We'll steal your money, we'll steal your show...

I'm a music freak. I make no bones about it. While I love electronic, indie, and alternative music the most, I will listen to just about anything at least once before I decide I hate it. That's how much I love music.

But, there are times when the world of music really ticks me off.

I'm not going to go into details on many of the things that annoy me. They've been covered ad nauseum by music critics and bloggers for years since the advent of the World Wide Web.

Today, I'm going to focus on something else that I've been seeing more of lately... the re-releasing of albums with new or otherwise exclusive content.

No, I don't mean really old albums being remastered with new content tacked on. That sort of thing, generally speaking, is fine with me. I'm referring more to an album that was released very recently and, within a year, is re-released with new stuff. 

The first time I remember hearing about this was with Coldplay's album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which was originally released on June 11, 2008. It was re-released on November 25, 2008, packaged with the Prospekt's March EP.

Two weeks prior to the second release of Viva la Vida, Taylor Swift's sophomore effort, Fearless, came out and sold 592,000 copies in its first week. In an attempt to cash in on the album's popularity, her record company re-released it as Fearless: Platinum Edition on October 26, 2009, with six additional songs.

Earlier this year, a couple indie bands I like, Yuck and Kurt Vile, released albums and both have since been re-released with new content.

Reissuecovers
Why? What's so damn important that the album needs to be re-released with new content that can't just be held until the next studio album release? In many cases, yes, you can just purchase the new content as individual tracks, but not in all cases. Yuck's new song "Cousin Corona" is an album-only purchase on iTunes.

For me, though, it's all about perception. And my personal perception of this action is that of a money grab.

With Taylor Swift, I don't think she had much choice. She's young and in the midst of rising popularity and whatnot and likely had no say in the matter. Coldplay? I think they have the sway that they could've said no to their record company. Yuck and Kurt Vile, though, are indie artists tied to low-profile production companies (Fat Possum and Matador, resepctively) that I would've thought would be more sensitive to fans and incomes and the like (apparently I'm wrong). To me, there's no excuse to have done this whatsoever. Just hold them as new tracks for a follow-up album or release them on EPs separate of the album entirely.

Obviously, I'm not part of the music industry. Maybe there's something I'm missing here not being an insider. If someone cares to give me a rational explanation as to the purpose behind this action (other than "money grab" or anything that can otherwise be interpreted as such), please do so. I await your comments.

Tonight should be kinda cool.

You remember that book featuring my photo on the cover? Well the author of the book is going to be signing copies at a Barnes & Noble store in DeKalb, IL (as clarification: the shooting happened at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, so this is a "local interest" book signing).

I'm looking forward to meeting the guy and having copies signed.

I hope he'll have time to talk.

Previous Post

I wanna taste...

Nov 7
I have no idea what Katie and I did to make this happen but, for some reason, we have no taste. Yeah yeah, I can just hear the jokes rolling in now, but I'm serious. Something happened on Saturday night...
Next Post

I have become comfortably numb...

Nov 9
I was out in DeKalb last night for that book signing I mentioned in yesterday's post. I love going to DeKalb since Katie and I spent so much time out there during college and it's also where we met and...

Comments

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Suzanne Apgar

It should be a very moving time for you and the people of NIU and DeKalb. This is something you will not soon forget, nor should you. To forget would be an insult to the memories of those who died because of one person's mental illness. So sad.

kapgar


It was interesting as a lot of people didn't want him there. That's why he wasn't on the campus and had to go to an off-site bookstore. But he was a good guy. 

Kevin Spencer

I also consider myself a music freak. Like you I try to give everything a fair shot, and my music collection contains some really odd things. But for whatever reason, no matter how hard I try, I can't get into Country music. Just not my cup of tea at all. These days I don't even try anymore, it's a lost cause.

kapgar


I can do country within reason and my tolerance is typically short lived and in spurts. But I am capable of it. I think. 

Marty Mankins

Out of all those bands you mentioned, Yuck is the one that I've heard that I really like. I know my daughter likes Kurt Vile and I think has seen him live, too.

kapgar


Both were at Pitchfork. Good shows. 

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