Singing the Blus
MUSIC CHANNEL GUIDE: Suppliers look to high-def releases
By Chris Gennusa -- Video Business, 4/28/2008
APRIL 28 | MUSIC CHANNEL GUIDE: Blu-ray has won the hard-fought high-definition format war, but another struggle lies ahead: winning the hearts and minds of consumers.
Music titles, including this Toto release, are available on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray’s biggest booster, Sony, naturally is upbeat about the format’s current and future prospects. “We’ve seen some interesting Blu-ray trends,” says Thomas Hesse, president of global digital business and U.S. sales for Sony BMG. “The Blu-ray version of Celine Dion’s Live in Vegas: A New Day has consistently outsold the DVD on Amazon.com. For some of our releases, Blu-ray represents over 20% of total DVD sales.”
Additionally, Sony reports nearly a third of 2007’s Bruce Springsteen: Live in Dublin sales were Blu-ray. “That tells me that people want what Blu-ray has to offer,” Hesse says.
Image Entertainment is another music video supplier that has made a commitment to release product on BD, with upcoming titles including Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek Theatre and Heart: Alive in Seattle.
Though Amoeba store manager Tony Green doesn’t see Blu-ray pulling in much green yet, he’s fairly upbeat about the future. “As the amount of titles increase and the prices go down, it’s going to do very well,” he says. “By next year, there should be a considerable penetration of Blu-ray.”
