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

[Scott Merryfield]

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.

I gave the CD a listen this evening on my main system. It was quite enjoyable. It made me sad, though, that I just do not seem to find much time to sit and listen to music this way much anymore. I remember back in my youth, listening to LPs (and later CDs) for hours.

My other sad realization from listening tonight was noting that my music collection is seriously lacking in material from Tony Bennett. He still has a great voice -- amazing at his age.

 

[Malcolm R]

Disappointed to discover that apparently (at least from what I can see on the web site; haven't visited the store yet), our new Target store does not sell CD's at all. So for any Target exclusives, I'll still need to order online. Bummer.

Not sure why they go to the trouble of securing Target "exclusives" then don't make them available in all stores.

 

[Mike Frezon]

our new Target store does not sell CD's at all.

Wow! I'll be interested in your report after you get a chance to check things out, Malcolm.

Actually, Peg and I may be up your way in a couple weeks. Maybe I'll duck in to see!

 

[Malcolm R]

Wow! I'll be interested in your report after you get a chance to check things out, Malcolm.

Actually, Peg and I may be up your way in a couple weeks. Maybe I'll duck in to see!

That's probably the earliest I'll get there. The store just opened Wednesday and has its Grand Opening this weekend, so I'll probably avoid the crowds for a while.

It's one of their "small format" stores, but it's still a good size at 60,000 SF, and they claimed that it would have all the same departments as a regular big box Target, just smaller quantities. But it sounds like they completely omitted the music section (though it seems like there's still a movie section). At least based on their web site, where all the music is marked "not available at South Burlington".

 

[Jake Lipson]

Not sure why they go to the trouble of securing Target "exclusives" then don't make them available in all stores.

That does seem extremely strange.

I was in a Target by me last weekend and they had a small selection of CDs. It wasn't a lot, but they had multiple copies of their new Josh Groban exclusive, which I bought. It has two extra tracks on it versus the non-exclusive version.

The multiple editions of the Groban CD seems a little extreme. There is a basic edition (12 tracks, 49;37), widely-available deluxe edition (14 track, 58:13), and the Target version (16 tracks, 67 minutes.) Target charged $15.99 for their version. I bought it and like it, but upcharging fans not once but twice to get everything seems even greedier than usual. And as Mike has noted, it throws out the idea of the album as a complete piece of work. When this contend for Grammys next year, which version will they be considering as the "complete" version that represents Groban's artistic vision?

 

[Mike Frezon]

So there I was in Target tonight.

One side of an end cap was dedicated to Christmas CDs.

I picked up two:

Lindsey Stirling: Warmer in the Winter Deluxe Edition

John Legend: A Legendary Christmas

Each had two Target bonus tracks. The rest of the Christmas CDs there which I would have wanted I ordered from Amazon instead as they were all substantially less expensive.

 

[Thomas Newton]

The Target here reduced their CD inventory again, a little while back. They are now carrying a small selection of vinyl – priced at something like two or three times as much as the CD versions would be.

 

[BobO'Link]

The Target here reduced their CD inventory again, a little while back. They are now carrying a small selection of vinyl – priced at something like two or three times as much as the CD versions would be.

I find that pricing structure somewhat ironic. When CDs arrived they were priced two to three times as much as the vinyl versions. The excuse was always "It's new and not a lot of people are purchasing on CD, plus they sound better and aren't as easily damaged." The inflated price stuck around long after vinyl fell out of favor. Other than being a rather niche product I wonder if there's a similar argument made for the current expense of vinyl.

 

[Yugo Parrump]

I find myself in a position I never thought I'd be in. That is: to double-dip on CDs that I've purchased within just the past few months.
I'm not talking about upgrading discs because of improved resolutions or re-masterings.
I am talking about buying the newest CD of a favorite artist only to find out that that same CD at another retail outlet contains "exclusive" bonus tracks.
.

Oh I DESPISE this! It's such a blatant cash grab. At least now I know to check online before buying to make sure I'm getting the right/complete CD of what I want.
I don't mind so much if it comes direct from the band as a like a "bonus" for "real fans" (i.e. the band Cracker had a limited number of their Greatest Hits ("Garage d'Or") double-CDs available with tons of extra tracks.
The Walmart/Target/Starbucks "exclusive" tracks thing drives me nuts though.

 

[TJPC]

In the past I have downloaded these extra tracks from iTunes and burned them to a disc. Then I have put it and the original together in a 2 cd case.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Well, I've found something more annoying than retailer-specific bonus tracks: country-exclusive bonus tracks.

Ramin Karmilooo (a renowned musical theatre performer who has been in The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and the original cast of Anastasia) has a new album out on Friday., From Now On. The U.S. release is 12 tracks and 48 minutes, so there's more than enough space on those discs for more music.

The Japanese release will have two additional bonus tracks, both of which are musical theater songs (High Flying Adored from Evita and Being Alive from Company) which, like the rest of the album, are performed in English.

As we've discussed in this thread at length, I don't like the idea of retailer exclusive bonus tracks either. But at least if it is a Target exclusive, it's pretty easy for me to get it from Target. I love Ramin Karmiloo -- I think he's awesome, and I've seen him in concert and even met him after when he signed and personalized a Blu-ray for me. He was super-nice and wonderful and I'm a huge fan of him.

I want everything I can get from the new album, but I draw the line at importing a CD from Japan, which would cost significantly more than the $11.29 that Amazon is charging for the U.S. release. He's released a couple EPs in the last few years, but this is his first full-length album release since 2012.

