- Feature: Backlash Against Rip-Off Labels and Artists
- Sources: MySpace, MTV.com
A recent blog on the Dashboard Confessional MySpace site informed fans that the "deluxe edition of Dusk And Summer" would be released on May 22. The deluxe additions? The radio version of the last single Stolen, another track (Vindicated) that's over three years old and came as a special addition to Dashboard's previous album, two live versions of songs that have already been released and a special ringtone and cell phone wallpaper - hardly revolutionary.
However, in responses to this post, fans have been split - there are the usual suspects who will buy anything (or at least, have their parents buy it for them), while there are also the fans who see through this latest release for what it is - a shameful cash-in on a band's new-found popularity with a more mainstream audience. The end result - less respect for a very good band who do actually deserve their current success, and a possible smaller audience for any future releases. But then, so-called special edition albums are not exactly a new phenomenon.
Loyalty Has A Limit
Over the last couple of years, there's been a worrying trend of record labels - and to a degree, artists too - who have been more than happy to rip off consumers by releasing an album, and then release a newer version with perhaps the radio version of a song on it, and call it a special edition. With the increase in popularity of MySpace et al, these companies and artists have hit on the fact that there's a whole new generation of music buyers who will buy anything if the sales pitch is worded properly.
However, this is changing, and when you see how even the most loyal of fans are turning against their heroes, it may finally act as a wake-up call to the labels and the artists who make them their money, and this is exactly what's happened with Dashboard Confessional. Traditionally a band who has some of the most loyal fans in the business and who followed the man behind the band, Chris Carrabba, through his solo acoustic stuff to full electric present, if even Dashboard Confessional aren't safe from the vehemence accorded to the money men behind special editions, then the record labels and artists themselves should start to worry. The really sad thing is, it could have all been so different.
CD - The New DVD?
When CD's first became popular in the early 80's, there was a huge ripple of excitement running through both fans and artists - fans could enjoy the clearer sound, and look forward to extra tracks thanks to the newer medium's storage advantages over vinyl, while artists had a whole new technology to play with to allow them to expand on their sound. However, the revolution never really came. Even today, we still only get between ten to twelve tracks on a standard CD release, which could quite easily fit onto both sides of a vinyl release.
DVD's started to show the way it could have gone right a few years back, when they started coming with extras like director's commentary; deleted scenes; bloopers and many other features. Then the movie companies got greedy, and started releasing "special deluxe editions" with the only difference being a new commentary from an extra, or some of the deleted scenes being re-inserted into the film and being called "the director's cut". Now the malaise has shifted to CD's, but the good news is the fans are fighting back.
The Path Ahead
So what's next in this area? No doubt record labels will always want to make as much money from both artists and fans, and to a degree, this is understandable, at least where the artist is concerned - after all, the label has put a substantial investment into producing and promoting the artist. Is there still a need for special editions, and if so, how do they release them without ripping people off?
Perhaps one way to look forward is with the way the Foo Fighters released their double In Your Honour CD's last year - one side heavy, one side acoustic, with some unreleased tracks on there for good measure. Of course, Dave Grohl has always had the fans' interest at heart, but it shows the way to go with special releases.
Or do what British artist David Gray did a few years back, when he released his Lost Songs album from the pre-White Ladder recording sessions. At the end of the day, there are a host of ways that special edition albums can be released, and they actually look like something that are worth having in a collection. Fail to recognise this, and act on it, and the guilty labels and artists may find that they're pushed aside and ignored, especially in this download age where albums are already taking a back seat.
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