The fallout continues over the most recent "trick of disaster" regarding the launch of the long awaited Neil Young Archives Volume II Limited Edition Boxset.
This past weekend, all 3,000 units (@ $249 USD each) sold out in less than 48 hours -- somehow inexplicably and unpredictably -- demonstrating a huge pentup demand for physical Neil Young product by a global hardcore fan base. (See SOLD OUT: Neil Young Archives Volume II Blows Out in 48 Hours.)
Imagine that? And no one could have possibly seen this coming?
In a letter on NYA by Neil Young, An Apology Behind the Scenes of NYA Volume II Sell Out, Neil indicates that yet another another ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting" similar to the 2018/9 fiasco over the Bob Dylan & Neil Young Hyde Park, London gig has taken place.
As many of you know, the sales of my NYA Archives Volume II did not go quite as expected. I’m sorry so many of you were disappointed in not being able to snag one. Let me give you a little background and tell you what we’re going to do to make this right.
WBR/Reprise, my record label, is responsible for estimating the sales and then producing the product. Estimates are always difficult to predict with the world moving away from tangible, but they clearly failed to anticipate the demand we experienced. I would have preferred to have sold fewer and not have many of you disappointed.
Leading up to the release, we wanted to give you the same convenience of purchasing wherever you are in the world, so WBR built a Greedy Hand Store in the UK and another in Canada. But they were completed and came on line late, just before Volume II went on sale, which added to the confusion. We later learned a WBR link for pre-ordering was apparently leaked. Obviously, I’m disappointed how this was all handled, and will address this.
I read many of your comments, especially from those unable to make a purchase. Here’s what we’re going to do.
I’ve asked WBR/Reprise to create another version of Archives Volume II that will have all the same content, but with some changes in appearance to differentiate it from the first 3000. For those that pre-ordered with the expectation that there would only be 3000, we will allow you to cancel your preorder, if you choose. The new version will be sold at the same price and will come with the same hi res digital downloads and free NYA membership.
Thanks for all your support. For those still with questions contact the customer support team on your Greedy Hand Store or the NYA team.
My deepest apologies to all of you who were disappointed. The leaked preorder number from Warner Brothers is particularly disconcerting to us here at NYA. Warner is usually very reliable. We will be looking into who placed orders using that leak if we can. The second edition will be identical with a minor color difference to identify it.
Sorry,
NYA and Neil,
be well
Thank you Neil. We feel for you in that you apparently have to do it all. It's not enough to create, but you have to lower yourself to marketing as well, since the record company clowns have failed again.
Listen, we won't kid anyone that everything in this day and age is extraordinarily complicated and fraught with peril. There's crime in the city, the suburbs and countryside. Obviously, corruption on the highest floors of WBR/Reprise.
Clearly, there are insiders afoot at WBR/Reprise who are looking to sabotage NYA and they need to be rooted out with all due haste.
We suspect that the suspects are very limited and an investigation should have been completed by now and their employment terminated. No hush hush, NDA stuff. Let's name names and make sure they never work in the music business again. And don't sell out some low ranking staffer. WBR/Reprise record executives step up here. Now.
As per "Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976) by the ever faithful and fearless Lone Red Rider: "10 years, 3,000 copies, 250 dollars, 24 hours."
We've seen the pre-orders and the damage done. So, it's gonna take a lotta love to make things work out right.
WBR/Reprise record executives: Why are you making the Artist apologize to his fans for your own monumental internal f-ups? Have some class, take the hit and resign. Will you yourselves have your own long overdue ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting? You dance on the "Devil's Sidewalk", you take your chances and you pay the price. Capiche?
The Devil Breaks Out of Jail @ 666 Main St, Greendale
The Late, Great Elliot Roberts on The "Peace Trail"
It's not nice to fool the rusties ... #BeTheRain, RED october, #StayCalm, hunters become hunted. #NoFear, rusted moon, #disCERNment, son is rising, #BigShift, WHITE squall, #WT1sWBW4, BLUE ocean, 1:4:3/1:0:7.
