News

As another year of amazing catalogue reissues and expansions comes to a close, and we gather around our loved ones to celebrate both a year gone by and a new one full of promise on the horizon, it seemed right to stop and take a moment to wish the same glad tidings to all of our treasured readers at The Second Disc.

Since starting the site in January of 2010 – can you believe it’s almost going on two years? – I’ve always worried about a lot of things, but none more potent than the idea that, without warning, we’d be out of things to write about. That each new week would suddenly not bring a fountain of catalogue news for us to share with you. Even though Joe and myself remain ever optimistic about a music industry in flux, there’s always a lingering fear that there will be less and less (and eventually next to nothing) to share. So far, that hasn’t happened, and that’s made me glad.

So first, a thanks to everyone at any label that’s contributed to the mighty work being done to keep catalogue music alive and interesting. The majors (Legacy Recordings, Rhino Records, Universal Music Enterprises/Hip-o Select, the catalogue department at EMI), the indies (Cherry Red, Light in the Attic, Omnivore, Friday Music, Ace, Real Gone, Funky Town Grooves, Iconoclassic, Demon Music Group and any others we’ve missed) and our beloved soundtrack labels (Intrada, Kritzerland, La La Land, Varese Sarabande and Film Score Monthly, who we will miss so much as a label next year): to all who work with and for these guys, from production to liner note writing to remastering to legal clearances to the pressing plants – everything that all of you do is important in keeping the history of music alive, and you have earned our thanks.

Next, a major thanks to the other writers out there who have linked to the site, told their friends about us, sent us tips and the like. Matt at MusicTAP, Gerry at Pause & Play and Matt at Slicing Up Eyeballs: you continue to inspire our approach to covering reissues. To my pop-cultural homes away from home, Popdose and Popblerd, and all who write for both – you guys are continually people I look up to. VVN Music and Ultimate Classic Rock are full of great reporting (a special thanks to Matt Wardlaw at Addicted to Vinyl pointing me in the direction of the latter), and I admire the work of Eric Luecking over at Record Racks and Vinny Vero on his own blog. A particular shout-out to Robert Galgano, who found The Second Disc interesting enough to interview Joe and myself for Patch.com about our work. (Rest assured we’ll link to that story the minute it’s live!) I’m probably forgetting tons more, but I admire so much of the music writing I come by day after day.

But absolutely none of this would be possible without you, the reader. I’ve said it a million times and I’m going to say it a million more. It’s your readership and dedication to what we do that’s enabled us to get better and better. I anticipate next year will see even more neat things like what we did with Second Discmas this year (make sure you’ve got your address to us at theseconddisc (at) gmail (dot) com if you’ve won!), plus more of the usual news, reviews, interviews and occasional opinions you’ve come to expect from us.

So thanks again, a happiest of holidays to you and yours, and we’ll see you back at full steam in the New Year!