get an exclusive on video game soundtracks like Medal of Honor. Right now, FSM is the ONLY place were you can purchase On the Beach and Point Blank. Places like Intrada and SAE will be selling those copies in July, a whole month after FSM has had the opportunity to do so. Why do they do this? Well, it's their project. They can make their money back a bit faster if they have a 30 day exclusive.

Buysoundtrax will be selling Dark Crystal for the suggested retail price of $19.98, as agreed upon by Numenorean and The Jim Henson Company. This way we can make some of our money back a little faster then if we wholesaled the item out from day one.

Now, in regards to wholesale orders. We will be wholesaling this item out at $15.00. We don't have to do that. We too can be like FSM and Varese and wholesale our cd's for retail price, then, in turn, causing a site like MM, SAE and Intrada to sell our product for $25 or even $30 a throw to the consumer. We don't want to do that. We would like for everyone to sell our product for $19.98. That way the consumer has the choice of coming to Buysoundtrax, to MM, or SAE to buy the same product for the same price as is suggested. . . after the 30 days are up.

As far as royalties go, we pay Henson a royalty based upon a $19.98 retail price. If we wholesale out our product for $15, we STILL pay upon the $19.98 SRP. We, NUMENOREAN, lose some money, but we at least get our product out there to a larger market. Hell, if we decided to sell the cd for $5, we STILL have to pay a royalty based upon the $19.98 SRP! Now, does this mean I can sell this cd for $25 or $30 as long as I report to Henson that I sold it for $19.98? HELL NO! That's bad. That's wrong! Oh, and not too mention -- ILLEGAL!

Of course, we can be a bunch of dicks and horde all the cd's for ourselves and not wholesale it out to anyone. I don't want to be a dick. I used to be a dick, but I decided it just wasn't worth it.

After a 30 day period we wholesale out this particular product for $15 to specialty stores, so they, in turn, can sell it at the same reasonable price that our OFFICIAL Website sells it for to the consumer.

The last thing we want is to see people price gouge on a cd that can easily be purchased for $19.98.

My aim is, as always and always will be, is to take care of the consumer.

Regards,

We are not 100% sure. We hope it will be digital.

Will the distributor (what's a soundtrax.com?) take pre-orders?

Buysoundtrax will be taking pre-orders most likley in early August.

Is Numenorean a licensed Tolkien distributor, too?

Dark Crystal is a Henson product. Mr Tolkien has nothing to do with this film. . .just in inspiration only.

What did Kevin see on FSM that freaked hom out so much?

I hope not nude pictures of me!

Will Peter and Dan get their own cable access show?

I'll see if I can pull together the funding.

Is the hand-numbering as carefully calligraphed as Prometheus releases? (Ha!) How much value doues a ball point scribble add to a CD, anyway? Will Trevor Jones hand number them?

I'm afarid that thankless task will be left up to me. Please excuse the chicken scratch. Try numbering 5000 cds in a couple of nights.

Can I use the number to register my copy with the publisher for ... hand numbered goodness?

Knock yourself out!

Did I mention I still am unclear whether it is the digital recording

Any explanation? Yes. There is no 30-day window exclusive. "Buysoundtrax.com" was selling Joe vs the Volcano within a week of Varese's announcement of the disc. To be blunt, drop this "everyone does the exclusives" thing. It is simply not true and there's a world of evidence to support this.

If the company "buysoundtrax.com" is making ZERO dollars in this 30-day window, then I'd not feel so weirded-out by the huge explanations above. Of course, if "buysoundtrax.com" wasn't making a dime for thirty days, smart businessmen are lacking at the company.

In short, I still agree with what Percepto's said from the "other" retailer standpoint. There is a smack of greed, and it should be disturbing. It wrecks the solidarity created by the hard-working people behind most small online stores and labels.

quote:

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
We are still going through the archives and scouring Mr Jones' basement.

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Check in the far left corner, just behind the National Geographics. Or over there, behind the Popular Mechanics.

(Sorry, couldn't help it.)

IN STOCK SOON. ORDER NOW.

Also, if you check Intrada it reads: Due JULY.

Regards,

It's not uncommon for FSM to sell discs before they're actually in stock.

The lesson that I'm taking away from this is that FSM, by adopting a simpler pricing schedule (We sell them for 19.95 to whoever), has avoided a headache. Their store makes the rule especially reasonable. They get the benefit of their work no matter what.

Numenorean's rule, keep the price point for first sale 19.95, produces a different effect. The 30-day early-dollars oomph being one of those effects. And that has the tertiary effect of alienating other retailers a bit. And if I read this correctly, you are eating the difference between the wholesale and royalty-payment price. Ow! The frog is hungry!

Either way, I, Kyle Beatty, Buyer of Film Score CDs, pay the same amount of money. Hooray. My preferred seller loses out on 30 days of potential sales. Poop. If I was sure that I could buy a Dark Crystal CD from my preferred seller in 30 days for 19.95, I'll wait. (No offense to buysoundtrax, I just don't know you). If I judge that the entire run will sell out through buysoundtrax.com, I'll buy from them, but I will feel coerced.

That's a bad, bad side effect, unintentional as it is.

Hopefully buysoundtrax are worthy retailers and I'll feel OK about spreading around the love. But I am still in danger of feeling manipulated.

On a side note, I wouldn't follow the business practices of video stores too closely. They are dark minions of evil. Eeee-vil. The chains are just tools of the media giant monsters that do not get any love from me.

quote:

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Originally posted by Numenorean Music:
In case you missed this at the top of the page:IN STOCK SOON. ORDER NOW. Also, if you check Intrada it reads: Due JULY.

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I am not going to argue peanuts, but I will. The CDs were just announced today on FSM's homepage. If I placed an MM-store order today for them, they wouldn't come in until July. July is three business days away.

The 30-day exclusive is not an "industry" thing, especially in the super small world of indie soundtrack labels.

I've said what I have to say, and we've witnessed others believe the same.

In the end, it doesn't matter. I firmly believe people have their favorite places to shop. "30 days" is silly, and for those who love to support small labels and Screen Archives, or Intrada, or where ever - they will wait out the 30 days.

If the 30 day "exclusive" works so well and you get those early dollars to recoup costs, why not lower the wholesale cost for the other retailers afterwards, since they are the ones being "punished" by this "exclusive." Gawd, the more I think about this, the more evil it is.

The success of Numenorean or Percepto or any other label is based on the support of MovieMusic, Screen Archives, Intrada, STAR, Footlight, Ark Square, Super Collector, you name it. If you bully your way to the front of the line to grab the bulk of the consumer's dollar, don't expect any of these very kind and generous dealers to support you in the future.

When the DVD was released to Dark Crystal many people bootleged the isolated score, and came up with 2CDs of music. Will this new licenced release be a 2CD set? Also since it will be a complete release will it be produced like an album. Or just every single cue including tons of short 4-30 second tracks. Instead of being like Merlin with most cues edited into suites for a better listening experience?

Roger

quote:

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Originally posted by PeterK:

Lancelot, are you really meaning to misunderstand? There are two issues here. No one has slammed anyone because they are releasing The Dark Crystal, it's the method they choose to release it. I thought someone like you would recognize the difference.

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