Why would you not want to give the entire world access to the entire album? This doesn't make sense to me. I mean, I would kind of get it if they were two songs in Japanese being added specifically to appeal to the Japanese market (although even then I would want them), but that's not what this is. Sigh.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The Japanese bonus track is a long time thing, going back just about forever. Other countries as well, but Japan has a particular legacy on it.

This used to make it fun being a collector in an analog world. My favorite band is U2 and I have fond memories from middle school and high school of going to different record shops around Long Island and New York City (often with a family friend who was also a record collector) looking for rare imports and trying to discover unknown tracks. Before the days of Napster, iTunes and YouTube, you’d vaguely hear about rare songs from fan magazines or talking to other fans before concerts, and you’d maybe even make cassette compilations of your rare tracks to trade with other people for theirs. It used to be a lot of fun.

 

[EricSchulz]

Well, I've found something more annoying than retailer-specific bonus tracks: country-exclusive bonus tracks.

Ramin Karmilooo (a renowned musical theatre performer who has been in The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and the original cast of Anastasia) has a new album out on Friday., From Now On. The U.S. release is 12 tracks and 48 minutes, so there's more than enough space on those discs for more music.

The Japanese release will have two additional bonus tracks, both of which are musical theater songs (High Flying Adored from Evita and Being Alive from Company) which, like the rest of the album, are performed in English.

As we've discussed in this thread at length, I don't like the idea of retailer exclusive bonus tracks either. But at least if it is a Target exclusive, it's pretty easy for me to get it from Target. I love Ramin Karmiloo -- I think he's awesome, and I've seen him in concert and even met him after when he signed and personalized a Blu-ray for me. He was super-nice and wonderful and I'm a huge fan of him.

I want everything I can get from the new album, but I draw the line at importing a CD from Japan, which would cost significantly more than the $11.29 that Amazon is charging for the U.S. release. He's released a couple EPs in the last few years, but this is his first full-length album release since 2012.

Why would you not want to give the entire world access to the entire album? This doesn't make sense to me. I mean, I would kind of get it if they were two songs in Japanese being added specifically to appeal to the Japanese market (although even then I would want them), but that's not what this is. Sigh.

If I recall, the bonus Japanese tracks were to help curb the sales of imported CDs from the US and UK which were substantially cheaper. The Bonus tracks helped sell the Japanese releases. Apparently it's still going on!

 

[TJPC]

How about no extra tracks, but just crap! I just bought the soundtrack from the new “Lion King” from Target. It’s Target “exclusive” was two “collectable” cards! WHAHOO, I will treasure these always, and store them with my 3 Star Wars lithographs I received with the VHS copies of the movies I bought in the 1990s.

 

[Malcolm R]

If I recall, the bonus Japanese tracks were to help curb the sales of imported CDs from the US and UK which were substantially cheaper. The Bonus tracks helped sell the Japanese releases. Apparently it's still going on!

Yes, Japan bonus tracks have been a thing since the dawn of CD's. I've never really undertood why CD's are so much more expensive in Japan than the rest of the world, but the cost issue has often been used to justify the bonus tracks.

But even outside Japan, CD's have often been released in different countries with different track listings, different mixes, alternate versions and track sequencing, or even some albums being released in certain countries while not at all in others. Additional reasons that encouraged the rise of Napster and file sharing when such became viable over the Internet.

 

[Mike Frezon]

This is ugly. Big artist. Popular mainstream release. Retailer exclusive.

James Taylor: American Standard

1.	"My Blue Heaven"	Walter Donaldson, George A. Whiting	2:43
2.	"Moon River"	Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer	3:13
3.	"Teach Me Tonight"	Gene de Paul, Sammy Cahn	2:58
4.	"As Easy as Rolling Off a Log"	M.K. Jerome, Jack Scholl	2:50
5.	"Almost Like Being in Love"	Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner	3:42
6.	"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat"	Frank Loesser	4:11
7.	"The Nearness of You"	Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington	3:52
8.	"You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	2:26
9.	"God Bless the Child"	Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Jr.	3:21
10.	"Pennies from Heaven"	Arthur Johnston, Johnny Burke	2:52
11.	"My Heart Stood Still"	Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart	3:27
12.	"Ol' Man River"	Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II	2:53
13.	"It's Only a Paper Moon"	Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Billy Rose	3:11
14.	"The Surrey with the Fringe on Top"	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	3:20
Total length:	44:59

But there are two Target EXCLUSIVE tracks which are not included in the general release:

15.	"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"	Loewe, Lerner	2:15
16.	"Never Never Land"	Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green	3:22
Total length:	50:36

So unnecessary.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I agree with the displeasure, but Target has done that so many times in the last few years that I will often check Target.com before ordering elsewhere just to see whether they have an exclusive version or not. I've had SEVERAL discs come from Target just for this reason. So, I'm not surprised.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, it was the same with the new Lady Gaga album. Two exclusive tracks on the Target version.

 

[TonyD]

I Haven’t bought a new release cd in years, not sure how long it’s been.
The only exception was last year when the new The Who cd came out.

Target had an exclusive version with three extra songs at the end.
Funnily enough one of those songs is the best song on the record.

I never opened it since the full album is on Amazon Music.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Out of artists that I buy, just off the top of my head, Adele, Neil Diamond, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, and Josh Groban have all had Target exclusive deluxe editions in recent years with extra tracks. There are probably lots of others too whose careers I don't follow. It's a thing now to have a Target exclusive.

I usually look at Target's website first, before buying as new popular CD somewhere else, because I've come to expect Target to have exclusives like this. It's normal at this point. I'm not saying it's good. But it has happened often enough for me to take the hint that it will probably happen again.