SACD hybrids bad policy from Sony/Columbia?

Well, they have to do something and hybrid "trojans" might help the numbers. As much as SACD (or DVD-A) shine when critical listening is involved, the real critical part is market share & profit. Walk into a Tower Rcds or whatever, check out the # of CDs displayed vs SACD/DVD-A, and no matter how much any of us appreciate MC audio - if they ain't movin' the numbers then sumpthin's gotta give. With overall RIAA sales tanking (due more to content offering & quality than copying, in my $.02) you'd think that anything that boosts actual sales would be good. That's probably what leads them to think that hybrids are good, 'cause who copies SACDs? Bottom line is that pure SACDs are a tiny tiny part of the overall CD sales, so anything that makes them more likely to sell will be used.

I don't see what Sony/Columbia is attempting to do by releasing a new batch of redbook CD (only) Dylan? Hybrids are a great idea. Even if you only want redbook CD it still gives you the option later to go to SACD if you choose. I don't see the downside to buying hybrids even for those not interested in SACD (unless you buy the theory that multi-layer discs have, or will have unforseen problems), since you get two or even three formats for the price of one?

As far as pricing, it goes up or down, "whenever", no matter what format is being sold. The only way to avoid getting bit by price fluctuation is to wait until the disc you want falls to the price you want to pay. It's kind of like trying to decide at what price to buy a stock.

I have been buying mostly hybrids lately, and refraining from buying redbook CD (only) from artists who I believe will soon have hybrids out. In many cases the CD layer on a hybrid is better sonically than anything by the same artist on redbook CD (only). The real loser format to me is the SACD (only) discs.

In the final analysis, all the different formats or possible future formats are leaving a lot people on the sidelines until the dust settles, if it ever does.

The reason you don't see a hybrid SACD section at Tower Records is because they keep the hybrid SACD's mixed in with regular CD's and advertize them as "remastered CD's." That way -- the great unwashed buy them as remastered CD's while subsidizing the SACD industry, making them available to those of us who are interested in them. Further, many companies, like Concord, a jazz label, are experiencing a complete rebirth because of SACD. I buy most of my SACD's through a web-site that specializes in audiophile
recordings -- I'm going to bet SACD is driving a lot of sales for them. I don't see any decrease in SACD releases -- I see an increase. I also see an increase
in titles that interest me and I'm having no problem acquiring a large collection of well engineered SACD's. Shopping for car stereos, I see that car stereos are starting to incorporate SACD players -- clearly -- the format is driving profits for somebody -- the Dylan and Stones releases were touted as successes so I'm going to guess we'll see more companies capitalizing on their catalogue similarly -- I don't see SACD going away anytime soon. It looks to me like I'm going to have the opportunity to build a huge collection
of SACD's to play in my SACD player promising millions of hours of sonic heaven. To those who don't want to partake for whatever reason -- to each his own.

Rsbeck,

Love your comments.
We are on the same page except that since most of my purchases are "classical" music, there are not nearly enough new stuff out there. If you haven't heard the new Mahler series, now in the middle of the recording cycle, you are missing some of the most fantastic sound, and music.

Richard

The main point of this thread has been missed as the usual SACD debates are wheeled out.

People who have bought the Dylan Hybrids and paid £13 here in the UK are now going to get the opportunuity to buy the same discs for £8.

Let's say another major artist releases a whole bunch of Hybrids at £13-isn't there a now suspicious bunch of potential buyers who think mmmmm a few months from now the same discs are going to £8.

The whole point I was trying to make is that policy is probably already being abandoned,the whole beauty of hybrids was that potentially in the future non-SACD owners might consider a machine because they had SACD's in their collection.
I would suspect feedback to Sony/Columbia is that the price of the hybrids has held sales back and they are more interested in sales now than pushing this format.

This policy is damaging to the pro-SACD group but they seem unwilling to admit this policy damages the format and may indeed indicate a change in overall policy.

I'll make a prediction since we seem to be moving in this direction,SACD's sales will level out soon,stay stable maybe even healthy and will not increase at all from then and in all probability start to decline.

Then it will be down to the individual labels as to whether they keep it as a niche Audiophile format which they probably will at their high cost.
It won't grow though imho and the vast majority of the best of recorded music in history will never see SACD release.