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    lilgoldie
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    Joined:

    What's Inside:
    • Five Complete Shows
    • 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
    • 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
    • 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
    • 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
    • 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
    •14 Discs, 111 tracks
    •Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
    •Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
    •Period Photos by James R Anderson
    •Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
    •Individual show liner notes

    MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!

    If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.

    For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.

    And now for the nitty-gritty...

    Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.

    Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.

    Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.

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  • #601
    deadegad
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    Ship 'Em Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please.
    Hey Dead.net. . .. Show us some love. . .. Ship May 77 Now. . .. Today. . ... Please.
  • #602
    adedhed68
    Joined:
    Shipping Soon......
    I think if it were sold out, it would've already shipped. The Spring 90 box set sold out quicker and arrived almost 2 weeks early. The E72 box set also arrived earlier than expected.
  • #603
    Zuckfun
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    Joined:
    Shipping soon?
    Due June 11, and downloads are available on this date, is it reasonable to guess June 11 is when packages will be arriving (and not shipping)? Maybe it's a case of wishful thinking...
  • #604
    rne
    Joined:
    Boxes
    I can't tell if the E72 box mix was rushed or not. It is true -because Jeffrey Norman said it on an interview featured on this site- that his usual way of working had to be accelerated in order to meet the deadline. Anyway, I think he made a great job. Could have he done it better if given more time? We'll never know, but we have to take into account the limitations of the tapes themselves too. The 1969 Fillmore West box sounds great, but I sense more space between instruments on E72, and, in addition, you can listen to each hall (or field, it depends), which is really nice. I think, though, that the E72 box could have been done better, with more memorabilia, more technical details about the mixing process, etc etc. But it is an OUTSTANDING set anyway. It's really unfair to attack Norman in the way some people are doing it here. "Crappy sounding CDs"? C'mon, give me a break!Winterland 1973 features some of the nicest, warmest and highly-enjoyable 2-track recordings you will ever hear, period. Winterland 1977 is made of Betty recordings, ergo, it sounds wonderful. I can't say anything about the Warlocks or Spring '90, I'm not interested in that era. However, I bought "So Glad You Made It", and I remember not feeling very enthusiastic about the mix.
  • #605
    Underthevolcano
    Joined:
    BTW, regarding Europe '72
    I have not really noticed sound quality issues on the box but given the magnitude of the work and the variation (I would think) of quality of the condition of the original tapes there would be differences on the final product no matter what. I think Jeffrey Norman has consistently done an exemplary job with all of the projects he has been involved with. To be sure there are standouts -I am particularly impressed with the Grateful Dead movie soundtrack-but all in all nothing in the body of work to be embarassed about. To me, the rush of the 72 box was shown more by lack of doodads enclosed-contrary to the implied promise of the promotional pictures. I kept looking for "the secret compartment" which I thought must be in that trunk somewhere holding the stash of teased goodies. The one sticker? Is this it? Oh well. I also like the Plangent process which has been used on some of these, especially the Cow Palace New Year set.
  • #606
    Underthevolcano
    Joined:
    a week to go
    and I'm listening to 1977-specifically to the "To Terrapin" to start off.
  • #607
    unkle sam
    Joined:
    e72 sound, daps 6 and all the rest since norman took the job
    I think I was the first one to say that e72 sounded like crap, the first 3 shows are almost unlistenable, I thought it was the disc, so asked for replacements, got them a year later and they sound the same, thin, shallow and crappy. The mix does get better down the road in the tour, but not much, then, we come to Dave's picks 6, what's up with the pitch? why so shallow, no depth, can't hear certain players during the tunes, sometimes they come up, sometimes they disappear, what the hell is going on? I haven't heard warlocks or sping 90 but if these others that I have mentioned are any indication of the mixing, then they proubly sound thin and shitty too. Dare I say it, who is this Jeff Norman guy? where did he come from? Hired by Rhino or the dead? I mean they remixed the e72 box in 3 months, right then I knew that it was a rush job, you know, we all love this music and this band, yet we get rushed mixes, bad pitch and just crappy sounding cd's, maybe that's why they are cheaper than say the rolling stones box set or any other box set, they are rushed, with no soul. I have said it from the getgo, Rhino is a ripoff, all they care about is the money. Mr Norman, how about doing a mix right for once, tell the powers that be that you won't do it if it ain't right. I agree with one man, Rockin the rhein is a way superior mix than the rushed mix by norman. I sold my e72 box due to this fact, I want the real deal, not this plastic crap that norman puts out. Most of my old tapes sound better than these releases. As far as vinyl, I heard they cut these dick's picks vinyl from the cd, so how could it sound any better? The source is fucked up, so even putting it on vinyl can't make it sound any better, if they wanted to do it right, a total remix from the master tapes would have been in order, not a copy from the cd, I love vinyl and most of my listening pleasure is found in vinyl recordings, but I ain't gonna pay a hundred bucks for a copy of the cd on vinyl. As far as Mr Norman's comments, he works for rhino so he will say anything to sell a product, even if it ain't all it's cracked up to be. The business of selling the dead's vault is just that, a business, let the buyer beware.
  • #608
    One Man
    Joined:
    E72
    Little Ben, the best example of the E72 box audio issues is on the 4/24/72 show. The "old" mix released on Rockin' the Rhein sounds rich and warm, with little distortion. The version of this show released with the box set uses a new mix for the first two discs, and they sound grossly distorted to me, as if a bad analog-to-digital transfer was made. They also suffer from lack of attention to details like instrument levels, reverb, compression, etc. Now listen to the second two discs from the newer (box set) version. Those two (for some reason -- I guess to save time) are the nice "old" mix. It's like night and day to me. This problem starts at the first show and continues up to the Paris shows, where apparently some improvement was made in the new A-D conversion (or other change of procedure). The sound improves noticeably for the rest of the shows, but still suffers from "rush mixing" where the levels are apparently adjusted on the fly and details are ignored. It ends up sounding like a live-to-2-track mix, which is a travesty considering the multi-tracks will now never be heard in their full glory.
  • #609
    Little Ben Clock
    Default Avatar
    Joined:
    Europe '72 sounds good...doesn't it?
    I've seen lots of comments in various places about the Europe '72 box sounding bad but very few examples. What I've heard of it sounds pretty good. I actually don't think the recordings are that fantastic - some are better than others. What are some examples of the rough/bad mixing though?
  • #610
    frankparry
    Joined:
    Spring 1990
    This wasn't my favourite release - and in fact I thought Spring 1993 ran it close for the being the last great run - but I did love the sound. I was playing a couple of the shows just this weekend and I thought it sounded deep, rich and very clear, especially the drums.
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Submitted by lilgoldie on
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Dead Store Products

