There have been many reports in the past 10 years that the music industry is losing money because people aren’t buying CDs anymore. Instead, people are downloading music, and many do it through “file-sharing” (moving files from computer to computer through the Internet), so that the music companies and the “artists” (singers; musicians) don’t get paid.
在過去的十年裡,有許多報導指出音樂產業正在虧損,因為人們不再購買CD了。取而代之的是,大家開始下載音樂,許多人透過「檔案分享」(透過網際網路在電腦之間移動檔案),因此音樂公司和「藝術家」(歌手;音樂人)無法得到報酬。
One way that the music industry is trying to “make up for” (compensate for; correct; fix) this lost income is by repackaging people’s favorite artists, putting together songs and adding material in a new way. They are counting on “diehard fans” (people who love something very, very much) to want everything, or at least something special, that is released for their favorite artist.
音樂產業試圖「彌補」(補償;修正)這種收入損失的方法之一,就是重新包裝人們喜愛的藝術家,將歌曲重新編排並加入新的內容。他們指望「死忠粉絲」(非常熱愛某事物的人)想要擁有所有,或者至少是一些為他們喜愛的藝術家特別推出的作品。
Many of these new packages are “anniversary editions,” perhaps 10, 25, or 50 years after the album/CD was first released or since the birth or death of an artist. What do these “reissues” (re-releases) include?
許多這些新包裝是「紀念版」,可能是在專輯/CD首次發行的10年、25年或50年之後,或是藝術家出生或去世的紀念日。這些「重新發行」(再次發行)的內容包括什麼呢?
Some very old recordings that came out in “vinyl” (flat, round disks played on a record player) are “re-mastered,” using today’s technology to improve the “audio” (sound) quality. Other reissues have “extras,” such as never-before-heard versions of songs, “commentary” (spoken comments) by the artist or people involved in making the music, and “remixes,” which are new versions of songs created electronically, often by changing the “tempo” (speed) or by putting them in a different order or adding parts to the songs.
一些非常老的錄音最初是以「黑膠唱片」(平坦、圓形的碟片,在唱片機上播放)發行的,現在經過「重新混音」(使用現代技術改善「音效」質量)。其他重新發行的專輯可能會有「額外內容」,如從未聽過的歌曲版本、由藝術家或參與音樂製作的人所作的「評論」,以及「混音」版本,這些是電子方式創作的歌曲新版本,通常透過改變「節奏」(速度)、重新排列順序或為歌曲添加新部分來實現。
Some reissues even include DVDs of “live” (in front of an audience) performances or interviews.
一些重新發行的專輯甚至包括現場表演或訪談的DVD。
These reissues and repackaged music can sell for a lot of money. But for diehard fans, it is a small price to pay to own something “new” from their favorite artists.
這些重新發行和重新包裝的音樂可以賣出高價。但對於死忠粉絲來說,能擁有來自他們最愛藝術家的「新」作品,是值得付出的代價。