Joshua Perahia's website is taking pre-orders for remaster of "Joshua - Intense Defense"

https://www.joshuaperahia.com/product/intense-defense/  


Having had some personal interaction with him on Facebook that did not go well a couple of years ago, I am leery of paying money for this before it comes it.

Does anyone know if it has been offered for pre-order for a while, or is this a new development?

I can't see anywhere with an expected release date

Cool!  I'm curious to hear it.

Temple of Blood wrote:Cool!  I'm curious to hear it.

The original gets pretty expensive...

I remember several years ago, I had finally purchased one at a really good price from someone on eBay. He was over in the UK.

To save on shipping, I let him ship it without the jewel case. Big mistake. He didn't properly protect it and the disc got snapped in half during shipping. I've never been able to find another one for a fair price.

I might chip in for one when they are done, but I'm not wagering money on a preorder.

Bought4Life wrote:Does anyone know if it has been offered for pre-order for a while, or is this a new development?

I pre-ordered a copy on the 2nd of October and it is yet to be shipped...

Ouch....that's kind of what I was afraid of.

The good thing is that he did finish remastering all of his other albums, so at least he is making progress.

Unless he has explained why it is taking so long to begin fulfilling orders, I will wait about preordering this.  Bride did a couple of long preorder situations for their albums but explained that it was more of a crowdfunding thing without using Kickstarter.  They told you up front the preorders were helping with recording/mastering costs.  If Joshua hasn't explained that, then this is bad news.

I think I will wait until it releases before I get on board.

Just saw it on his site for $34.99 (plus $10.00 shipping). His Facebook page said they were adding in new instruments and redoing the original artwork. Still, that seems like a steep price. It's a GREAT album, and I have it on CD already. If the remaster's high quality, I might splurge but I don't want to drop nearly $50 on something without knowing more. 

The site doesn't say pre-order anywhere. Are these shipping now?

I pre-ordered Intense Defense through Joshua's website back in January and haven't heard anything about it being shipped as of yet.  I payed $20 or so, $15.95 plus shipping.

OnlyAMan wrote:Just saw it on his site for $34.99 (plus $10.00 shipping). His Facebook page said they were adding in new instruments and redoing the original artwork. Still, that seems like a steep price. It's a GREAT album, and I have it on CD already. If the remaster's high quality, I might splurge but I don't want to drop nearly $50 on something without knowing more. 

The site doesn't say pre-order anywhere. Are these shipping now?

I can understand remastering an album, but why add new instruments? Just leave it as it is.

deathisgain wrote:

OnlyAMan wrote:Just saw it on his site for $34.99 (plus $10.00 shipping). His Facebook page said they were adding in new instruments and redoing the original artwork. Still, that seems like a steep price. It's a GREAT album, and I have it on CD already. If the remaster's high quality, I might splurge but I don't want to drop nearly $50 on something without knowing more. 

The site doesn't say pre-order anywhere. Are these shipping now?

I can understand remastering an album, but why add new instruments? Just leave it as it is.

If it really is the greatest AOR album of all time like he claims, then a remaster should be all it needs.  I know he wanted to add bass back to it as it is seriously missing in the mix.  Other than that, it was great the way it was.

I have issues paying that much for the blessed CD and then he wants $10 for shipping?  Is he loony?  There isn't a CD out there that I will pay that much money for--especially when I have the European version already.  I am not giving him that much money for one CD.  If that is what he thinks its worth, he can keep it!

Wonder if Sweet will buy it lol.

Opeth3232 wrote:Wonder if Sweet will buy it lol.

At the price he is asking, I wonder if anyone will buy it!  

It is truly a great album, and I was happy to finally track it down on CD a few years back. No telling how much I've listened to it, and I think a remaster with some bass could take it next level...but I'd have to hear some samples or read some trusted reviews before I could spend that much on one disc. 

I mean, I'm not a businessman, but surely a $50.00/ea. price point isn't going to move a lot of units, right? I wonder what the press run will be. Certainly bears watching...

If I pay $10 for shipping on CD it better be shipped with Day Before Yesterday Delivery.  Where are these coming from, Guam?

alldatndensum wrote:Is he loony?

Opeth3232 wrote:Wonder if Sweet will buy it lol.

If Joshua and/or Michael come and this thread turns into a drama-fest, I'm blaming you two for stirring the pot!  

(Opeth3232's comment definitely got a chuckle out of me hahaha.)

Nada wrote:I pre-ordered Intense Defense through Joshua's website back in January and haven't heard anything about it being shipped as of yet.  I payed $20 or so, $15.95 plus shipping.

He's waiting for you to pay the other $25...

It's a reverse of Amazon's Pre-Order price guarantee...with Joshua, if you pre-order something and it goes up in price, you owe the balance

deathisgain wrote:

OnlyAMan wrote:Just saw it on his site for $34.99 (plus $10.00 shipping). His Facebook page said they were adding in new instruments and redoing the original artwork. Still, that seems like a steep price. It's a GREAT album, and I have it on CD already. If the remaster's high quality, I might splurge but I don't want to drop nearly $50 on something without knowing more. 

The site doesn't say pre-order anywhere. Are these shipping now?

I can understand remastering an album, but why add new instruments? Just leave it as it is.

Well, it could always use more cowbell...

While pricey, it's just a fact of the current music business. Something like this is incredibly niche and therefore the high price may be part of the manufacturing price. That said, he should have just tried to get a reissue label like Rock Candy to reissue this.

WildWorld wrote:While pricey, it's just a fact of the current music business. Something like this is incredibly niche and therefore the high price may be part of the manufacturing price. That said, he should have just tried to get a reissue label like Rock Candy to reissue this.

