How Can Music Go Out Of Print If Everything Today Is Digital?


I have a vinyl copy of ’Mobo 1’ by Kazumi Watanabe. It was released in 1984.

The cd came out a few years later on Grammavision Records. It is now out of print. Since everything is now digitized why wouldn’t the record company release a digital copy to be played on the streaming services like Tidal, Napster, Spotify, etc.? Or even offer digital copies to be purchased via download.

They would no longer have to produce any physical copies...why not just collect money on the digital file?  It seems that the record companies are leaving millions, if not billions on the table by keeping all those files available for public purchase.  Of course it would benefit the artists also.

128x128mitch4t

Showing 1 response by lowrider57

In the 1980’s record labels weren’t storing music to digital. Their libraries contained analogue masters. In the case you cited it’s possible the master was lost or damaged.

They pressed a certain amount of CDs and vinyl, enough to be profitable. And a digital master may not exist.