What's Inside:
• Five Complete Shows
• 5/11/77 St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN
• 5/12/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/13/77 Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 5/15/77 St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO
• 5/17/77 University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
•14 Discs, 111 tracks
•Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman, Plangent Processes playback system for maximum sonic accuracy
•Artwork by Grammy Award-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike
•Period Photos by James R Anderson
•Historical Essay by Steve Silberman
•Individual show liner notes

MAGICAL, MYTHICAL MAY 1977!

If you're a Dead Head, chances are you've spent many an hour expounding upon the distinction of May 8, 1977, Cornell University, Barton Hall. Well, at the risk of preaching to the choir, we'd like to reintroduce you to a series of shows that matches said greatness from that same gloriously fertile season. While Barton Hall is well known, the astounding tour that surrounded it has occasionally flown under the radar due to the uneven quality of tapes in circulation. May 1977 is set to change all of that with a boxed set that zeroes in on this high-water mark in the Grateful Dead's long strange trip.

For a band resurrecting itself after a 20-month hiatus, there was a great frenzy of expectancy that surrounded the Spring of 1977. We anticipate a grand reoccurrence of this fervor with the release of May 1977, a 14-disc boxed set featuring five complete shows from consecutive stops on that magical tour. Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, the "psychoacoustic phenomena" as Jerry once put it, of St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, MN (5/11) Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL (5/12, 5/13), St. Louis Arena, St. Louis MO (5/15) and Coliseum at the University Of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (5/17) can now finally be appreciated. Each of these shows finds the Dead delivering punchier, more focused sets, tightening up the framework; each night turning out first-ever renditions ("Passenger,""Iko Iko,""Jack-A-Roe"), unloading potent new pairings ("Scarlet Begonias">"Fire On The Mountain", "Estimated Prophet">"Eyes Of The World"), classic covers ("Dancing In The Street") and soon-to-be staples ("Estimated Prophet," "Samson and Delilah"), and ultimately rising up to paradise.