More on Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976): Pre-Order Updates via The "Greedy Hand" Store + Unboxing & Preview Videos . Also, see Comment of the Moment: Pre-Order - Neil Young Archives Volume II (1972 - 1976).
See SOLD OUT: Neil Young Archives Volume II Blows Out in 48 Hours.
Debate all you would like below, please. Or see The Unbearable Lightness of Being Neil Young (and a Neil Young Fan).
Frame from A Day At The Gallery
The Unbearable Lightness of Being A Neil Young Fan.
I spent the morning refreshing the Greedy Hand since there was no on-sale time given - link to buy was posted there, disappeared, then came back later. I am hoping the discussed "leaked preorder number" sales are remediated differently than those who ordered from the store.
ReplyDeleteThis man is a legend. Thank you for listening Neil.
ReplyDeleteThis, as they say, is more like it: a sincere effort to make things right. I understand it can't be easy to create, market, and distribute as expansive and complex as the NYA enterprise. I also recognize, particularly following Neil's latest comments, that this is a labor of love.
ReplyDeleteI had not previously realized an NYA digital subscription was part of the package... that alone has me reconsidering a bit. Added value indeed. I await further information on when this new edition will become available. Hopefully, the rollout will be handled with greater care and precision this time around.
As for Warner Reprise, the leak is the part that truly needs to be investigated and addressed. If anyone did that on purpose... consequences are in order. Otherwise, I'm not calling for anyone's head, just the music.
~Om-Shanti.
First world problems, of course. Nobody could have fathomed the hole Elliot left when he left the planet. Certainly not Neil.
ReplyDeleteIt really does amaze me that after two decades of experience cleaning up after the mistakes the record industry made with the advent of downloading, they still haven't figured it out. Pretty sure they're still the only industry that has raised their prices as a result of multiple recessions. Here's an idea: take the preorders, and manufacture to demand.
Good on Neil for addressing this himself. I was one of those "leaked preorder numbers" and I really don't want to jump through those hoops again.
This seems to resolve the fiasco satisfactorily. Meanwhile, new video content is added to the site! What does everyone think of the Come Along NYA2 preview? I’m really digging the blend of tape player visuals with archival material like photos, lyric sheets, and tape boxes, and I hope the team creates a Play All function to replicate the Vol 1 video experience.
ReplyDeleteI to placed an order as soon as I saw the link in good faith. If this was done on the leaked link I had absolutely no idea. I spent the whole of Friday from Europe monitoring nya & acted as soon as the link flashed up. Frankly, the whole event was stressful & the limited edition announcement/ posting on you tube, a fiasco.
ReplyDeleteFurther to my previous comment, the question is, why was the purchase of nya2 any different to that of the release of say, the much anticipated homegrown. That didn't have a limit of 3k physical sales placed on it. Im willing to bet the physical sales, particularly vinyl, including myself, far exceeded 3k.
ReplyDeleteFinal comment. I dedicated Friday to purchasing nya2 because I really want to hear & own the unreleased music, end of story. I don't care about the box number or different colours. Who cares whether another 60k are manufactured with the same colour as long as it is made available to all those who want a physical copy, no elitism.
ReplyDeleteI've been a bit leery since I purchased PONO. Sound quality and format became more important than track/album/song content and quality. Always been a huge fan but relegated to journeys through the past nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI’m pleased that Neil has publicly explained the situation and apologized for the confusion caused for so many of his fans. I had no doubt that he would openly address the issue once he was aware of the facts involved. I don’t really understand why this release was designated to be limited in the first place. Music shouldn’t be treated this way, it should be inclusive to anyone interested, not exclusive. When a artist creates something that they feel compelled to share, then it should be available to anyone who resonates with it.
