Ernst and 2027

[Harty]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.We've got fantastic releases from Ernst. But the last ones were , well not the best. The Memphis set had a lot of discussions. What do you think ? Will we get a last huge surprise end when Ernst finishes his work ?

[BlackpoolEPfan]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.We've got fantastic releases from Ernst. But the last ones were , well not the best. The Memphis set had a lot of discussions. What do you think ? Will we get a last huge surprise end when Ernst finishes his work ?

Maybe his final FTD project will be the official release of Indianapolis '77...??

[Speedway67]

There's nothing to indicate that Ernst will retire in 2027. If he does, he'll certainly have every right to, but perhaps he'll continue for a few more years after that.
As for the 2027 releases, there's a lot of secrecy surrounding them.
However, one of the few things that has been said is that there might finally be one or two big surprises, reserved for that grand 50th anniversary.

[rockinrebel]

Up until recently I would have said that even if Sony own (or have access to) the Indianapolis soundboard, it would still only be suitable for an FTD release.

However, following the mainstream release of substandard rehearsal recordings on the recent Sunset Boulevard set, it's anybody's guess what might happen if Sony have access to the tape.

On a more positive note, with 2027 being the 50th anniversary, perhaps the time is right for another Platinum type compilation, which takes the listener on a journey through the Presley career with key rare performances.

Of course, we have probably reached the bottom of the barrel in terms of unissued material, but when you consider how much audio remains exclusive to FTD, there is still more than enough that would be 'new' to the casual buyer. Add any remaining performances that haven't found a home yet, and factor in that substandard audio such as the '50's TV and live recordings, home recordings and '70's soundboards could be improved significantly with the new technology (as proved by the recent reissues of The Beatles' Anthology albums) and there's certainly enough for a coherent, good quality mainstream release...

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

even if Ernst retires, someone else will step up

Elvis Presley personifies long tail marketing

and the endless re-releases, studio banter of burps and farts shows there is nothing Elvis fans won't buy


in the late 1980s I actually wrote to RCA and asked for what became Ernst's position

[elvis-fan]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.

What's your source for that statement?

[elvis77ro]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.

What's your source for that statement?

right his own guesses

[Harty]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.

What's your source for that statement?

Its my own guess. You don't need a source for your own opinion. . It is also a question of age and a question of: what is really left in the vaults.
Ernst will be 76 in 2027. Guess he is born in 1951. Every journey ends at a point. Maybe the 50th anniversary in 2027 is the final year.

[On Tape 1972]

If Ernst, by 2027, is feeling up for it, he'll continue. Simple as that. He loves to do what he does but in the end, age and the label's long term goals are the deciding factor here. But I'm not so sure anymore, that Ernst's departure would mean the end of FTD and the Elvis catalogue-program in general. There's also Roger Semon, who appears to be several years older than Ernst. His possible departure (or passing) would have to be managed somehow, as he's the (often overlooked) backbone of this show.

In terms of mainstream releases, what else is there to do? I think it's pretty certain, at this point, that we're gonna get official DES mixes of mono material, with a strong focus on the 1950s. Other than that, we're pretty much finished. They can always remix stuff and have various audio engineers have their go at the material, but that doesn't sit well with everyone nor does it generate much interest outside the Elvis-bubble. Then there's the usual anniversaries and things that can be "celebrated" with "new" digital or physical (re-) releases.

When it comes to FTD, there's surely enough material left to last them until 2030 and beyond. Several (complete) movie soundtrack sessions have yet to be covered. Then there's the late 60s and 70s sessions (all of them difficult to work with), including the Memphis, Nashville and the Jungle Room Sessions. I'm sure Ernst would love to be involved in all of these. There's also plenty of soundboard material still out there, including amazing recordings (in terms of performance, not in terms of audio-quality) that are not in the official archives. But there's also quite a bit of stuff left in the official vault that has yet to be covered. There's at least one (maybe more?) of them Johnson City shows from March 1976 (very good, 2-track audio), one show recorded at Las Vegas 1976 (poor audio), a couple of shows from March 1975, official offline- / booth-recordings from February 1974,... things like that. All of which should be very interesting to fans and collectors.

Back on FECC I had this nice little conversation with Elvis2000. I was, like many others, under the impression that if Ernst quit, that would be the end of it. But Elvis2000 said something along the lines of "well, maybe the EAP Society guys will be able to take over and continue". Today I'm like, "yeah, maybe they will".

[Speedway67]

For many years I believed, and I also recall reading, that Ernst was born in 1950. Only recently has a source seemed to indicate that it was 1951. But I'm inclined to think it was 1950. Perhaps someone can confirm this.

As for Roger Semon, I always thought he was only a year older than Ernst. I can't confirm this either, but I believe I read it many years ago.

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

Ernst is such an Elvis fan, I doubt he would retire

there continue to be Elvis discoveries

like the live Paralyzed

the Little Mama

the live I forgot to remember to forget


I do have a dread of the Southern maid donut commercial being found

[dougkapp]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.We've got fantastic releases from Ernst. But the last ones were , well not the best. The Memphis set had a lot of discussions. What do you think ? Will we get a last huge surprise end when Ernst finishes his work ?

