Free SACD with Nov. 21st Rolling Stone Magazine! (1 Viewer)

[Lee Scoggins]

I don't think the average buyer of RS will care for a free SACD of classical, jazz, and fossil-rock.

Marc, they have not announced the content yet, but they have announced it is a hybrid so any CD fan is going to get free CD content. That certainly will please the subscribers and other purchasers.

 

[Mark Hedges]

Haven't they been doing this? DSOTM, Dylan series, Stones, Peter Gabriel, The Police, Sting...Al, I am sure that one of the benefits of the campaign strategy is to get some more artists on board by raising the visibility.

I am a SACD fan and I think this giveaway is a good promotion, but I wouldn't call any of the above mentioned groups current. I think it is good that they have the above reissues, but I would like to see some more totally new, all DSD releases.

Mark

 

[Ron Reda]

they took the plunge on a SACD player to play the new Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon tracks

That, plus the Pioneer universal player was what won me over!

 

[robertLP]

That, plus the Pioneer universal player was what won me over!

Ditto here. I used to be solidly in the DVD-A camp, now I buy both.

Anyways, here's some more info on the $20 million ad campaign. The tie-in with CC sounds like a decent idea, actually:

http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layou...y=breakingNews

 

[kevitra]

I think that most people will find that having to take their 'special' CD to Circuit City to listen to it on a Sony Dream System is going to be too much work. Especially since most people realize they are not going to be 'winners'. Most people will listen to the CD layer and be happy with it. A lot will probably think they are hearing SACD even though they are only hearing the cd layer.

Plus, how much of a difference are they going to hear on a Dream System? Sure, they will hear surround sound, but most will gawk at the $500 price tag for the system. $500 is nothing to most of us, but not many people own good systems anymore. I know very few people that have 'real' systems, and having money does not seem to be the issue. Most people do not care (IMHO).

Instead they should include a compactflash card with overly compressed MP3s. The masses would be impressed.

Note: while this post may be 'negative', I would love to see a lot more SACD titles be released. I just think that some of you live in a dream world where people care about sound quality. Most don't.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Instead they should include a compactflash card with overly compressed MP3s.

This reminds me of the old "letter to AOL" where the guy goes on at length, pleading with AOL to "switch back to the format we can all use" (meaning: floppies).

The letter ends: "P.S. Please send me five more of your fine disks. I need to back up my hard drive."

 

[Rob M.]

I betcha that even today's RS reader still digs 60s rock like Dylan and Dark Sider of the Moon.

You really need to flip through a recent issue of RS. I think your opinion will be changed.

I have a feeling the main effect of this promotion is that more people like us will pick up that issue of RS. Depending on the track list, I probably will, though I will most likely dispose of the magazine post haste.

I think this is a good idea, I just think it's the wrong publication to reach the target audience.

 

[BrianB]

Has anyone found a tracklisting for this freebie SACD?

 

[Philip Hamm]

Well fortunately Super Audio has more support than Minidisc.

I don't think so. MiniDisc is a modestly successful format, and has been for quite a while.

I have a buddy who has a pre-recorded MiniDisc that was given away for free in a Rolling Stone Sony promotion just like this a few years ago. When he eventually got his MiniDisc gear he pulled it out. If he hadn't been such a gear geek that MiniDisc would have been trach. Instead it was a cool curiosity.

 

[FeisalK]

I think most people (j6p, not your average HTF member) are like me.. love music, and happy to live with CD and basic entry-level stereo system or mini system, can do with portable MP3 ... can't tell the difference between 96Khz and 48Khz (although 20bits sounds better than 16!)

... until there was multichannel music.

for most people like me IMHO the clincher will be 5.1 presentation and what they should give away is a multichannel-only SACD

and if i'm going to be a sample - I wouldv'e been happy to live with 5.1 DD/DTS on DVD-A, except that DSoTM was on SACD- so I hadta get a universal player.

I suspect that for other people there will be other favourite music that will prompt them to look at universal players if they already had a basic HT system.

 

[Mark Hedges]

what they should give away is a multichannel-only SACD

I hope to god there are never multichannel only SACD's. There are too many wierd multichannel mixes out there for me to listen to SACD in MCH exclusively.