And now for the nitty-gritty...

Due June 11, May 1977 is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies. Presented in a psychedelic box that boasts an intricate die-cut design created by Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike, the set also includes a book filled with stories about each show, as well as an in-depth essay by Dead historian Steve Silberman, who delves deep into the history behind the tour and the band’s return from its extended hiatus.

Once these 15,000 boxes are gone, May 1977 and its shows will never be available again on CD. However, the 111 tracks will be made available on release date as FLAC and Apple lossless full-set-only downloads for $99.98.

Like its predecessors Europe '72: The Complete Recordings and Spring 1990, we expect May 1977 to sell out. Your best bet is to pre-order it now, then sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks right here and on Facebook.com/GratefulDead and Youtube.com/gratefuldead.

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Submitted by Lumadaylight on Wed, 01/22/2014 - 14:43

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I am still enjoying this box. Have gone through the entire run multiple times. After hearing a lot of 77 it's nice to go to the later years...but coming back again for another listen and it's just amazing how you find even more to love within this set. Now if I could only get my hands on spring 90 and Europe 72!
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Submitted by Mr. August West on Thu, 01/23/2014 - 04:45

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Holy smokes I'm like a kid on Christmas morning checking the mail everyday after work! Can't wait to jam this.
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16 years 9 months

Submitted by Underthevolcano on Thu, 01/23/2014 - 07:52

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I have been cranking this box on my car system while commuting and can't get enough of it. I reminds me of the old days when I wore out that Skull and Roses live lp set with constant listening. There is something about 1977. Also 1969, 1970, 1976, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1990 oh and 1988, 1989-ah well I could go on.
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11 years 4 months

Submitted by Lumadaylight on Sat, 01/25/2014 - 14:17

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This is some incredible music. Took a break for a while after first getting it but it is so so good to come back to. St. Paul and Tuscaloosa are my favorite two but there is something wonderful in each show. Best sound quality for sure goes to the 11th. We have had some great releases lately. Am so grateful to have this on my bookshelf. Thanks again and again. To anyone not sure if they want this because there is already a lot of 77 released, just get it. The box is beautiful. Love the fact that I can have this physical media on my shelf. The sound quality is sure worth it. Windows media player decodes HDCD btw...really makes these discs shine.
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15 years 6 months

Submitted by guit30 on Tue, 02/04/2014 - 04:55

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This box is something special , I listened to May 11, and it blew me away again. Just great stuff
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11 years 4 months

Submitted by dtobin7283 on Thu, 02/13/2014 - 16:57

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LIke many others, I have so much '77 stuff I was not excited when this came out. Thanks to a night of heavy drinking, I pulled out the credit card and dove in when judgement was impaired. I am so glad I did, I just keep coming back to this. Maybe it is the beautiful sound, or great performances, I don't know. I love almost all the releases, but this one just seems extra nice.
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15 years 6 months

Submitted by kevjones on Tue, 02/18/2014 - 08:03

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I am excited to see that this box set is on the UPS truck waiting to be delivered to my home sometime today! Decided to take the plunge and finally order this set. Looking forward to some heady jams this week.
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16 years 9 months

Submitted by Underthevolcano on Wed, 02/19/2014 - 10:16

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looks like the physical set will sell out shortly. I got mine a long time ago and still have it in regular rotation. I'm a little surprised this took so long to sell out given the quality of the performance and beauty of the physical product. What is next on the release agenda?
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15 years 6 months

Submitted by kevjones on Thu, 02/20/2014 - 13:44

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Finally got my set yesterday. I listened to the first set of the St. Paul show, and I'm glad I decided to get it. The St. Paul show has such a unique and warm sound to it. I really like the feel. The boys blister through a number of the songs, and they are all really unique. Looking forward to enjoying the second set tonight.
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Submitted by kevjones on Sun, 02/23/2014 - 00:57

