Not really, at least for the pop and jazz catalogs. But the big program
planned for Masterworks Heritage taken from the original tapes and
lacquers died from lack of sales.
Mike
Dave Lewis wrote:
> That's what it was. I wasn't questioning the technique; I was
> questioning whether, as it says, Sony has discontinued this kind of
> restoration work. The results are quite convincing.
>
> David "Uncle Dave" Lewis
>
> Assistant Editor, Classical
>
> Rovi Corporation
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Gray
> Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 11:43 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Sony and Binaural
>
> For "left" / "right" to produce 'binaural' would require two entirely
> independent microphone mixers feeding two separate disc-cutters.
> Anything else is a fantasy.
>
> Mike Gray
>
> Dave Lewis wrote:
>
>> Edward Johnson, in his notes for Cala 551, "Stokowski Beethoven
>>
> Symphony
>
>> No. 7 and Other First Stereo Releases on CD" states:
>>
>>
>>
>> "In 2004, Anthony Fountain, Classical Archivist at Sony Music Studios
>>
> in
>
>> New York, found many lacquer masters that Stokowski and the All
>>
> American
>
>> Youth Orchestra had recorded in Hollywood after their 1941 summer
>>
> tour.
>
>> The most significant part of the discovery was that all the recordings
>> were made in duplicate, with each pair of discs labeled "Left" and
>> "Right" respectively. [...] It was an exciting discovery and the
>>
> Leopold
>
>> Stokowski Society wished to license a complete CD of these AAYO
>> 'binaural' recordings. However, the Sony powers-that-be decided that
>> such a discovery should appear on their own label instead, along with
>> any other records of the period that had been recorded binaurally.
>>
> These
>
>> included the Stravinsky/New York Philharmonic sets of the early 1940s
>>
> in
>
>> which the composer conducted his own 'Rite of Spring' and other works
>> [...] However, it all came to nought in 2006 when the senior
>>
> executives
>
>> in charge were dismissed due to the poor sales of both their new and
>> historic releases. The Stokowski/AAYO lacquers were sent off for
>>
> storage
>
>> and the transferring equipment dismantled, so it seems that the
>> opportunity for hearing more of these historic recordings binaurally
>> has, tragically, now gone."
>>
>>
>>
>> Okay - I'm assuming that these notes, published with the final
>>
> Stokowski
>
>> Society release that appeared in November, speak the truth. But just
>> last week I heard a Sony producer protesting on NPR that "people
>>
> should
>
>> not take it on themselves and reissue classic recordings. First we
>>
> have
>
>> to locate the original master recording, then we have to find the
>>
> legal
>
>> holder of the performance rights, etc." The NPR commentator added that
>> Sony has transferred about 10,000 classic recordings since 1994 or so,
>> but is doing so in the face of the realization that only minimal
>> financial gain is likely to be made in such endeavor.
>>
>>
>>
>> However, if they have "dismantled" [...] "the transferring equipment"
>> then all that the Sony producer said is mere bluster; one has to
>>
> assume
>
>> that they aren't doing any of that kind of work now, based on what is
>> said in the Stokowski notes. Who is telling the truth?
>>
>>
>>
>> David "Uncle Dave" Lewis
>>
>> Assistant Editor, Classical
>>
>> Rovi Corporation
>>
>>
>>
>>
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