News

ABKCO's 22 Rolling Stones hybrid SACDs set a very high standard for reissues, sonically and otherwise, when the catalog was released in 2003. ABKCO smartly avoided confusing consumers by not pushing the SACD layer on the packaging and by not charging a premium. This strategic decision kept the discs from being stocked in an SACD "ghetto" where few customers would see them.

Sales were outstanding and many (including this writer) felt that if any catalog could boost SACD into the mainstream and make other labels consider issuing titles in the format, it was ABKCO's Rolling Stones releases.

However, recently, ABKCO stopped selling the dual layer hybrid SACDs, replacing the catalog with "red book" CDs produced, however, using the DSD transfers.

A number of readers have asked about this change. No one can charge ABKCO with being less than enthusiastic about SACD and sales were strong (though what percentage of buyers even knew about the SACD layer they were buying remains questionable).

Unfortunately, lack of major label support created "...an environment, specifically at the retail level, that would not sustain SACD as a viable commercial product," a statement received today said.

Sealing the format's fate for ABKCO, was Sony's recent decision to reduce hybrid SACD replication at its Terre-Haute Indiana plant (launched with much fanfare May, 2003) to one day a week.

According to ABKCO, this decision made it impossible for the company to fulfil orders in a timely manner. When the transition to "plain" CD occured, ABKCO changed the packaging to standard jewel boxes to differentiate them from the hybrid predecessors.

An ABKCO spokesperson also said the price remains the same for the multi-disc sets because they weren't raised at the time the label transitioned to SACD hybrids in the first place.

Another nail in the coffin of SACD.