Reissue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A reissue or re-release is the new or repeated issue of an item. In common usage it refers to nothing (normally an album) which has already been released but which is then re-released, or reissued; either with the body of music left intact or with some alterations.
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[edit] Reasons for reissue
[edit] Special, Limited and Commemorative Editions
Such recordings are reissued to celebrate their popularity, influence or an anniversary relevant to either artist or recording. Reissues of this type are usually released with alterations such as:
- The remastering or re-recording of the original music
- The inclusion of new materialalbum]] artwork and presentation (for example the Digipak format)
[edit] Releases before the introduction of CDs
The term also applies to the reproduction onto audio CDs of albums which had been recorded and released before the introduction and common use of that medium.
[edit] Strong and weak sales
Recordings are also reissued, either to create interest (and hopefully revive sales) in a release which had previously sold poorly, or to cope with increased demand as a result of a release's unexpected popularity. For the purposes of quantifying sales, an album's original release and subsequent releases are counted together - for example, if an album sold 300,000 of its original release and 700,000 in subsequent reissues, it would be entitled to platinum certification. The musical content of the disc, for example the number of tracks, must remain the same in reissues, however.
[edit] Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side of the Moon'
Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973 (before the introduction of audio CDs) and has since been reissued 16 times in total: three times in 1973; once in 1978; once in 1982; once in 1990; four times in 1991; once as a special edition in 1993; once in 1995; once in 2001; and once in 2003 as a special edition SACD celebrating the album's thirtieth anniversary.
[edit] Reissue Labels
Best known reissue record labels include Rhino Records and Legacy Recordings. The metal label Roadrunner Records are also notorious for re-releasing their artist's works' only months after releasing the original album.
