(http://tdrsmusic.com/images/Thanatopsis-requiem.jpg)
Update! Now available for pre-order here:
http://travisdickersonmusic.com/shop/#!/Thanatopsis-Requiem-pre-order/p/48327127/category=813535
Allow 6 weeks for shipping but it could be much less.
What started out as another "When will Axiology be repressed?" question, and the vinyl release option, got me thinking about the Thanatopsis CD's and CD's in general. As has been talked about here many times, CDs have reached the end of their usefulness, at least as far as independent and alternative music releases go. Still, I hate to see these and any of my catalog go out of print. The problem comes after the first pressing sells out the market is saturated and it's ones and two's at a time after that, there is no economic incentive to repress.
So, they are left as download only. Still there is always somebody asking for the CD.
I was looking into remixing Axiology for vinyl and opened some hard drives I hadn't loaded for 10 years and was quite amazed at what I found. Thanatopsis projects were never recorded in the conventional sense, start to finish each CD as a whole. They were always multiple ideas that started out a bits and pieces and fleshed out over time till I had a sense they were done. Then when there were enough to release a CD, I pressed one. What I found was a bunch of tracks in various states of completion left behind. I thought I had used the last of these Thanatopsis tracks on "Left Hanging". But when I started opening the files and listening I was really enjoying the vibe and performances that were left behind. So I started messing with them. I was a real nostalgic trip. I time traveled back 10 to 15 years and got into it as I always did. It was fun and I very much like what came of it. There is the unmistakable sound of Thanatopsis, you can hear Axiology and Anatomize and even a little Dragons of Eden as the tracks go forward in time. I ended up with about 7 tracks, about 40 minutes of music.
So, here's my idea. It used to be that a Thanatopsis CDs would sell around 400 copies in the first few months of release. I have no idea what the demand would be now. I want to use the sales of this CD to save the others. If I can sell 100, I'll pay for the pressing. If I can sell 200, I'll repress Axiology. If I can sell 300, I'll press the Axiology vinyl. If that generates any more sales then I will repress the first Thanatopsis CD since there is just a handful left in stock. That will insure there will be Thahatopsis CDs available for at least the rest of my life.
So, I will probably offer a pre-sale of the new Thanatopsis with about a 6 week time frame to ship. I may put a track up to listen to but I'm undecided, it might be fun to just drop the whole thing. I'll add a track listing and pre-order information here as soon as I get things lined up for pressing. I'm still mulling it over and I'll listen to any feedback or ideas concerning any of this.
I'm in. Your whole idea sounds great, Travis. New Thanatopsis is all the way at the top of my list of things that I want to happen. Requiem - yeah. Thanks, I can hardly wait!
Great news! ;D
Count me in. This is an awesome concept, and business model for your fans.
Can't wait to indulge once again.
I'm in as well. Thanks Travis!
I'm in...let's get some
I'm totally in, Thanatopsis is fucking great. I'll buy the new cd and the 2 repress of the old ones. Thanks Travis!
Im in!
Hey!
Just registered to say : I'm in!!!
I'm in too :)
New Thanatopsis? Are you kidding me?! I'm in. I've been waiting years for this. Words cannot describe how thankful I am that this is happening.
QuoteI'm in too :)
...but 15$ of shipping to France ! ??? Is that not a bit expensive ?
Ordered!!
This is awesome news all around Travis! If for some insane reason this doesn't make it to 300 pre-orders, please let us know. I'd be willing to buy more copies if it meant I could get Axiology on vinyl!
I know that I personally as well as many others have really appreciated your dedication over the years and the special attention you have paid to the fans.
Now I'm gonna guy try to get others to order this as well!
I desperately want Axiology on vinyl
Ordered mine, can't wait to hear it 8)
Freaking awesome! Thanks Travis!
Orderes mine, 15$ to ship here too but Thanatopsis deserves it.
I feel for you international buyers. The US post office raised the international rate 60 percent two years ago. The stamp on a international first class CD package is $13. The rest covers the packaging and incedentals. Thats just what it costs. This did not help the state of CD sales any either, making downloading much more attractive. I'm looking into a shopping cart software that will allow a more flexible shipping rate then the one charge for all internationl customers the software we have now does ( paticularly not fair to Canadians) like snail mail media rates. But CD sales are so low now it has not been worth the massive headache and expence rewritting the shop would entail. I wish i could say at least your conrtibution is to the good cause of indepenendt music but unfortunatly it's just contributing to the P.O.