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SO GLAD I purchased this set. It gives me a whole new appreciation and understanding for 1977. As a 20+ year 'Dead Freak' I have never fully understood the power of 1977, until I heard a string of shows consecutively, in their rightful context. We all know 1977 is majestic, but I think I have come to take it for granted. As a tape trader, I would come across a random 1977 here and there...5/8/77, 11/4/77, 6/9/77, 11/6/77/ 2/26/77, 12/29/77, and embrace each and every one with exuberance, but casually move on to another era or decade. Over the past few nights, I have been delving into this box set and have a whole new appreciation for the music of the Grateful Dead. I have listened to the first 3.5 shows in their entirety and am blown away. I cannot wait for Tuscaloosa tomorrow!!! To hear the ebb and flow of each show in its proper context is unspeakable. The transformation of the music from night to night is uncanny. The 2nd night in Chicago is the only 'clunker' of the bunch, but with that being said, there are some serious moments of serendipity and majesty in that show. I cannot wait to piggy back on this box set and listen to the Fox and Lakeland shows and the Sportatorium show, followed by 'To Terrapin' after I have completed the adventure of this box set. On a side note, the 'Terrapin' from the first night in Chicago is one of the most beautiful versions I have ever heard. Bobby hits those notes just like it begins on the album, and he keeps going with the lick. It is rare to hear a version of "Terrapin' were Bobby keeps hitting that lick (put it on, you'll know what I am talking about). It's so bright and beautiful. Thanks Dave!!!
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Submitted by kevjones on Sun, 02/23/2014 - 01:04

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Oh, and that Dancin' from STL is so groovy. It rivals the legendary one from Dick's Picks 25 and Winterland '78 (From Egypt with Love). My jaw dropped...
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Submitted by wilfredtjones on Sun, 02/23/2014 - 04:03

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Like you kevjones, I'm a sucker for '77 and '78 Dancin' in the Streets. Not sure the one from 10-20 Winterland graced RT 1.4 though. It's just not there. Oh well. Have fun on your May '77 excursion! DP 29 is going to be nice, real nice...
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Submitted by nitecat on Tue, 08/19/2014 - 16:52

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Believe it or not, I missed this box and just picked it up on Ebay. Wow I'm sure glad I did. I'm still working through St. Louis, looking forward to the Dancing, and the Terrapin mentioned below. The sound is pretty damn good for 1/4 inch, thanks to the amazing Betty! I hope she gets her share of this pie. She deserves it.
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9 years 2 months

Submitted by Chris killer on Thu, 12/17/2015 - 17:04

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Happy as hell, but wondering is there a CD version of Cornell Barton hall 1977 officially released,just wondering, if is a get able or is it just something best left as the unicorn out on tape ? I still have two tape decks . Thanks anyone
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Submitted by wilfredtjones on Thu, 12/17/2015 - 17:12

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Chris killer, it's not in the vault therefore not fully released. One song from Cornell is available, Dancin' in the Streets, on the So Many Roads box set. The 5 cd 'So Many Roads' box set is still available for sale on this website last I checked. I hope this helps.
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Submitted by the420bandito on Wed, 12/23/2015 - 04:47

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that single track from Barton Hall is actually on the 12cd set Beyond Description (1973-1989). I believe they have only one set from the show in the vault. Either way the existing copies on the internet are near perfect...at least the one I found. On ebay I saw 2LP set of the show from an Italian record company. Who knows what that sounds like
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Submitted by fancas on Wed, 05/11/2016 - 01:47

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g-leben.blogspot.com Planet outdoor fell from the sky. The RV rental company located Estourmel, opposite the SDA, was well off since 2010, the year of its creation. The schedule and bookings were even more promising, a few months of the summer: for this long weekend of Ascension, several campers had thus been sold. shoeboxgenealogy.blogspot.com
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Submitted by Sawwwn on Thu, 01/26/2017 - 10:11

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Been hoping to buy a digital download for months. Is this option returning soon?
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Submitted by NY Mike on Sun, 05/07/2017 - 11:32

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Is anyone else having issues downloading this from Warner Music? I have tried numerous times after purchasing the FLAC files and each time the download fails. So far the most I have been able to get is all but the last two songs from the first show, plus it takes FOREVER even on a (supposedly) fast cable connection. Can these shows be delivered in separate downloads?
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Submitted by cminton on Wed, 06/14/2017 - 02:24

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The comments suggest that I can pre-order it and that it would be available on June 11th. How do I pre-order (or order now that it is June 14th) this boxed set?
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Submitted by lilmaria1212 on Sat, 08/05/2017 - 11:00

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Solid offer for the music community, although it's a bit pricey?! JUST A BIT! Lol, I'm already spending a bunch of money on music promotion services.
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