Concord Music Group and Monster Cable Products today announced a partnership designed to revolutionize home entertainment; combining Monster Music’s pioneering SuperDiscs with Concord’s top-shelf musical artists and musicianship, a calling card of the venerable record company. Each limited edition SuperDisc, an innovation that offers such advanced features as high definition surround sound, is painstakingly mixed and mastered to bring out the clarity, detail, and excitement of the original performance, and, in an innovative twist, will be sold in consumer electronic stores nationwide.
The first series of Monster Music SuperDiscs, released November 9th, includes a reissue of Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company (Concord Records / Starbucks Hear Music), winner of a record-tying eight GRAMMY® Awards including Album of the Year and Best Surround Sound Album, and the perennial Holiday best-seller from Fantasy Records, Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. Also included in the series is 40 Years – A Charlie Brown Christmas, a newly recorded tribute record that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the original album and beloved TV special. Lovingly assembled by musical director David Benoit, it features such artists as Toni Braxton, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan and The Rippingtons. Rounding out the list is a new DVD from Peter Cincotti, Live in New York, which includes a reissue of the acclaimed pianist-singer-songwriter’s 2003 album On The Moon.
“Monster has always played a key role in providing the listener with a better audio experience,” said Concord Music Group Executive Vice President, John Burk, “I believe they will play a key role in the discovery of hi-def audio and the thrill of listening to music in surround sound. It’s great to work with Noel, Kevin and the entire Monster team. They share the same passion for excellence that we do.”
Consumer electronics retailers tend to be equipped with the kind of on-site demonstration systems that can best promote the qualities of a product like Monster Music’s SuperDiscs. Monster’s extensive distribution places its products in every type of electronic retailer from national chains such as Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Radio Shack, and Target, to audio/video specialists like Ultimate Electronics, Fry’s, American TV, Harvey’s, Stereo Exchange, Ovation, Nebraska Furniture Mart, RC Willey, Vann’s, Ken Crane’s, The Little Guys, and The Sound Room. “Currently, over 14,000 retail locations sell Monster products, and more than half of them do not sell music… yet,” says “Head Monster” Noel Lee.
Most SuperDiscs include 2 discs – one featuring a Stereo mix that plays on any CD player, the other which plays in any DVD player features High Definition Surround Sound in Dolby Digital and DTS 96/24 as well as High Definition Stereo which sounds exactly the same as the studio master file. In addition, some discs feature multiple mixes that allow listeners with a home theater system to select their own “Surround Experience”, choosing, for example, to be “in the audience” of a live concert or “on stage” right in the middle of the band.
For consumers who listen to music through their computer and portable music players, SuperDiscs include High Definition Digital Music files encoded directly from the master recordings. These files are ready to drag and drop into any music program including iTunes and Apple’s iPod. Special for iPod users are the Dolby Headphone encoded music files which will give your iPod a surround sound music experience through any pair of headphones. Monster Music SuperDiscs are also the first music releases to be certified by THX for high quality sound and picture, multiple surround experiences, and digital music file quality.
One-on-one customer demonstrations on a full sounding home theater system is the perfect adjunct to both label’s marketing efforts. For artists, it offers a unique opportunity to provide consumers and potential new fans a super-high quality experience of their music and who they are. Monster Music and Concord plan to release a small initial group of select albums. “This isn’t a model for every artist; we want to stay focused on just a few great albums at a time” says Kevin Lee.
About Concord Music Group:
In 2004, Concord Records, co-owned by entertainment legend Norman Lear, his long-time partner Hal Gaba and Tailwind Capitol Partners, merged with Fantasy, Inc. to create the Concord Music Group. Concord is now one of the largest independent record companies in the world and keeper of an extraordinarily rich and, in many cases, historically significant catalog of recordings from some of the most admired and enduring names in music, including Rosemary Clooney, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Thelonious Monk, Tito Puente, and Mel Torme. The label’s current roster of world-class artists includes: Karrin Allyson, Regina Belle, Peter Cincotti, Michael Feinstein, Nnenna Freelon, John Fogerty, LaToya London, Sergio Mendes, Ozomatli, Eddie Palmieri, The Rippingtons, Sonny Rollins, and Poncho Sanchez
About Monster:
Monster Cable Products, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Noel Lee, then a laser-fusion design engineer at Lawrence-Livermore Laboratory as well as an audiophile and professional drummer. Lee discovered that, when hooked up to loudspeakers, wires of different constructions produced varying degrees of audio performance. From this discovery, he developed a high performance speaker cable -- naming it Monster Cable -- and literally created an industry. The invention of Monster Cable created a new product category that revolutionized the audio market. Prior to Monster Cable, most stereo systems were wired with ordinary “zip-cord," the same cable used for electrical household and lamp wire.
Lee chose the name “Monster" because it sounded strong and powerful. It became an immediate hit with consumers. In fact, the name Monster Cable is so synonymous with high quality and high performance; customers often assume that any cable they purchase in reputable stores will be Monster, even though there are other cable brands. Monster is now the world's leading manufacturer of high performance cables that connect audio/video components for home, car and professional use as well as computers and computer games. Monster Cable is an indispensable component for music lovers, audiophiles, recording studios, sound professionals, musicians, custom-installers and home theatre enthusiasts. Monster's audio cables increase the clarity, dynamics and power of the audio signals that travel through them. Monster video cables deliver the sharpest, clearest picture possible with naturally vivid color from traditional and digital television, projectors, home theatre and satellite systems. Monster Game products let enthusiasts enjoy the ultimate gaming experience by maximizing sound and video quality of a gaming system. Monster Power, a division of Monster Cable, delivers cleaner AC power to A/V components and computer products and high joule surge protection for maximum performance. Monster offers over 4000 products and is sold in over 80 countries worldwide.