This has been a delightful surprise- thanks for deciding to act upon this opportunity (so immediately), that you have stumbled upon, Travis!
P.s.// I might take this opportunity to inquire of somebody- that would be yourself, Travis!- whom might be able to clear up the reasons for a significant discrepancy, that I've not been able to help but observe, concerning US international postage rates (since that rates rise, a few years back)....
The most commonly offered, lowest rates, by sellers, have gone up drastically- as your rates offerings are an example of, and you, yourself, have discussed/explained, on numerous occasions (as you have once again, here)- and that seem to concern 'First Class International Priority Packages' (or something along those lines).
However, a good proportion of sellers do offer a much more affordable rate/s, that seems to be commonly labelled an 'Economy Method', or something to that effect...
Hence, one's curiosity is naturally piqued at what could be responsible for this?
My considerations/presumptions have amounted to the possibilities, that the Economy Method is much less geographically available available, or something, and/or, is less convenient to use- e.g. to employ that method, means that you have to go to post office to dispatch (rather than just being able to drop in a po box, or have collected for delivery, by courier).
As somebody whom might be able to delineate the reasons for this, for me, from experience in contemplating the shipping options available to them, I was wondering if you could, if you can!
Cheers,
Steve
Gasp...the Thanatopsis poster in the store has to be updated now! :o
As far as the postal rates go, we ship first class or priority mail that is basically "airmail". Outside of customs delays it's a week or less delivery times. Other options for economy shipping are by ground or boat and can take months. I haven't wanted to do that because I would be dealing with a lot of "is my order lost" questions. First class offers a tracking option.
I think this is related to the end of CDs in that really, it just doesn't make a lot of sense as a delivery method for music, given the cost of delivery and production. So, really it appeals only to collectors interested in tangible goods. Unfortunately a premium has to be paid for that. I think if I offered this CD to international buyers as a collectors item, limited in number of an item that would not exist at any other price, that supports the artist directly for $30.00 free shipping you would have to mull over the merits of that as a collector. It might well be we have reached the point were there are not enough collectors to support it and thus CDs will cease to be produced....making them collectors items.
Quote from: JimmyJammer on March 19, 2015, 06:03:09 pm
Orderes mine, 15$ to ship here too but Thanatopsis deserves it.
Dito. Order placed ;)
Ordered!!! WooHoo! Thanks Travis!!!!
Really hoping for good results for this. Would love Axiology on vinyl. Can you say how sales are going?
Still trying to cover the pressing. I've gone ahead and had them done. With a little luck it will get covered. We'll see about the rest and give it some time.
So...If they're pressed...does that mean they can ship within the next few days?! :o
No, just means I went a head and ordered the pressing before the pre-sales covered the cost. Will probably ship mid April.
Thanatopsis is my absolute favorite collaboration project! This is FANTASTIC news. Made an account just to say, I'm in! :D
As always, a fantastic treat Travis. Really good to see some Unreleased Thanatopsis being pressed onto CD. Have just placed my order, and like others have said, the shipping to England was the same as the CD itself, but it's a small price to pay for genuine art being independently released.
All I can say is I hope all the US fans are purchasing it too as it's almost half price, this way we can dream of an Axiology LP!
Love TDRS - Take It easy Travis 😉
All pre-order have now shipped as of today.
Track Titles:
1. Introit
2. La Calavera Catrina
3. Resurrection
4. Veneration
5. Hypnos and Thanatos
6. Offering
7. Critical Mass
Quote from: Travis on April 07, 2015, 09:20:00 pm
All pre-order have now shipped as of today.
That's great! ;D
Now the long waiting starts for me ???
I got mine!!! Cannot wait to listen!!!
Also just came home to mine, won't get a chance for a proper listen until Monday.
Excited.
Travis - thank you so much for personalizing the cd.
Engraving into the packaging by cutting out your message/signature is an awesome touch.
As always your professionalism and courtesy to your fans is exemplary.
Bravo!
Now to make the time to listen to the album :)
Excellent work, Travis. An absolute gem.
Thanks guys. Glad to see they're finally arriving.