I dunno, I think he could've gone thru Roxx or Girder and it would've been 14.99, not to mention more exposure because more people browse those sites than his. 

If you go here http://www.rainborecords.com/cd.htm it costs $749 for 300 CD's. Making it only $2.50 each. That is the "bargain bin" pricing for a basic CD, the next option is 1000 CD's for $999 making them one dollar each. And Disk Makers offers 8 pages, full color with jewel case, 1000 CD's for $1440 including shipping. That's $1.49 each. Going that option at 34.99 for a CD is a net profit of 23.48.

MikeInFla wrote:

WildWorld wrote:While pricey, it's just a fact of the current music business. Something like this is incredibly niche and therefore the high price may be part of the manufacturing price. That said, he should have just tried to get a reissue label like Rock Candy to reissue this.

I dunno, I think he could've gone thru Roxx or Girder and it would've been 14.99, not to mention more exposure because more people browse those sites than his. 

If you go here http://www.rainborecords.com/cd.htm it costs $749 for 300 CD's. Making it only $2.50 each. That is the "bargain bin" pricing for a basic CD, the next option is 1000 CD's for $999 making them one dollar each. And Disk Makers offers 8 pages, full color with jewel case, 1000 CD's for $1440 including shipping. That's $1.49 each. Going that option at 34.99 for a CD is a net profit of 23.48.

Plus, if it is the greatest AOR record of all time as he claims, then wouldn't there be like this huge following that wanted the disc?  This appears to be nothing more than a cash grab.  I wouldn't pay that much for a CD from anyone.  Yes, I know that finding out of print collectibles can be pricey, but there comes a point where you have to say that it just music and the copy I already have will be sufficient.  $35 for the CD and $10 shipping ($45 total) is just highway robbery.

I think you two are barking up the wrong tree by talking about the comparative cost of a physical CD.

While I also think it is too expensive, I would be more willing to think it is because of the added music. Which means he probably hired musicians or studio time, and he knows that 80s CD sales are dead and he may not be able to sell many at all (no matter how classic it is).

Bought4Life wrote:I think you two are barking up the wrong tree by talking about the comparative cost of a physical CD.

While I also think it is too expensive, I would be more willing to think it is because of the added music. Which means he probably hired musicians or studio time, and he knows that 80s CD sales are dead and he may not be able to sell many at all (no matter how classic it is).

Not at all.  Of course, you wish to make a profit when you make an album.  Every artist does if they sell their wares.  (Yes, I am aware of a few who made albums and GAVE the music away.)  Recording costs are always an issue.

He may have had to hire musicians and pay for studio time.  So, does a lot of bands.  The markup from your CD manufacturing costs, aka profits, should be what helps you recoup those.  He isn't immune, either, by having a fan base from the possibility of there being little to no demand for your music.  The more you charge, the less demand there will be.  You end up shooting yourself in the foot if you charge too much.

So, would you rather try to sell the CD at a lower cost, boost sales hopefully, and recoup the costs over a period of time, or expect less numbers of people to buy and recoup that way?  If you are a maker of a luxury item, which is a man-made status symbol anyway, you might can pull that.  However, a smart business model will always try to keep the costs down and make your profits by selling in bulk.  Walmart has cornered the market and is still keeping Amazon and brick-and-mortar retailers on their toes doing exactly that.

There are a lot of costs for some of our beloved specialty labels like Roxx, Retroactive, and now Girder.  Yet, they do limited runs of albums and still keep the prices at mostly decent levels.  They must because we keep buying!  The consumer, regardless of the product, will determine the worth of an item.  If it isn't worth it, they won't buy it--which is my whole point with the "Intense Defense" album.  It is just a record that most of us have in one form or another.  Forty-five bucks will be more than most of us will feel like spending when we could get three other albums from other artists for the same amount.  Unless you have unlimited funds, all of us choose daily what products are worth buying or not.  Many of Joshua's fans are probably regular blokes like us and will either skip this altogether or choose to procure more music from differing artists.

So, in the grand scheme, this comes off looking like A) Joshua thinks very highly of himself and thinks his music is worth the purchase price (a luxury item), or B) he is inept when it comes to marketing.  Only time will tell.

Those companies you spoke about also already have everything in place to handle putting out music. While they may put out small print runs of each release, they put out a ton of different releases, so they are high volume.

While everything you said about Joshua may be true, all I am saying is that talking about the physical cost of the disc manufacturing itself is kinda off base because I bet that isn't where his expense is.

All the other CDs he has remastered and reissued he sells for 12 to 15 per CD on sites like CDBaby.

Intense Defense is, I believe, the only one he has added new music to.

Really no different than small boutique blu ray companies that charge $40 to $50 for their blu rays when they add features or do extensive remastering.

Bought4Life wrote:Those companies you spoke about also already have everything in place to handle putting out music. While they may put out small print runs of each elease, they put out a ton of different releases, so they are high volume.

While everything you said about Joshua may be true, all I am saying is that talking about the physical cost of the disc manufacturing itself is kinda off base because I bet that isn't where his expense is.

All the other CDs he has remastered and reissued he sells for 12 to 15 per CD on sites like CDBaby.

Intense Defense is, I believe, the only one he has added new music to.

Really no different than small boutique blu ray companies that charge $40 to $50 for their blu rays when they add features or do extensive remastering.

And those are very niche markets. Most folks are not going to pay $40-$50 for a Blu-ray.  

All I will say is this: a lot of indie bands have to pay for studio time and sometimes musicians.  They have to pay for cover art design, website design, lyric videos, etc.  They don't have the fan following that Joshua does.  None of them are dumb enough to charge that for a CD for they know no one would buy it.  You would either ha e to be useless when it comes to marketing to charge that much, or you would have to think way too highly of yourself.