Dave writes:

>It's nice to see Pentatone releasing new recordings on SACD. I just
>picked up their release of early string symphonies by Franz Xaver and
>Johann Stamitz by the New Dutch Academy - beautiful string playing.  I
>believe these new recordings are all 5.0, as opposed to the older quad
>recordings they transfer directly from the original discrete 4-channel
>analog master as 4.0 surround.

Did you go 5.0?  If you've heard the MTT Mahler in discrete surround,
*tell me* you can't wait to hear the 2nd this Tuesday!

>Nor am I even remotely considering selling my treasured CDs in the hopes
>they may be re-released as SACDs or DVD-As.  This is primarily because
>I see it as extremely unlikely that SACD or DVD-A will become mainstream
>anytime in the foreseeable future.  Neither technology has taken off,
>though SACD is doing better than DVD-A, and SACD is getting some traction
>with the independent classical labels we love such as Hyperion, Chandos,
>Telarc, etc.  In fact, according to the latest sales numbers released
>by RIAA, SACD and DVD-A are losing market share.

Some observations though: From my armchair I believe this drop in
numbers represent SACD settling into the Classical/Jazz niche, (though
sales figures for Bjork's latest on SACD were very good, over 100,000
copies sold, for instance), where definitions of success may be different.
While the pop-oriented DVDA sales model may require the sale of 1M DVDAs
of a particular title to be successful, a Classical SACD may only need
to sell 5000 units over 10 years to make money.  I would like to see if
SACD sales are rising *within* the Classical market.  If SACD increasingly
= Beethoven, the sales numbers are going to have to be interpreted
differently.  Surely the release of the RCA Living Presence and the MLP's
will give a boost in any case.

Another thing: the 'a' in riaa--only about 1 in 4 of my SACD collection
were purchased here in America.  I just (painfully) purchased the latest
Hyperion SACDs--Hewitt/Chopin Nocturnes, Victoria Choral music, and the
LSO Lives--over on Amazon UK.  I'm not going to wait 6 months for them
to show up on the shelves here.  I'll bet there are more SACDs in the
hands of Americans than the numbers suggest.  I received a notice that
they are waiting for another shipment of the Hyperion Hough/Rachmaninov--my
order has been delayed until early December.  People must be buying.

Finally, doesn't the addition of new labels on the SACD bandwagon, as
well as new releases from labels already producing, bode well for the
future of SACD?

John Smyth
Sac, CA