Repackage; resell.

We have just made a couple of box sets for the record company of a certain Mancunian miserablist where they have repackaged the first fourteen singles by this artist into two box sets.

They are two very nice boxes, and the singles when they are put in will look very wonderful. But the fact remains that these are all old records, albeit on vinyl, songs that have been issued, reissued, remixed, mastered apparently hundreds of times before.

Maybe the record industry would be in a better state if they found out some new talent rather than selling us songs and records we already own. How many times do we need copies of our favourite records? Remastered; the 20th anniversary edition, the 25th anniversary edition; the legacy edition; the de-luxe edition; and so on and on and on.

There is great music out there, and it out there if we hunt for it; so why can't the majors? In years gone by they would release hundreds of singles and albums that might or might not be hots, but they tried. And then they realised they could sell us shiny silver discs to us of stuff we already owned, and it was easier and a better stream of income than risking it on some bright new home from 'up north' or somewhere else.

But they will run out of things to sell us again, audio fidelity will reach to point where to go any further would be pointless. One day they will wake up and realise that there are only so many editions of Rumours any one person needs; only so many out-takes and alternate versions.

But I'm not holding my breath.