Thanks to all who contributed in my discussion on the poor state of music consumerism via email. One of the received emails rightfully pointed out the confusing state of hardware, which, at first, offered two types of machinery one for each seemingly competing formats, SACD, and DVD-Audio. This was a brutal battle for film not too long ago with HD-DVD, and BD (Blu-ray). This is an interesting thought because certainly, the task of having to purchase two machines to play released music from the different labels (who chose a format and stuck with it) would be enough to end the concept of music in high definition and quickly.

Surely, competing formats are a hard choice to make. And certainly, there were many adherents of either side (SACD/DVD-Audio). But I saw it in a different light. It had appeared to me that many fans were settling in on BOTH formats, adopting them because hardware manufacturers were beginning to make machines that played both formats...easily and effortlessly. And the prices were beginning to take tumbles making them easily accessible. And while I clearly preferred one over the other, I was perfectly willing to allow both formats into my life, and did!

I'm not sure that hardware killed the formats. I really believe that the formats might have been a bit ahead of themselves. As I've stated, it was the massive acquisition of songs to fill an emerging ipod that helped to spell the doom.

Actually, I personally believe that either format wasn't given the benefit of finding a growth path, no matter how slow it may have been. From a marketing standpoint, the two formats had to compete (in a sense), and never becoming able to prove themselves in a wider market. Instead, they were left to fend for themselves in a market that was increasingly looking for the free track and didn't really care about the quality, as long as the music could still be enjoyed for what it was.

And so, we were left with a dead format (DVD-Audio), and a format (SACD) that now largely caters to fans of classical and jazz genres. Occasionally, we are treated with SACDs of titles from Rock that we have loved, and I'm sure that we'll continue to be treated to those. I'm fervently hoping that something triggers an acceptance that is enough to cause the US markets to revisit the format on a wider scale. Since only one format exists now, it should not be a problem to labels.

When Japan began to deliver some SACDs, with some of the titles being produced 'must-haves' (Who's Next, Aja) and having never been released in the US markets, I begin to see a bit of positive light, at least for the avid consumer. The Japan titles are pricey. But they are being produced by Universal. And that should mean someting within the structure of that old label.

And so I say to Universal...surprise us by re-releasing theJapan SACDs domestically for fans of the SACD format, and begin to develop the format to where it might start to proliferate. As everyone is now aware, including Universal, some fans are now opting to buy LPs, which means the market has shifted a bit. If you can capture that market, then the rest of us fans might have a library to re-developed.

That's alright with me.

Happy Birthday to Shari, my daughter.

I want to alert TAP readers to the fact that I have finally put together a FaceBook fan page that you can access and join by clicking on the badge below.  What this offers is the exact same thing as my Twitter feeds provide and that is first buzz on upcoming releases and free offered downloads, many announcements  that beat our main post, sometimes by days.  We also provide a Google BUZZ page that expands on most of the Twitter/FB feeds. On Buzz, you can even hear the music stream if a stream is offered.  There are still things that I'm working on in the FB page, like calender notes as well as links to great sites like The Second Disc.  I invite you to join us at our FB page and bookmark it.  Visit it daily and you'll be rewarded with much news and info.  Of course, you'll still want to come to the main MusicTAP page for our noisy commentaries.  Remember, with our Twitter feeds, you can elect to receive the news bursts as text on your mobile phone keeping you effortlessly up to date with stuff.  Lots of choices.  Find one, or two, that fits.

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Sanctuary Records will deliver another Chicken Shack album via Digital Download (DD) on August 10 called Poor Boy: The Deram Years 1972-1974 (featuring Stan Webb). This DD joins the one previously mentioned DD scheduled for August 3 called From the Vaults.

Sanctuary Records will add to its DD campaign Run To The Door - The Picadilly/Pye Anthology, planning the Clinton Ford release for August 3.

There are plans for a few more All Time Greatest Performances series releases for September 21. Fuel Records will release one for Lead Belly, whilst Varese Sarabande plans one for Kay Starr.

Mercury Records will release a 7" vinyl single from My Darkest Days (featuring Zakk Wylde) called "Porn Star Dancing," which is scheduled for August 24.

Universal Republic has a DD EP coming by Pearl & The Puppets on July 27 called Because I Do EP. The label is also slated to release Son of a Bad Man EP by Son of a Bad Man, same date.

Hollywood Records will release CD and DD for A Year Without Rain by Selena Gomez & The Scene on September 21.

Big Machine Records plan the S/T release of CD and DD from Steel Magnolia on September 21.

Geffen Records will release via DD Sublime's Greatest Hits for Sublime on August 3.

Shout! Factory will release a collection featuring Dick Dale music called The Very Best of Dick Dale, planned for release on September 7.

Remember that Shout! Factory has a specialized Live performances Box released for Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) called A Time And A Place, which was scheduled on July 20.

Integrity and Columbia will release Horseshoes and Handgrenades by Disciple on September 14.

RCA Records' Red Seal label will release The Essential Lena Horne: The RCA Years on August 24.

Mr 305 Records will release Armando by Pitbull on Edited/PA versions on September 14.