{"id":794,"date":"2012-05-28T05:00:26","date_gmt":"2012-05-28T10:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=794"},"modified":"2012-05-28T05:00:26","modified_gmt":"2012-05-28T10:00:26","slug":"the-real-gone-interview-part-1-gordon-anderson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2012\/05\/28\/the-real-gone-interview-part-1-gordon-anderson\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real Gone Interview, Part 1: Gordon Anderson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"For many years, Collectors Choice Music was the go-to source for music fans wanting CD reissues of music from the past. Be it something straightforward, music that enjoyed mega-success on original release \u2013 like, say, the 3CD set of Paul Revere and the Raiders<\/strong><\/a> single a- and b-sides \u2013 or something esoteric and obscure (a Clint Eastwood<\/strong> collection of cowboy songs), as the leading mail-order reissue catalog, CCM provided low-cost reissues with solid quality, careful remastering, and little fuss.<\/p>\n

While the marketing arm of CCM remains in operation, the Collectors Choice Music label ceased operations in 2010. Fortunately for hardcore music nerds (this writer proudly included), seventeen-year CCM head Gordon Anderson<\/strong> formed a new label in partnership with fellow music industry veteran Gabby Castellana<\/strong>. Launched in 2011, Real Gone Music picks up the mantle right where CCM left off.<\/p>\n

Anderson chuckles heartily when I observe that the sort of albums that Real Gone puts out are a wildly eclectic lot, just a list of things some collector-nerds at the label would like to see. \u201cYou kinda nailed it,\u201d he admits. During his time at CCM, Anderson got \u201ca lot of customer requests, which I preserved through the years. A lot of [those titles] ended up on Collectors Choice.\u201d Once he left CCM and started Real Gone, he \u201cspent about a month going through the old customer requests, analyzing if [a potential reissue] made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is,\u201d Anderson asserts, \u201ca populist element to Real Gone that is much like Collectors Choice. The difference being that, in the old days, CCM was serving two masters: trying to find stuff in the catalog that the audience wanted to buy, and going retail. Now<\/em>, of course, for Real Gone, the retail aspect is more important.\u201d Anderson believes that his nearly two decades of experience in the realm of what he calls \u201ccollector fandom\u201d gives him the skills needed to make good choices for RGM releases. His connections with what he self-effacingly calls his fellow \u201ccollector nerds\u201d help steer him in the right direction as well: \u201cI get pitched by independent producers from all walks of musical expertise and knowledge, and the label reflects that, too.\u201d He responds to those pitches by challenging the producer to make the case for their suggestion. \u201cSometimes they make the bar, sometimes they don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n

As is only fitting, Anderson’s own musical interests do figure into the mix as well. \u201cMy own expertise is very broad, but not always very deep,\u201d he quips. \u201cBut there are certain artists that I just know are going to work [for reissues].\u201d He cites a New Christy Minstrels<\/strong> compilation (A Retrospective: 1962-1970<\/em>, due out June 26 on RGM). \u201cI just know from prior experience that that’s going to do okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

He admits that some release projects lean more in a labor-of-love direction. \u201cThere are some that I entertain, that I do knowing the commercial potential is limited, but I feel there’s something there worth hearing.\u201d Anderson mentions the self-titled singer\/songwriter album by former Music Machine<\/strong> leader T.S. Bonniwell<\/strong>, and a rock interpretation of Handel<\/strong>‘s Messiah<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI didn’t have any illusions about that one,\u201d he laughs dryly. \u201cIt’s very much a niche, extreme cult item.\u201d<\/p>\n

The costs associated with securing masters and rights, coupled with the availability of the material itself, affect the likelihood of a title seeing reissue on Real Gone Music. A combination of experience, gut and market research are all brought to bear on the decision process, too. \u201cI don’t think I’m betraying any deep secret when I say that you’ve got to go online and see what things are selling for,\u201d Anderson says. If vinyl copies of a long out-of-print album are changing hands for hundreds of dollars, that’s clearly a mark in favor of CD reissue. \u201cThat doesn’t always guarantee success \u2013 nor does it always predict failure \u2013 but in general, it’s a good indication. You know: supply and demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0continued<\/a>…<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow \u201cthe_musoscribe\u201d on \"\" Twitter<\/a> and get notified
\nwhen new features, reviews and essays are published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many years, Collectors Choice Music was the go-to source for music fans wanting CD reissues of music from the past. Be it something straightforward, music that enjoyed mega-success on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[1796],"class_list":["post-794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interview","tag-real-gone-music","cat-41-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}