Mark

 

[FeisalK]

There are too many wierd multichannel mixes out there for me to listen to SACD in MCH exclusively.

yea but that's no fault of the format.

Anyhow, I meant MCH only just for this promo if they gave away a hybrid disc _less_ people would bother to check out the promo ('take the disc to CC and test it out, and win a SACD system' or something). Like I said, for J6P who doesn't put too much emphasis on SQ even a wierd MCH mix might swing him

 

[Justin Lane]

for most people like me IMHO the clincher will be 5.1 presentation and what they should give away is a multichannel-only SACD

Umm, but how in the world would they get to hear the multichannel mix. It is not like people are going to run out and spend $200 for a new player just to hear a free throw away disc in Rolling Stone.

The Hybrid idea is good because at least it allows people to play the disc on their current CD players, maybe getting them curious to find better sound quality if the sampler sounds great in redbook to begin with (of course they could always say this sounds good enough for me, I will save my $200). Most (almost everyone) is still going to dismiss SACD from this promotion because it requires new hardware to play.

I may pick up RS if the sampler has decent material, but I already own an SACD player and the promotion is not targeted towards me. I don't really understand the logic behind the promotion, but it is Sony's money to burn.

J

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Most (almost everyone) is still going to dismiss SACD from this promotion because it requires new hardware to play.

That would be the case with any new format including DVDA. Only those people with SACD capable DVD players or DVDA capable DVD players would have a chance in any event.

How did CD get out there? There were several magazines that included free CDs. Remember the Jazziz promotions? You could not play that on a turntable. People went out and bought a CD player to try it out. People liked the convenience even though certain audiophiles knew something was amiss sonically...

Sony's just doing the same with this SACD promotion, only it sounds much better than 80s redbook.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

I don't think so. MiniDisc is a modestly successful format, and has been for quite a while.

Yep, not as a playback format, but as a hobbyist format, it is a pretty strong niche. You'll find minidisc recorders humming away next to the DAT machines at any large jamband show. And unlike SACD or DVD-A, Minidisc hardware is explicity advertised in virtually every Best Buy ad. I can buy Minidisc portables at Target...try buying an SACD machine there.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I can buy Minidisc portables at Target...try buying an SACD machine there.

Michael, by the time SACD hits Target then almost by definition we will have mass acceptance.

Minidisc was specifically developed as a portable format so I'm not sure its a valid comparison.

 

[BrianB]

Has anyone found a tracklisting for this freebie SACD?

So, rather than getting into the format wars already covered in this thread before I posted my question this morning, has anyone found a tracklisting for this freebie SACD?

 

[FeisalK]

Justin,

Over time, disc storage will get deeper (more Gigabytes) and cheaper and high resolution audio will become a very inexpensive process......

Disc storage is already very cheap what is expensive right now is a multichannel system - player, receiver, 5 speakers and a subwoofer is quite an investment compared to a cd player, amp and 2 speakers. This whole promo is Sony wanting to sell more dream systems

I still think hi-rez audio is targeted towards a small percentage of any population - the entry level is cost prohibitive for J6P.

CD redbook didn't become popular because it had better sound than LPs - it was more convenient, robust and portable. Minidisc didn't offer that much of an improvement in these respects over CD redbook and remains a niche item.

All Sony's gotta do is make all their products from now on SACD capable (at least 2 ch) - walkmans, boom boxes, mini-compos etc which they are doing with mch their dream systems, and they've got a mass-market format on their hands. They can't possibly worry that J6P will want hi-rez audio or fully appreciate it on the "Dream System".

SGD $0.02

 

[Lee Scoggins]

All Sony's gotta do is make all their products from now on SACD capable (at least 2 ch) - walkmans, boom boxes, mini-compos etc which they are doing with mch their dream systems, and they've got a mass-market format on their hands.

I partly agree as I wish Sony would only make SACD capable DVD players. I do think the titles have to keep coming, however.

 

[David Scott]

Has anyone found a tracklisting for this freebie SACD?

See what you started back up by asking such a simple question . I haven't heard anything about a track list, but it will be nice being able to listen to multiple artists without having to switch discs in and out.