ReplyDeleteMaking it limited seems counter intuitive to the whole idea of a musical archive. A collection of unreleased songs is intended to enhance the understanding of the artists output throughout their career, so why limit the potential audience. The assumption that a physical product has a limited appeal was obviously an error in judgment. Hopefully the record label will make note of this for future releases, then perhaps we can avoid another unfortunate situation like this one.
Peace 🙏
Obviously the Warner Reprise marketing staff is not aware that beyond NYA there are probably thousands of private NYAs. I always find it fascinating that some fan archives hold items that even NYA does not have, such as video footage of concerts, audio-recordings, photos of course, posters, setlists, guitar picks. Maybe these record company guys don't go to concerts of acts signed to their label? Maybe they do not check on the internet's many fan sites? Apparently the NYA effort has weakened or even disrupted the communication ties between artist and company representatives.
ReplyDeleteGotta second what JWG24 said.
ReplyDeleteWould be great to be able to cherry-pick from the uber-expensive box, chockablock with previously-released material anyone buying this box will already own. Bring on IIA, with the archival/unreleased material Neil promised.
Homefires posted now gorgeous
ReplyDeleteThe video is lovely too. Good sad song.
DeleteI didn't try to order NY II -- too expensive for the unemployed. Nonetheless, Neil's response was pretty good. He quickly addressed the fuck up, apologized for it, and resolved to fix it.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I hope that the CDs will be sold individually since I already have Tuscaloosa, Roxy, and the core songs of On the Beach and Zuma (yes i know there are lots of unreleased tracks/performances.) I'm fortunate that I have most of the unreleased songs on "imported" CD's, though the fidelity is probably much worse compared to the sound on NYII.
Anyway, thanks Neil/NYA for promptly responding to this fuck up.
Leaked or.careful planning?
ReplyDeleteYou all certainly give NY all the faith in the world. He is hands-on with everything but he blames WB. Limited editions are elitist crap. Selling box sets with very little new material. Glad I didn’t buy a Pono...Greed never sleeps.
ReplyDeleteI tried to order it several times when it was available from the Greedy Hand but my credit card was rejected each time. Nothing wrong with my card. Anyone else have this happen?
ReplyDeleteNeil posted on the NYA T-C today that WB will not be printing more of the LE Box afterall. They thought it was unfriendly to call something a LE and print more of it. Instead, the world will have to wait until next year when a CD only set will be issued (sans the big box). Oh, and supposedly the Book will be available as a stand-alone purchase. That CD only set should look like the Vol 1 CD set with a small Booklet. I hope they have the sense to omit Tuscaloosa and Homegrown and make it an 8 CD set to manage the price.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Lone Red. WB seems really squeamish about the sales potential of the box sets, even after it's been proved that demand exceeded supply for the limited run. Although I can understand they don't want to be seen as participating in false advertising, I don't think most folks who ordered the box set did so just because it was a limited edition--although, as I've said before, that scarcity might have helped drive sales because of fans not wanting to miss out on the content itself.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, all this fretting from WB about the limited edition screw-up still sounds like a BS way of saying they still don't think another printing of the box set would recoup their losses. On the other, I would perfectly happy with a CD set and the book sold separately. Tbh, I kinda thought that's what the second edition might look like anyway. It should put less of a dent in the wallet, too.
It's the music that matters, right?
~Om-Shanti
I get it. "Limited edition." Well, no reason to sell lossless versions of the set now, correct? As long as we don't have to "buy full album" to get the longer tracks...
DeleteNo reason NOT to, that is.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it's highly unlikely WB will produce a standalone/CD version of the tracks without the DVD or whatever else the box has if they can't be bothered to produce more of the in-demanded boxes. That's why I'm hoping that it'll at least be available for download.
@ LRR - thanks for update.
ReplyDeletePosted @ http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2020/10/neil-young-apology-take-2-no-2nd.html
along w/ our thoughts and questions.
@ Meta Rocker & @ buddyobush - right, it's the music that matters.
just that it's seems so hard to make arrangements work when you're on the losing end again ...