At some point Ernst will stop. But I don't think FTD needs to stop with him. There are other people who can continue the work. For example, on the cover of the recently released LP Good Times there is a new name: Jean Semon. He may be someone who is learning from Roger. Furthermore, there are other people connected to FTD with a lot of knowledge who could take over this work in the future. Davide English is one of those people.
I don't think that if Ernst stops, FTD needs to cease its activities immediately... just my opinion.

[londonflash]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.We've got fantastic releases from Ernst. But the last ones were , well not the best. The Memphis set had a lot of discussions. What do you think ? Will we get a last huge surprise end when Ernst finishes his work ?

At some point Ernst will stop. But I don't think FTD needs to stop with him. There are other people who can continue the work. For example, on the cover of the recently released LP Good Times there is a new name: Jean Semon. He may be someone who is learning from Roger. Furthermore, there are other people connected to FTD with a lot of knowledge who could take over this work in the future. Davide English is one of those people.
I don't think that if Ernst stops, FTD needs to cease its activities immediately... just my opinion.

I'd be more inclined to think that's Roger's wife.

[FanFrom'61]

I guess the Elvis journey from Ernst will come to an end in 2027.We've got fantastic releases from Ernst. But the last ones were , well not the best. The Memphis set had a lot of discussions. What do you think ? Will we get a last huge surprise end when Ernst finishes his work ?

At some point Ernst will stop. But I don't think FTD needs to stop with him. There are other people who can continue the work. For example, on the cover of the recently released LP Good Times there is a new name: Jean Semon. He may be someone who is learning from Roger. Furthermore, there are other people connected to FTD with a lot of knowledge who could take over this work in the future. Davide English is one of those people.
I don't think that if Ernst stops, FTD needs to cease its activities immediately... just my opinion.

Jean is indeed Roger’s wife - a lovely lady.

[FanFrom'61]

Of course FTD does not have to end if and when Ernst and Roger call it a day. But that’s not the complete picture. Sony may not renew their contracts if they feel that the FTD label as an external outlet for Elvis rarities is no longer viable financially.

We are getting to the bottom of that well known ‘well’ as far as unreleased stuff is concerned. The collector fanbase is diminishing and that would seem to escalate a little quicker each year with an aging fanbase, which would suggest that sales will diminish too. Already, we are seeing collectors giving up on soundboard releases as they say there is little point in buying in to shows which are so repetitive.

Historically, FTD have had enough product lines like the Classic Albums series (probably their biggest sellers), the Soundboards, the Sessions, the books and the vinyls which support one another should one release fail with low sales. But the big sales from the Classic Album series no longer exists, soundboard sales (probably their next biggest seller quantity wise, are slowly diminishing, whilst the Sessions, the vinyl and the big book sets (their most expensive in production costs) would appear to be holding steady. And there are still opportunities to put out new releases of stuff we do not have on some of those product lines, but there cannot be many opportunities left for new vinyl releases before entering into re-issues, and whilst that might be a novel idea at first, not every collector is going to start double dipping just to get a new sleeve etc because as we know, FTD vinyl is not cheap, so sales will diminish on those too.

If there is not enough income across the product lines to cover their fixed costs, salaries and overheads, and monies due to Sony, then Sony are likely to pull the plug regardless of whether Ernst wants to carry on or not.

So if it does not finish at the end of 2027, I’d be surprised to see it go on for much longer after that, because whilst there maybe someone who could take over from Ernst, what would that someone have left by way of unreleased material to release that we have not already got and to a diminishing market.

[dougkapp]

But what do you think FTD can release to keep the label active until 2030? I don't see many options or alternatives. The series of sessions will probably not be completed.
The 8" Elvis Now In Person box set, which was supposed to be released in 2025, hasn't even been mentioned in recent months. Has it been abandoned? Maybe...
We often see fans arguing that FTD is lacking new ideas. But I ask: what do you think FTD can explore to keep the label active beyond 2027?

[Harty]

I just wondered why there were no Release of the Elvis in Concert Shows with the TCB Band ?

[rockinrebel]

It looks like the soundboards are still reasonably popular amongst certain sections of the fan base, but how many they have left is anybody's guess.

The vinyl reissues appear popular at the moment, but I would agree with FanFrom'61 that this is likely to be short lived.

I'm sure we will get the rest of the soundtrack sessions, and I think it's highly likely that all the '70's sessions will get the 'complete' treatment. My rationale for this is that there was no consistency with the mainstream sets, and in some cases we didn't get genuine undubbed masters or the recordings presented as per the original tapes, so I think there will be a market for this.

After that, its a case of whether the budget will stretch to using new technology to improve substandard audio, but sadly, I think the likely answer to that will be no....

[Edwin66]

I think all the Feb '70 live multitracks deserve to be released on one FTD box-set.

[drjohncarpenter]

For many years I believed, and I also recall reading, that Ernst was born in 1950. Only recently has a source seemed to indicate that it was 1951. But I'm inclined to think it was 1950. Perhaps someone can confirm this.

As for Roger Semon, I always thought he was only a year older than Ernst. I can't confirm this either, but I believe I read it many years ago.

My understanding is:

Roger Semon was born December 29, 1949
Ernst Jørgensen was born November 1950