What is the case here is that a product can only have a budget that will be recovered and then go into profit. The recouping of costs depends on how many people buy that product. Even if this was a super-duper collection of fan footage covering the entire concert and the entire press conference, the amount of sales would be the same. Considering that the amount of people buying Elvis product is probably lower now than it ever was (ie, the hardcore fans and virtually no-one else), we should thank our lucky stars that Sony are willing to invest money in anything Elvis related.ekenee wrote:No it not. We agree on that.poormadpeter wrote:But you're not a record executive, and you're clearly not viewing this from a business perspective. Sony owes us nothing - they have provided us with approx 200 hours of material through FTD over the last twelve years or so. They really have done more than their share in providing us with what we want.ekenee wrote:You sure used some qualifiers in that paragraph.poormadpeter wrote:Yes...so what's stopping them? Ah yes, that pesky matter of paying money for each and every scrap of footage that they would need to create an item like that...which bootleggers don't need to pay for...and that's providing they can even negotiate the rights to such footage.ekenee wrote:Thanks, I don't recall this one, but since I don't really have a source for boot DVD's it's no wonder.JimmyCool wrote:Check this out, ekenee:ekenee wrote:What is Phoenix?JimmyCool wrote:Phoenix did.ekenee wrote:Yes the press conference has been seen in varying degrees of completeness over 40 years, and not one company has bothered to edit it together proper.
I would like to know if this is really complete.
There are still questions on the transcription that I have never seen in video form.
Yes, I have seen 95% of the conference in various videos, but I am sceptical that the full thing is out there.
How do you get this Phoenix version?
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40896
It's one of my favorite DVDs.
Looks like what Sony could have done if they choose to.
I really and truly am bemused at the way this dvd footage and the package in general has been received by some. Yes, it has faults - most notably the Cd holders and the black screen. As for the remixes, well they are always going to split opinion. Against the vinyl of the 1972 album I think the current remixes sound remarkable - but if we all liked the same thing then the world would be a dull place.
BUT...for the first time in the Legacy edition series (which is what this is, even if for some reason it's not admitted on the packaging), Sony have actually put some thought into a release rather than throwing together a couple of albums and hoped it sells. Those who don't want remixes have also been catered for with the actual Legacy Edition - although they miss out on the DVD. The reception was always going to be mixed, not least because we are a spoilt bunch who want everything without ever taking into account the actual logistics. But for goodness sakes, folks, Sony are actually using their imagination with a mainstream Elvis product - and a 70s Elvis product at that. Make the most of it.
I made the most of it, but at the same time I can see it's shortcomings.
I will not be blinded by a package just because it comes in a fancy wrapper.
If I, not being a record executive, can find ways to improve it,
then surely it can be improved upon.
If they don't want to spend money on a good product, then they won't produce a good product.
Doncha think they have made enough money on Elvis in the last 50 years?
They will always make money on Elvis.
But greed has set in, so if they don't make enough money then they will go cheap.
Maybe if they had taken the money they wasted on the ill concieved , "I am an Elvis fan"
album, and put it into the DVD of "Prince from another planet", we wouldn't be debating this.
GEEEEZE. It's not rocket science.
Yes, I Am An Elvis Fan was ill-conceived. Tough. To them, Elvis best-ofs have a good track record, so they put money into it. There is logic there.
There is no logic in spending a huge amount getting footage from here there and everywhere to produce Prince, because they know that such products only sell X amount of copies - and no more. More money spent on it would require a higher price tag. It's a no win. As it is, it's a damn good product for the price involved.
People forget that Sony is a business, and not a charity for Elvis fans. They need to be able to make sure they are not only going to make their money back, but also that they will make a healthy profit. Otherwise it's not worth their time.
It's not rocket science.
Bottomline is....they can't make enough money on it, so the product is not up to standard, because
they don't want to spend money on it, because they won't make enough money on it, so they won't sell that many,
so, the next time they will spend even less on a project, and then the next one sells even less.
You follow?
They put out a product that gets the review it deserves.
And might I point out, I wasn't that harsh on it.
So, all seems to be as it should in this universe.
You keep making excuses for this release.
Why?
A review is what is seen in front of you.
A reviewer of a movie doesn't cut the director slack, if the movie sucks,
just because it was made on a low budget.
So just accept it. This had a low budget and it shows.
As it is, if Sony had put out a double disc remastered set of the two MSG concerts without the DVD at exactly the same price, nobody on here would moan. The Legacy Edition is £2 cheaper - that's how much we are paying for this DVD.
Nobody cuts a low budget movie any slack because we still pay the same admission price to go and see it as we would for a blockbuster. That isn't the case here.