BOC: Those Buck CDs!!!

[John A. Swartz]

I've been out a few days - I was in, of all places, Washington D.C (hey,
maybe here's a case where it's NOT Steve Swann's fault...) - but wanted
to comment on the Buck CD deal.

First, I sympathize with those that can't afford the package, or at
least feel that it isn't reasonable to spend that much to get this
stuff.  Further, I wish it was done such that one could buy just the CDs
individually, but that isn't the deal.  Why?  Not completely sure, but I
suspect it has a lot to do with ensuring this is a "fans-only" thing,
and that these recordings WON'T start showing up on places like Napster.

>
> This is not meant as a slam on anybody who did -- or
> plans to -- spend 150 bucks to join that Web site to
> get those 4 discs, but I would NEVER in my wildest
> dreams consider paying $150 for 4 CDs.  Even if money
> grew out of my ass I wouldn't do it!

Actually, if we were ONLY talking about CDs, then we're talking about
around $40 for a CD.  Sure, that's high, although many bootlegs could
run close to that.  And, we are talking about unreleased stuff from
Buck's personal collection that has been restored from the original demo
tapes and pressed to CD.  I suspcet that there was some calculation
involved as to how many copies Buck thought he would realistically sell
(certainly not more than a few thousand, I suspect) balanced against
production/distribution costs.  Then again, if you figure that the other
stuff you get in the package (autographed photo, t-shirt, laminate, and
website access) is worth, say, $30 by itself, then you are talking about
a cost of around $30 per CD - again, a bit high, but perhaps not
unreasonable given the content.

Then again, as I've stated, this stuff isn't for everyone in the first
place.  The casual fan may listen to most of this stuff ONCE, and have
little desire to do so again.  It is geared to the die-hard collector.


> Right!  How many BOC fans will fork over that kind of dough?  But
> you never know, I guess.  From what I gather from the other
> message boards, there's a considerable number of fans who travel
> the country making darn near every gig.  Don't know how they do it?
> Independently wealthy?  Trust fund from Daddy-O?  Die hard fans
> who don't give a fuck?

A mixture of all the above I suspect.  I guess the attitude you should
take is that if BOC is sort of one of your "hobbies", so to speak, this
is probably a small price to pay.  If you just like good music, it may
not be worth the $$.

Personally, I never understood the mentality of travelling all over to
see BOC gigs - but there are a bunch of fans that do it.  The costs of
doing so probably far outweigh these CDs.  But, to each his/her own.
While some can't afford the $$ to get these CDs, others (like me) can't
afford to take the time from family and work to see any BOC show within
a 300 mile radius.


> Again, maybe years ago, but not now.
> But, now, Nick, how much would you pay to see a BOC concert with
> the Bouchard brothers back in the band?

Interesting argument.


> What this likely does is simply play into the hands of the pirates and
> bootleggers.  I wouldn't be surprised if these crop up on eBay before
> long, suitably renamed to disguise their origin.  Either that, or
> someone will be giving them away for free, in butchered MPEG audio
> form,
> over Napster or Gnutella as a "protest" at the high price...


I disagree, and in fact think the OPPOSITE is true.  Who is going to
spend $150 to give this stuff away for free?  If they spent $50, I could
see some folks doing it - but I suspect the high price in part may have
been intended to discourage pirates/bootleggers.  Only the die-hard fans
are going to get this, and they probably have a strong allegiance to
Buck.

That's my guess anyway.

John