These are excellent concerns and have been much on my own mind lately. Does
anyone have an approach to writing wills that properly dispose of such
valuable (to some, not to others) collections?

clark

On Thu, Mar 10, 2011 at 8:53 PM, Ken Fritz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>  Hi all,
>
>  I've also seen several of the more popular jazz recordings such as "Waltz
>> for Debby" and  "Kind of Blue" sell for well over $500.
>>
>
>
>  Being a TTP subscriber,  I waited with baited breath, for the "Waltz for
> Debbie" issue  to hit my doorstep. I put it on and listened , and listened,
> and listened. It didn't move me and I took it off . The cost was $300 for
> the issue from the master tape.
>
>   The next day I drove to Deep Groove Records  in downtown Richmond, Va.
>  where I bought a half dozen LPs  by Bill Evans,  along with "Waltz for
> Debbie."  The LPs weren't cheap but they were in great shape. None of the
> recordings moved me. I guess I just don't groove  with the genre.
>
>  As a subscriber to TTP I will buy everything they release. Having said
> that, I take what I can get but won't pay inflated prices for a 50 year old
> tape; it's a crap shoot. I'll let my tape machines  regurgitate known
> quantities rather  than pay for a crap shoot.
>
>  Perpetuating  the quality of the music  recorded on the master tape may be
> a moot point in today's MP3 mentality.  However, those of you out there that
> have access to the real thing, need to think about how we  can perpetuate
> the master tapes that might be outside the  copywright laws or how we can
> reproduce them within the current laws. Time seems to be getting short as
> those  that care about  MUSIC  and how it sounds and is reproduced, seem to
> be dying off. I'm 69, and my kids won't know  what to do with my ATR
> machines and my RTR tapes If I croak tomorrow. Maybe I'll just put Mike
> Spits in my will as he will appreciate the gift my kids won't.
>
>  As Nietzsche said,-paraphrased- "Without music, life is
> meaningless."--------- Can  we think about keeping the tapes alive?
>
>  Please reply  with your thought  on this topi as great music reproduced in
> a pristine format  is what music lovers live for.
>
>  Ken
>
>
>
>
> On Mar 10, 2011, at 5:28 PM, carlstephen koto wrote:
>
>  On Mar 9, 2011, at 7:47 PM, Tom Fine wrote:
>>
>>
>>>  It's hard to put a value on artifacts when it comes to collectors, so
>>> that could explain part of it.
>>> -- Tom Fine
>>>
>>
>> For the most part, I think Tom put his finger on it with the statement
>> above. IMHO, what we're seeing with the most insane prices are the
>> activities of completest collectors.
>>
>> The craziest prices I've seen for commercial reel to reels have been rock
>> in general and Pink Floyd releases in particular. A while back a 1/4 track
>> 7.5ips tape of "Meddle" (said to be a Japanese issue) was sold for a BIN
>> price of,.. hold onto your hats ladies and gents,.. $4299!
>> Another PF tape, "Atom Heart Mother", went through a heated bidding war
>> and ended up selling for over $2k!
>>
>>
>> After checking the eBay histories of many of the "winning bidders" I saw
>> no other reel to reel tape purchases and doubt that many of these folks even
>> own machines to listen to these tapes.
>>
>> Regarding these classical releases, I do have a number of them myself but
>> refuse to pay these kind of prices for them. The last couple of years has
>> seen a steady increase in the starting and selling prices of these old 1/2
>> tracks. Most of these old tapes I have were purchased for under $20 and many
>> for less than $10. Those same releases now regularly sell for $70-$150.
>> And while I do enjoy listening to the ones I have once or twice a year,
>> the prices they now sell for will keep me from buying any more.
>>
>> As to why these folks are paying such prices for these 1/2 track Mercuries
>> and RCAs, my guess is that they expect far more than these tapes can
>> deliver. A couple of years ago there were several bidders on these items who
>> seemed to be competing with each other. They also seemed to have endless
>> funds to do so (I followed the activities of a couple who regularly spent
>> $2k a week on tape purchases). This drove up the prices and after these
>> bidders stopped, the high prices remained.
>> If these high prices add to the interest and expectations of these tapes I
>> can only guess.
>>
>> On the other hand, I do have nearly all the Barclay-Crocker tapes (I paid
>> an average of $12-$13 for each) and I do listen to them regularly. I realize
>> that if I wish to complete my collection of these tapes, I'll have to bit
>> the bullet and pay much higher prices now.
>> Fortunately, with these tapes, the prices rise for a few months then go
>> back down to more reasonable levels for a bit.
>>
>> Carl Stephen Koto
>>
>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roderic G Stephens" <
>>> [log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 10:08 PM
>>> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Mercury Madness
>>>
>>>
>>> Hello All,
>>> This is something that Tom should be able to address. It is a really a
>>> tribute to Tom's mom and dad's historic recordings, but this resurgence of
>>> recognition and value truly shows that they did something special. I've
>>> found that Amazon is offering excellent re-masterings of the Mercury Living
>>> Presence series including some even in SACD, although those are, of course,
>>> 3-track. The prices are in the $6-12 range depending if used or new. My
>>> first question is, who is doing the re-mastering, and Tom, are you involved?
>>> The personal reviews on Amazon are mostly all five stars by those who have
>>> purchased them. My second query has to do with the original two track reel
>>> to reel tapes that are currently being sold on eBay. Can you believe that
>>> today, the Antal Dorati recording of Brahm's Variations on a Theme of Haydn,
>>> MVS5-25 sold for $202.50?!! Not only does the CD remaster have that tune,
>>> but it also includes the Enesco: Romanian Rhapsody No.
>>> 2. In addition, tape MDS5-3, Bizet: Carmen Suite and L'Arlesienne Suite
>>> No. 1 sold for $305! So, what is the reason for this madness? Pondering, Rod
>>> Stephens
>>>
>>