Double dipping on CDs due to retailer-specific exclusive tracks?! (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

I am pissed. I recently purchased two CDs (I must be the guy keeping record companies in business) only to find out that I missed out on two retailer-exclusives.

The We Love Disney disc I stumbled across at Barnes & Noble with two exclusive tracks and I see now that Adore has two exclusive tracks at Target.


This bullshit has GOT to stop. I'd pay the premium (if there even IS any) to get the extra discs, but I usually find out about them after the fact.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I haven't read the entire 5 pages of this thread, but I will say that I have noticed this growing trend, especially with Target. In the last couple of years new albums from Neil Diamond, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Brian Wilson, Josh Groban, Adele and the Smash TV show and Peanuts Movie soundtracks have all had exclusive tracks at Target, and that's just artists that I like, so who knows how many others have done this? It's getting to the point where before I order a CD from another store, like Amazon, I check Target.com to see if an exclusive is being offered, and it never surprises me anymore if one is. Further, the soundtracks for the TV show Nashville are now exclusive to Target in physical format -- not just extra tracks, but they're not selling the physical CDs at other outlets at all. Target definitely wants to be seen as a place to buy music.


I'm sure that the artist benefits financially because money must exchange hands between the labels and Target to allow for their exclusivity, but if I were an artist, there would be something uncool about releasing part of an album, but not all of it, for general release. Are they not proud of the "bonus" tracks to regulate them to such relative rarity? It seems like in this case, Target with the bonus tracks has the full version of the album and everywhere else is selling an abridgment. At least when it happens with Blu-rays, that's a matter of extra behind-the-scenes content or exclusive packaging, whereas extra music, for a CD, seems like it's part of the main event. Studios wouldn't agree to let Target sell a Blu-ray with the end of a movie that in other stores has the final 15 minutes cut off.


But Adele's album is 49 minutes in its standard release and 1 hour 3 minutes in its Target version...so that's quite a bit of material.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I got lucky a couple days ago.

It had come to my attention that Sarah McLachlan has a new Christmas music CD out this year. And the first place I saw it happened to be at Barnes & Noble...which turned out to have an exclusive release on it. Their release has three bonus tracks.

Pure luck that I happened to see it there first (before going into a Target or ordering it on Amazon, etc.).

 

[Dick]

I got lucky a couple days ago.

It had come to my attention that Sarah McLachlan has a new Christmas music CD out this year. And the first place I saw it happened to be at Barnes & Noble...which turned out to have an exclusive release on it. Their release has three bonus tracks.

Pure luck that I happened to see it there first (before going into a Target or ordering it on Amazon, etc.).

But are you sure that the Target and Amazon discs don't also have exclusive material?

 

[Mike Frezon]

 

[Mike Frezon]

It's been a couple years...but there's a new Diana Krall release today--an album of duets with Tony Bennett on Verve.

Which can only mean...that Target has a retailer EXCLUSIVE version with two bonus tracks. Even though I knew in advance, this will still be a double-dip situation for me because I downloaded the album already today from HDTracks...because I want the album in high-rez...but I will also want the bonus tunes (and a CD for the shelf).

Have I ever said how much I hate retailer exclusives??

 

[EricSchulz]

It's been a couple years...but there's a new Diana Krall release today--an album of duets with Tony Bennett on Verve.

Which can only mean...that Target has a retailer EXCLUSIVE version with two bonus tracks. Even though I knew in advance, this will still be a double-dip situation for me because I downloaded the album already today from HDTracks...because I want the album in high-rez...but I will also want the bonus tunes (and a CD for the shelf).

Have I ever said how much I hate retailer exclusives??

When I saw Diana Krall had a new album on iTunes I just KNEW this thread would get a bump,

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm THAT predictable!

 

[JQuintana]

Saw this news on ET last night and found the album is on Spotify so I may check it out, I really enjoy both artists.

 

[Malcolm R]

Happened to me with the new Troye Sivan album, "Bloom". Just bought it from iTunes, then found out that the Target edition has two bonus tracks.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Happened to me with the new Troye Sivan album, "Bloom". Just bought it from iTunes, then found out that the Target edition has two bonus tracks.

It just ain't right.

Artists: create an album and release the entire damn thing to everyone.

I always get back to Sgt. Pepper. Maybe only Sears should have carried the exclusive version which included "When I'm Sixty-Four." Most people don't need that track on their copy of the album.

 

[MielR]

I always get back to Sgt. Pepper. Maybe only Sears should have carried the exclusive version which included "When I'm Sixty-Four." Most people don't need that track on their copy of the album.

Funny you should say that...

I noticed once that my sister's old LP of Rubber Soul didn't have "Drive My Car" on it. It was a US Capitol pressing, and back in the early days, Capitol would cut one or 2 songs off each Beatles LP so they could save them up and release another album, like Yesterday And Today (aka "butcher block"), etc. Fortunately, by the time Sgt. Pepper was released, that practice had stopped.

So see, it's always happened!

...and if I HAD to cut one song off Sgt. Pepper, it would be "Within You Without You". LOL.

