David Bowie, at a concert in Vienna in 1996.Leonhard Foeger / Reuters
One of
David Bowie's
many insights
was his understanding of the value of the archive.
Something that was embodied in his willingness to store everything he owned (and discreetly acquire material that was in other hands), which was evident in the richness of the traveling exhibition
David Bowie Is
.
Above all, he invested good money to get the
masters
of his recordings that he did not yet control.
Songs that portray the universe of David Bowie
The B-side of David Bowie's book list
That explains why Bowie is surely the best-represented First Division artist in editions.
In truth, he has little competition:
Dylan's
bootlegs
seem like an initiative made over his reluctance, the Rolling Stones hardly inquire into his library, McCartney only thinks about his strategy of going down in history as the
coolest
beatle
, Neil Young goes —As always— to his ball.
Since 1989, after agreeing with Rykodisc, Bowie has been concerned with making his work accessible.
A panorama that was refreshing with expanded reissues,
chronological
boxsets
and the addition of performances on the BBC, demos, live shows.
Precisely in this last category is the most recent posthumous release,
Brilliant Live Adventures
, which makes one doubt that the creator's approach is currently being respected.
You see:
Brilliant Live Adventures
is six albums, recorded between 1995 and 1999. Each record, available on CD or vinyl, was released about a month apart (the last one came out last Friday).
It was designed as a set: a cardboard box was made to house each format, which had to be purchased separately;
These boxes are usually given away, but not here.
Second problem: the purchase became a stressful experience.
In an effort to cut out middlemen, they were only sold at certain times at the artist's own store and through the mail-order service of Rhino, the collector's arm of Warner Music.
Cover of 'Brilliant Live Adventures'.
I speak in the past tense, since they were sold out in a flash.
The runs were limited, which is to say, ridiculous for an artist of Bowie's stature.
Many copies quickly passed to the resale circuit, where their price - already high from origin - multiplied.
Result?
Much outrage.
True, there is no shortage
of Bowie
live
albums
on the market and
Brilliant Live Adventures
content
is reaching
streaming
platforms
.
But that was intended for the hard core of his followers, who are not necessarily millionaires and who now feel mistreated.
I have no doubt that the
Brilliant Live Adventures
concept
will be celebrated among marketers: creating a sense of scarcity, monetizing something at minimal cost (in the 1990s, concerts were routinely recorded from the mixing desk).
However, I want to believe that Bowie would not have approved: the waste of sending six (seven, if the damn box is included) instead of one, the attack on sonic ecology of ignoring retailers.
That he, too, was betting on the democratic convention that underlies the pop industry: broadcasting music at a reasonable price for a reasonable period of time.