Got my copy yesterday, it's definitely one of my favorite albums this year :) thanks for putting this project together Travis
Got mine yesterday ;D. I don't know what I was expecting from a odds and ends CD but I wasn't expecting one of the best Thanatopsis CD's and that what this is. I don't understand how this could have been left behind. Travis you must have been shocked when you first discovered it.
Also this is one of the best sounding Thanatopsis records. I love the up front bass and in your face sound, it's different than the first three. Also the two tracks with the extending stripped down jams, that's different. Really great production. The more I listen the more cool stuff I hear. I would love to know more about how this came to be. Thanks for making it happen.
Khaneda,
I learned something about glossy CD covers....there is no kind of ink that will stick to them. I tried the good old sharpie but my name just beaded up and ran off the CD. In desperation I grabbed a razor blade and scratched my sig into the cover. Fortunately I thought it looked cool but was a little concerned that somebody would think I totally trashed their CD so thanks for the feedback.
Sportee,
Thanks for the kind words. When I first listened to the tracks that became this CD I thought hey there is some cool stuff left behind and then I thought, how in the F am I going to make anything out of the crumbs from under the sofa cushion I just lifted up. Really, there wasn't much there. There were just the outlines of things with one or two passes from Ramy and Buckethead and sometimes not even that. Some of it is just made from whole cloth. It became a "fun" challenge. I had fun recording new keys. I didn't have my Yamaha concert grand back then so I rerecorded a lot of piano and added a lot and really love the sound of it. I worked for a month everyday recording new keys editing and swearing a lot but I just kept after it. Before on the Thanatopsis CDs I did as little bass keys as I could and left it low in the mix. I just wanted to fill in the bottom but not do anything that stood out too much. This time I used my Prophet and I really spent some time crafting the bass and I really enjoyed it so I mixed it up. Anyway I probably have said too much, it is what it is and it really doesn't matter how it got that way, only to me.
Gackt,
Thanks, I really appreciate the feedback and kind words.
My whole incentive for doing it was to see if I could raise the capitol to keep the Thanatopsis catalog alive. It looks like there is so little interest in CD's now I will be lucky if I can recoup the pressing costs of this CD. However, I really did enjoy the process and I did call it Requiem for a reason. But I'm glad to hear your positive feedback and give me some hope the word will get around and maybe I can pull off one or two of the things I had hoped to eventually. So spread the word.
And, as always from Travis Dickerson, no disappointment whatsoever. I absolutely LOVE this album...I've had it on repeat in my car all day and all night! I'm still trying to decide which is my favorite. La Calavera Catrinaand Resurrection are my current favorites. Thank you once again for making these available!
You should check old hard drives more often ;)
I'm a long time lurker here and at the .TK. I just registered because I feel strongly about this. I have been buying music from you for years. I noticed there is a lot of talk about shipping on the forums. I'm in Canada and ordered Requiem. It cost $30 for the CD and shipping. I just want to say, it was worth every penny. It's an excellent CD. I'm loving it. Like you said above if it was offered on ebay as a rare item, for $30 I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. It's lucky it's available at all. I'm happy to support your music in any way I can. I have purchased multiple CDs at a time and every time Travis has added extra CD's stickers and other goodies that have more than made up for the shipping.
I truly hope you don't get discouraged and continue to release music. Many of use are very grateful your here.
Thanks Travis!!! I just recieved and can't wait to listen~
Quote from: Slaw_Slinger on April 14, 2015, 09:39:00 pm
Thanks Travis!!! I just recieved and can't wait to listen~
Got mine today too. That was fast! Listening :)
The download of Requiem is now available here:
https://tdrsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/requiem
at Bandcamp and full CD preview as well. It's been submitted to iTunes as well and will take a few days to see it there.
I waited a bit because I wanted The CD buyers to have an exclusive listen and hope to improve CD sales.
My hand was forced bit and I'm not surprised but within two days of shipping the CD a Google search of "Thanatopsis Requiem" yields pages of free high quality torrent downloads and someone posted it to Youtube. Kind of amazing since fewer than 100 people have purchased the CD. This all goes to reinforce the fact that there is no demand for CD's. Obviously the music is in demand or it wouldn't be available on hundreds of sites world wide. As a small label thats really a problem, absolutely no way to create revenue with music. So, it looks like the plan to continue the physical catalog is probably not going to work out.
I am happy that it was received well and I really did enjoy making it. Also, I want to thank those that did buy the CD. I have known a lot of you for years. I know you didn't need to buy it but did anyway as a show of support as you always have and as I always have, I appreciate it.