 

[Jake Lipson]

then found out that the Target edition has two bonus tracks.

I've noticed that many artists I like have bonus tracks at Target. It's gotten to a point where when someone I likey announce a new album, I actually look it up at Target.com first to see if the Target one is going to have bonus tracks before ordering it from Amazon or some other vendor.

Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel (separately) have both had bonus tracks on the Target editions of their last two consecutive albums at least (I have both from Target for this reason.)

I've also gotten Target exclusive editions with extra tracks from Brian Wilson, Neil Diamond, Josh Groban and Adele in recent years. The Adele one I found especially annoying because the Target exclusive was in a cardboard sleeve with no tray, which I hate...and a few months later I found the standard edition had been repackaged (at a Target) into a standard jewel case, which is what I wanted from the beginning. I didn't buy it again to get the jewel case though.

I guess Target really wants to be known as a destination to buy music.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

So, Mike, the big question is - - how is the new Diana Krall album? I am a fan, too, but have not been keeping up with new music releases. Is it worth a purchase?

 

[TJPC]

What I hate are several different versions of a CD at several different stores put out in the hopes you will buy more than one. I noticed that with a cd of a revival of South Pacific or Gypsy a few years ago. There was the standard version and two different “extended” versions with different extra tracks, one at “Target “ and one at “Barns and Nobel”. These extra tracks were one of my first download/burn from i-tunes.

On a related subject, I have noticed that there are two different versions of the new “A Star Is Born” cd being offered. 1 is labeled “clean” and for a dollar more the depraved can buy the “dirty” version for a dollar more.

Lastly are they still offering CDs and DVD/Blu rays with multiple different covers? I always wondered if there is some poor slob somewhere in his basement proudly displaying four copies of the same CD with a different band member on each cover!

 

[MielR]

I guess Target really wants to be known as a destination to buy music.

And yet, they're phasing out the CD section in the stores. I guess it's all mail-order now?

 

[Mike Frezon]

So, Mike, the big question is - - how is the new Diana Krall album? I am a fan, too, but have not been keeping up with new music releases. Is it worth a purchase?

Scott: She is one of the few artists I pay serious attention to anymore.

I gave it a serious listen today. It's good. Very good and I will be putting it in heavy rotation over the next couple weeks. Krall and Bennett supply only the vocals here. They are backed by Bennett's regular trio fronted by Bill Charlap. They are perfect for this duty. The album is all-Gershwin. Hard to go wrong. If you've got a Target near you, I'd say go there and pick one up (for $13.99). If you are into high-rez music, the 96kHz/24bit FLAC download is available from HDTracks (for $20.99).

About the only thing keeping me from saying it's "great" is that I'm not so certain that their voices blend together well. I think I'm hearing her (one of my favorite all-time vocalists) and I'm hearing him (better than most male vocalists--even at age 92!)...but I may need to hear it through a few more times before I hear "them." They are each just so distinctive to me... But ask me again in a few weeks. By then it might be GREAT!

In fact, four of the tracks on the 14-track Target EXCLUSIVE are solo tracks (two apiece).

But, bottom line for me, is that when you get a talented trio backing two of the premiere vocalists of our lifetimes singing a selection of standards by George & Ira Gershwin...you cannot go wrong.

Good lord, the man is 92. He is a singing miracle. Even if a little rough around the edges and unable to hold a note here or there, Tony Bennett is still amazing. And she is just the best thing to ever happen to a piano and microphone.

I think my favorite tracks which include both of them are Our Love is Here to Stay and They Can't Take That Away From Me.

Why are you still sitting at your computer? Get in the car and head to Target!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Artists: create an album and release the entire damn thing to everyone.

HERE'S an article from Billboard which features interviews with both artists about the album. And here is EXACTLY what frosts me about Krall having various album releases with bonus tracks at various retailers. Here she is responding to a question about how she discovered the music of Tony Bennett:

Diana Krall: Again, I heard Tony Bennett at home as my parents were fans of his but then I discovered the two records he made with Bill Evans and that changed everything for me; as well as my musical desires as both a jazz pianist and singer. I did not think of myself as a jazz singer as much as a storyteller and Tony and Bill together has it all. How two unique artists could reach the emotional depth of feeling was groundbreaking musically and artistically innovative. Those records are the meaning of life for me like Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue. You have to listen to them in their original sequence, and in their entirety as a complete piece, the way the records were originally made.

Added emphasis is mine.

How can artists recognize that intent in others' work, yet not think the same should hold true for themselves?!?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Thanks, Mike. I actually made a trip to Target earlier today and picked up the CD - - and I dislike driving to the store for these types of purchases. I haven't had time to listen to it yet, though. I just ripped MP3's of the songs to copy to the USB thumb drive for my car. I probably will not have a chance to listen to the CD for a few days.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I just ripped MP3's of the songs to copy to the USB thumb drive for my car.

That's exactly what I did with my Target copy...and while doing that last night, I listened to the HDTracks version on my HT! And this morning I was listening to the copy in my car!

You're gonna love it.