The first series of Monster Music SuperDiscs, released November 9th, includes a reissue of Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company (Concord Records / Starbucks Hear Music), winner of a record-tying eight GRAMMY® Awards including Album of the Year and Best Surround Sound Album, and the perennial Holiday best-seller from Fantasy Records, Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas. Also included in the series is 40 Years – A Charlie Brown Christmas, a newly recorded tribute record that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the original album and beloved TV special. Lovingly assembled by musical director David Benoit, it features such artists as Toni Braxton, Brian McKnight, Chaka Khan and The Rippingtons. Rounding out the list is a new DVD from Peter Cincotti, Live in New York, which includes a reissue of the acclaimed pianist-singer-songwriter’s 2003 album On The Moon.
“Monster has always played a key role in providing the listener with a better audio experience,” said Concord Music Group Executive Vice President, John Burk, “I believe they will play a key role in the discovery of hi-def audio and the thrill of listening to music in surround sound. It’s great to work with Noel, Kevin and the entire Monster team. They share the same passion for excellence that we do.”
Consumer electronics retailers tend to be equipped with the kind of on-site demonstration systems that can best promote the qualities of a product like Monster Music’s SuperDiscs. Monster’s extensive distribution places its products in every type of electronic retailer from national chains such as Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Radio Shack, and Target, to audio/video specialists like Ultimate Electronics, Fry’s, American TV, Harvey’s, Stereo Exchange, Ovation, Nebraska Furniture Mart, RC Willey, Vann’s, Ken Crane’s, The Little Guys, and The Sound Room. “Currently, over 14,000 retail locations sell Monster products, and more than half of them do not sell music… yet,” says “Head Monster” Noel Lee.
Most SuperDiscs include 2 discs – one featuring a Stereo mix that plays on any CD player, the other which plays in any DVD player features High Definition Surround Sound in Dolby Digital and DTS 96/24 as well as High Definition Stereo which sounds exactly the same as the studio master file. In addition, some discs feature multiple mixes that allow listeners with a home theater system to select their own “Surround Experience”, choosing, for example, to be “in the audience” of a live concert or “on stage” right in the middle of the band.
For consumers who listen to music through their computer and portable music players, SuperDiscs include High Definition Digital Music files encoded directly from the master recordings. These files are ready to drag and drop into any music program including iTunes and Apple’s iPod. Special for iPod users are the Dolby Headphone encoded music files which will give your iPod a surround sound music experience through any pair of headphones. Monster Music SuperDiscs are also the first music releases to be certified by THX for high quality sound and picture, multiple surround experiences, and digital music file quality.
One-on-one customer demonstrations on a full sounding home theater system is the perfect adjunct to both label’s marketing efforts. For artists, it offers a unique opportunity to provide consumers and potential new fans a super-high quality experience of their music and who they are. Monster Music and Concord plan to release a small initial group of select albums. “This isn’t a model for every artist; we want to stay focused on just a few great albums at a time” says Kevin Lee.
About Concord Music Group:
In 2004, Concord Records, co-owned by entertainment legend Norman Lear, his long-time partner Hal Gaba and Tailwind Capitol Partners, merged with Fantasy, Inc. to create the Concord Music Group. Concord is now one of the largest independent record companies in the world and keeper of an extraordinarily rich and, in many cases, historically significant catalog of recordings from some of the most admired and enduring names in music, including Rosemary Clooney, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Thelonious Monk, Tito Puente, and Mel Torme. The label’s current roster of world-class artists includes: Karrin Allyson, Regina Belle, Peter Cincotti, Michael Feinstein, Nnenna Freelon, John Fogerty, LaToya London, Sergio Mendes, Ozomatli, Eddie Palmieri, The Rippingtons, Sonny Rollins, and Poncho Sanchez
About Monster:
Monster Cable Products, Inc. was founded in 1979 by Noel Lee, then a laser-fusion design engineer at Lawrence-Livermore Laboratory as well as an audiophile and professional drummer. Lee discovered that, when hooked up to loudspeakers, wires of different constructions produced varying degrees of audio performance. From this discovery, he developed a high performance speaker cable -- naming it Monster Cable -- and literally created an industry. The invention of Monster Cable created a new product category that revolutionized the audio market. Prior to Monster Cable, most stereo systems were wired with ordinary “zip-cord," the same cable used for electrical household and lamp wire.
Lee chose the name “Monster" because it sounded strong and powerful. It became an immediate hit with consumers. In fact, the name Monster Cable is so synonymous with high quality and high performance; customers often assume that any cable they purchase in reputable stores will be Monster, even though there are other cable brands. Monster is now the world's leading manufacturer of high performance cables that connect audio/video components for home, car and professional use as well as computers and computer games. Monster Cable is an indispensable component for music lovers, audiophiles, recording studios, sound professionals, musicians, custom-installers and home theatre enthusiasts. Monster's audio cables increase the clarity, dynamics and power of the audio signals that travel through them. Monster video cables deliver the sharpest, clearest picture possible with naturally vivid color from traditional and digital television, projectors, home theatre and satellite systems. Monster Game products let enthusiasts enjoy the ultimate gaming experience by maximizing sound and video quality of a gaming system. Monster Power, a division of Monster Cable, delivers cleaner AC power to A/V components and computer products and high joule surge protection for maximum performance. Monster offers over 4000 products and is sold in over 80 countries worldwide.
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