Shrapnel Record Back Catalog Purchased

In a nutshell, The Orchard (a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment) has purchased the rights to the entire Shrapnel Records back catalog. Expect re-issues aplenty coming soon.

http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2015-11-23/shrapnel-records-archive-snapped-up

Maybe now I'll be able to get me a reasonably priced copy of Cacophony's Go Off!

If they re-release the debut Steeler (Ron Keel/Yngwie) album I'll be a happy guy.

I wonder if they'll even do any physical releases. My guess is they will concentrate on only digital, but I hope I'm wrong because there's tons of old Shrapnel records that need a good CD issue.

This could be really good news, especially with physical releases. There are alot of good releases just waiting to be re-issued.

Shrapnel - was the label - if my memory serves me right.
At least for a few years. Didn't they have a cool tank symbol - ?
I think they started focusing/ recording Guitar flash instrumental things -
I was more of a Bon Scott barroom brawlin' new band searcher -
Interesting though -

In the last 1o years or so I have bought a lot of back catalog Shrapnel stuff. Awesome stuff. Classic Rock mag had a good article on Mike Varney and his label,"The Fastest Label on Earth" or something to that effect.

Maybe now I'll be able to get me a reasonably priced copy of Cacophony's Go Off!
I think I paid like $14 or $15 new for both Cacaphony discs on the Bay a few years back.

Witchfinder wrote:

I wonder if they'll even do any physical releases.  My guess is they will concentrate on only digital, but I hope I'm wrong because there's tons of old Shrapnel records that need a good CD issue.

Quote :

As part of the deal, The Orchard will oversee physical and digital distribution of Shrapnel’s 322 album archive

I assume that would mean cds and vinyl as well.

Both Go Off and the Steeler album are easily procured for affordable prices on Amazon? At least at the moment...I know that stuff fluctuates, but there are a few used "very good/like new" copies of Go Off on Amazon.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

I wonder if they'll even do any physical releases.  My guess is they will concentrate on only digital, but I hope I'm wrong because there's tons of old Shrapnel records that need a good CD issue.

Quote :

As part of the deal, The Orchard will oversee physical and digital distribution of Shrapnel’s 322 album archive

I assume that would mean cds and vinyl as well.

Right, but I'm wondering if it will be lucrative enough for them to consider pressing any physical media.

Quote :

Right, but I'm wondering if it will be lucrative enough for them to consider pressing any physical media.

True. Just because Orchard has the rights to do physical releases of the Shrapnel catalog is no guarantee that they will actually bother to do 'em.

Yea, I guess. I just figured that if they spent the money to acquire the back catalog, they'd want to re-issue some of that stuff to make some cash back. Especially with the current resurgence in vinyl. Guess we'll see.

Quote :

I know that stuff fluctuates, but there are a few used "very good/like new" copies of Go Off on Amazon.

For the longest time, it was so far outta my price range that I eventually took it off my want-list and stopped looking. Guess it pays to check in every now & then.

Depends on potential sales. All record labels have a "reissue threshold", they have to accurately predict whether a title will garner enough interest to make a physical reissue cost effective. I can't imagine the potential audience for these reissues is going to be that large, so I would expect to only see physical reissues of their most appealing titles.

S.D. wrote:

Depends on potential sales.  All record labels have a "reissue threshold", they have to accurately predict whether a title will garner enough interest to make a physical reissue cost effective.  I can't imagine the potential audience for these reissues is going to be that large, so I would expect to only see physical reissues of their most appealing titles.  

I have to agree, the label was mostly known for releasing endless and I mean endless albums from shredders, Jason Becker, Tony Macalphine, and so many more I can't even remember half of them.

I can see them releasing the Steeler as a reissue and maybe Jason Becker, but a majority of those artist where niche artists who were not ready for primetime

I would think that reissuing some of those albums in the physical format was taken into consideration when the purchase of the catalog was made. Why buy it up if you're not going to distribute them? I could see a big company buying up rights then sitting on it. But The Orchard record label (while owned by Sony) runs independently and specializes in distributing music. Seems to me they'd want to get that stuff back out there in circulation in every format available.

I guess the question is, would digital-only releases bring in enough income to make it worthwhile?

My guess is they will cherry-pick some titles to release physically and the remainder will be digital.  Remember, the record labels make good money from the streaming services, the bands don't get anything but the labels get 70% so it's a good deal for them.  The labels also generally get 70% of any digital sale via Amazon, iTunes, etc.  As always, the record labels get paid even if nobody else does.

Having the rights to the catalog also gives them leeway to create box sets, compilations, LP reissues or whatever else they feel like doing with the material.

Along with what MG said, if the label was interested enough to buy the rights to Shrapnel's stuff, I'd assume they kinda know what their market is going to be. And that's going to be the same market that all the other reissue labels cater to, like Divebomb, Rock Candy, et al. I don't know how many CDs those labels sell but it seems to be enough to keep them going back and acquiring rights for more and more reissues.

Also, it'd be cool if those U.S. Metal comps got issued on CD.

Of course the labels know what the potential market will be, that doesn't even require being stated, they don't pull their checkbooks out otherwise.

Thread resurrection - has anything come out of this yet?

I’d be interested in a remastered and expanded Perpetual Burn cd by Jason Becker

metalken wrote:

Thread resurrection - has anything come out of this yet?

I was wondering as well.

I can find no updated news on this. It's like they bought it and buried it.

I found a website for this "Orchard" thing, it's skimpy as hell and has nothing whatsoever on it having to do with Shrapnel, so your guess is as good as mine:

https://www.theorchard.com/music/

Dark Horseman wrote:

I can find no updated news on this. It's like they bought it and buried it.

Which is asinine. That would make no sense.

It is but after four years you'd think they'd have done something.