Resurgence Of Reissue Music Labels
The quality and extension of reissues seem to be getting better by the day
Reissue music labels have been around since the time when there was music that could be reissued. Still, for a while it seemed that they were somewhere in the background, mostly specialized operations catering only to some cultish and genre-oriented clientele. In the more current times, it seems that reissue labels are not only gaining in importance, but also in prominence. Some have even gained the status as ‘major’ labels. The reasons for reissuing music have not changed much from the inception of the concept, but the importance given to why something is being slated for reissue varies from label to label and from musical period to musical period.
While the so-called major music labels have reissue departments of their own, the driving force behind them is mainly to capture a moment they think they can make a lot of money off of. These reissues most often come at times when a new music format appears (particularly evident in the era of CD dominance) and involve prominent artists and (mainly) albums that have already earned them substantial cash in their previous incarnations. Of course, there were, and are, exceptions with reissues of more obscure material that has gained cult status, usually if the artist or a label has gained critical acclaim from a major music publication or a…
