Christmas Deluxe 2023

As we approach Christmas Day I’d like to say thank you for your company in 2023. It has been a very interesting year, even if it was perhaps not a classic in terms of album reissues and box sets.

To be honest, there have been some trends that I have not particularly enjoyed, namely the concept of producing multiple coloured vinyl editions of new albums in order to increase sales figures. Labels know that some fans will have deep enough pockets and not be able to resist collecting them and it has started happening with CDs as well, with artists like Taylor Swift offering different artwork editions of one album.

The other trend I have not enjoyed, which really does ride roughshod over loyal fans, is the special ‘digital deluxe edition‘ which normally gets offered on the Monday after release date. Physical editions get shipped the week before and suddenly a digital deluxe appears with exclusive bonus tracks that could have been included on the vinyl or CD versions (that fans have pre-ordered months before) but have been ‘saved’ for digital marketing purposes. These digital deluxe editions are priced competitively, the idea being that fans who’ve ordered the physical sets will also order the digital deluxe to get the otherwise unavailable bonus audio. The album therefore enjoys one more sale and this helps the release achieve a higher ‘week one’ chart position, in the UK.

On a more positive note I have enjoyed bringing you more SDE exclusives this year than on any other previous 12 month period. We announced 11 titles in the SDE Surround Series of blu-ray audios in 2023 compared to seven last year and I hope to at least match that number in 2024. Thanks for embracing the concept and allowing this to continue. Don’t forget to get your order in for Paul Young!

To everyone who has read a post on SDE, left a comment, ordered something from the SDE shop, engaged with SDE on social media or watched a video or subscribed to our YouTube channel – thank you! SDE has always been about a community of likeminded people coming together and sharing and exchanging views in a friendly and respectful way. This site has grown in terms of readership and influence over time, but it hasn’t fundamentally changed that much, which I’m quite pleased about. It’s not perfect, but it is still totally independent, not ruined by a proliferation of advertising and has retained its focus. Best of all, it’s still here after all this time! Long may it continue…

One last thing…For the first time since I started this site in 2011, I’m going to take a proper break during the festive period and have the next week off. That means, barring any dramatic news (let’s hope not), there will be no new posts and no comments published between Christmas Day and New Years Eve. After recharging my batteries I will be back soon and you will be able to enjoy the traditional SDE Preview for the coming year early in January!

Thank you again and the very best to you and yours. Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2024.

Paul

Paul Sinclair
SDE Editor 2011 – to date!