Music of the ages

Gone are the days when families exchanged so many music CDs at Christmas that they kept a special tool on hand to quickly remove the crackling plastic wrap and stubborn sticker from each jewel case. But in the age of digital tunes, one product still reliably compels music lovers to dust off their old CD players: a high-quality box set.

“There is a clear resurgence in demand for high-end physical music products—both vinyl and [CD] box sets,” David Rowe, co-managing director of Universal Music Catalogue, told The Guardian earlier this year. High-end box sets can cost hundreds of dollars, such as a limited edition, 80-disc set of unreleased Grateful Dead concerts that came out in 2015 and sold for $700.

Box sets of already-released music allow record labels to market a higher price point to loyal customers with less risk because they already know which songs are fan favorites. For music lovers, a box set represents an elite fan experience that helps them feel closer to an artist. In 2011, a box set commemorating the 20th anniversary of the release of U2’s Achtung Baby came with a pair of Bono’s trademark sunglasses—you can’t download those on the internet.

Today’s box sets are usually released in several different editions at multiple price points, including digital-only versions of just the music. And the time for rereleasing music has shortened. Beyoncé released a collector’s edition of her 2016 album Lemonade in August of this year, and the $300 box set has already sold out.

“There’s still a real, viable physical market for the right kind of releases that appeal to certain fanbases,” Legacy Recordings president Adam Block told Billboard. “There’s an appetite for exciting presentations of music.”

Religious music seems not to have caught on as quickly to the box set trend, though the catalogue of contemporary Christian music (CCM) has plenty of potential. The teens who rocked out to DC Talk, Newsboys, and Caedmon’s Call during CCM’s 1990s heyday are now working adults who respond well to nostalgia marketing. But most Christian artists from that time offer little more than a greatest hits CD or a three-disc bundle of their popular albums.

This year saw the release of several box sets that just about any music lover could enjoy, including the 50th anniversary edition of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which ranges in availability from a single CD of remastered tracks to a $150, six-disc set, and Elvis Presley’s A Boy from Tupelo, which features a complete set of his early recordings and retails on Amazon for about $30. Finally, Bob Dylan’s Trouble No More features a glut of unreleased material from the most religious years of his career, offered as a double CD or a nine-disc, $120 box set.

The Times, they are a-changing

The list of entertainers, journalists, and politicians accused of sexual misconduct got so long this week that The New York Times compiled an interactive chart to keep track of it. A new age of accountability for sexual aggression has dawned, spurred by some notable changes in news reporting.

First, women are more willing to go on the record with their stories and let journalists identify them by name. For decades, media accounts of sexual misconduct were easier to discount because the victim had no name or face. The bravery of women who spoke about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein on the record, combined with The New York Times’ and New Yorker’s willingness to believe them, helped usher in this new era of holding abusers responsible.

Second, news organizations have moved up the starting line for reports on sexual harassment and assault. Journalism schools historically taught students to protect themselves from libel accusations by relying on police, not victims, to identify the suspects of crimes. Without a written police report—something serial abusers went to great lengths to suppress—untold numbers of stories died before getting into print.

Now, news reporters look for other ways to validate victims’ accounts. In the case of the accusations against U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, The Washington Post worked to verify details of Leigh Corfman’s account, such as the date she said she met Moore outside the courthouse in Gadsden, Ala. Reporters also have gone back to friends and family to see whether victims talked about the abuse when it happened—often, they did.

Journalists are still getting their bearings in this new landscape. Choosing which stories to report and getting them right takes razor-sharp focus and precision. Bible-believing journalists have a tested tool to rely on for just such a job: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). —L.L.

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In memoriam

The deaths of several memorable singers and actors made this a sad week in the entertainment world.

Malcolm Young, co-founder of the rock band AC/DC, died Nov. 18 at age 64. He suffered from dementia. Young played rhythm guitar and was involved in writing most of the band’s iconic hits.

Mel Tillis, a longtime songwriter and country music star, died Sunday at age 84 from ongoing health problems. Tillis, the father of singer Pam Tillis, recorded more than 60 albums and had more than 30 Top 10 country singles, including “Good Woman Blues,” “Coca-Cola Cowboy,” and “Southern Rain.” He wrote numerous hits for other stars, too, such as “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition and “Thoughts of a Fool” for George Strait.

Della Reese, the gospel-influenced singer and actress who starred in the TV show Touched by an Angel, died Sunday at age 86. Touched by an Angel ran from 1994 to 2003 and told the story of two angels sent to Earth to help people with their problems. It debuted with mediocre ratings but grew to be one of the most successful shows of its time.

David Cassidy, a 1970s teen heartthrob and star of TV’s The Partridge Family, died Tuesday at age 67 after battling dementia. Cassidy kept touring as a singer long after The Partridge Family went off the air in 1974. He gave a final concert in March in New York City after announcing his dementia diagnosis. —L.L.

Better than expected

Pixar’s Coco is out in theaters now, and despite my early reservations about a film that takes place in the land of the dead, WORLD Magazine reviewer Megan Basham says it conveys a positive message about respecting elders and honoring family. —L.L.

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