There is still catalog here. I'm going to try to address the international shipping costs issue. Probably by shipping jewel case CD's internationally with disc and art only. And try to use shipping containers that will qualify as first class letters not packages. I hope to make the cost of international shipping less of a problem. I'll still researching but I'll start another post for that subject.
I've said this before but it's even more true now. If your a collector of CDs and you don't have a copy of one of our catalog CDs this is the time to get them. First to go will be the first Thanatopsis CD. Then Dragons of Eden. Almost all the Bucketheadland CDs here are almost gone, with Inbred Mt. and Albino Slug being the first to go.
I imagine from here out it will be all download only as it is for most other labels. There were more downloads sold that CDs last year for the first time. There are new copyrights laws being worked on in congress right now. Also there is now new pressure for the big internet services providers to police what they allow to be downloaded in terms of copyrighted material. There are some new laws just going into effect that will help artists who got screwed out of their copyrights in the past by labels and publishers.
There does seem to be a bit of a tipping point being reached and so I'm not completely discouraged and have some hope that the complete destruction of the music market is a temporary result of the revolution to all things digital in the 21st century.
You've possibly addressed this before elsewhere but is there any particular reason Thanatopsis may not continue? (You think it's run it's course? Buckethead otherwise occupied?, etc.)
Thanatopsis hasen't made a new record since 2006. There are lots of reasons. Buckethead only works on his own stuff now and Ramy moved away from LA years ago.
Travis I haven't received my shipment. It's been a few weeks and I also haven't gotten a reply to my email. Invoice #34851
You should have received it by now. Also, it's concerning I didn't get an email from you, did you try the tdrs@ address? Give a me an hour and I'll dig up your invoice and email address and see if we can make email contact. I'll send you another copy of the CD and email you a download code for the CD so you can at least hear it.
Anyone else who hasen't received Requiem should have. Contact me and I'll track your order and send you a download code.
Also, if anyone else has problems with my email address, try the contact tab and use the email script there.
Update, bigbi, i just got an email from you. Give me a few and i'll get you fixed up.
Travis - how many copies of the CD have sold? I know you put some 100, 200, and 300 copies cold benchmarks.
Where we at?
Thanks to you, almost 100. A few to go and the pressing is paid for. I would not hold my breath on the next milestone however.
Quote from: Travis on June 08, 2015, 05:10:43 pm
Thanks to you, almost 100. A few to go and the pressing is paid for. I would not hold my breath on the next milestone however.
Can you clarify what the 100 copies sold milestone was again? A pressing of what? thx!
Quote from: Travis
If I can sell 100, I'll pay for the pressing. If I can sell 200, I'll repress Axiology. If I can sell 300, I'll press the Axiology vinyl.
Selling 100 "Requiem" cds would be the break-even point for the cost of the original pressing of that CD. If 200 "Requiem" cds are sold, then "Axiology" could be repressed (here's hoping!)
Quote from: EHughes528 on August 18, 2015, 02:35:34 am
Quote from: Travis on June 08, 2015, 05:10:43 pm
Thanks to you, almost 100. A few to go and the pressing is paid for. I would not hold my breath on the next milestone however.
Can you clarify what the 100 copies sold milestone was again? A pressing of what? thx!
Quote from: Travis
If I can sell 100, I'll pay for the pressing. If I can sell 200, I'll repress Axiology. If I can sell 300, I'll press the Axiology vinyl.
We stalled at just a few above 100. That means i didn't end up out of pocket to press them. Unfortunately many fewer then i had hoped but i wasn't totally shocked given the state of CD sales and music sales in general.
Quote from: Travis on August 19, 2015, 12:37:35 am
We stalled at just a few above 100. That means i didn't end up out of pocket to press them. Unfortunately many fewer then i had hoped but i wasn't totally shocked given the state of CD sales and music sales in general.
I'm sorry to hear.
Requiem is really a great album, which is on par with the previous (excellent) Thanatopsis albums.
But I really think the biggest problem is that almost nobody knows about this CD. I still see people commenting, asking surprised whether this is a new Thanatopsis/Buckethead album.
Anyway, I'm really happy it has been put on CD and that I got my copy. Has been on "heavy rotation" in my CD player since it arrived. So, thanks again !!! :)