Because he sold the catalogue

It’s likely more complicated than just selling the catalogue.   The demand for physical media is nowhere near what it was 10-15-20 years ago, and this includes vinyl, CD and DVD.  Downloads require way less effort than constructing a box set with all that entails.  You can be assured that executives at every label look at the numbers from hundreds of varied artists to see if they hit sales figures justifying cost.  (One reason why NUGS is lucrative - minimal cost.)    15 years ago, No Nukes would have been perfect as a big box set with all kinds of fantasy packaging (big photo book, perhaps CDs of each show in their entirety, repros of backstage passes and set lists and guitar pics, etc, etc.,) but not in this market.   Most people today just want the music.  That will be parsed out very carefully.   I personally expect authorized ‘expanded’ editions of early albums to be physically issued long before big box sets.  Think ‘Born To Run’ but with already familiar outtakes on an additional disc from other compilations, and then say sweeteners like ‘Lonely Night In The Park’ and an alternate ‘Linda Let Me Be The One’.  Same kind of thing for the first 2 albums.  The cow will be very carefully milked to recoup the cost of acquisition.   A LOT of stuff has been released and/or quasi-legally circulated the past 25 plus years, way, way more than early fans up to the Tunnel era ever expected to hear.  There are very few ‘legendary’ outtakes that haven’t been released that carry the mystique that a ‘Murder Incorporated’ or ‘Roulette’ did for that era.  Sure, lots and lots of very interesting things remain in the vaults, and you can find lists on BruceBase if you want to find them.  But the demand for the physical box set and all it entails is just not there to justify the regular production.

We also have seen the albums coming out in Vinyl with much higher resolution.

@Oats posted:

We also have seen the albums coming out in Vinyl with much higher resolution.

It should be interesting to hear what enhancements that the coming Mobile Fidelity Original Master Recording of Greetings will produce over prior pressings and mixes, both digital and analogue.   (I hope people with $50 Crosley turntables understand in advance that they will be unable to hear a real difference.) 😁 I look forward to hearing the opinions of members who have high end audiophile equipment.

[I will be much more excited to hear a proper OMR of WEISS.   Incident —-> into —-> Rosalita IMHO is like the moment you pour the chocolate syrup into the glass of cold, whole milk.  🎉 ]

Q2

While I understand the economic rationale from the record company’s point of view, how does that explain the recent Neil Young Harvest box with 3 CDs and 2 DVDs (for only $50) and the Dylan Time Out of Mind box with 5 CDs? The audiences for Young and Dylan are the same audience as Bruce. A BITUSA box with 2 CDs (album and outtakes) and 2 DVDs (the Arthur Rosato filmed concerts) seems like it would be even more commercially justified than Young or Dylan.

Q2, I doubt I'll be buying any more vinyl from MoFi and I'll bet a class action suit gets started.  Get a load of this?

MoFi claimed its expensive reissues were purely analog reproductions. It had been deceiving its customer base for years.

@LB posted:

While I understand the economic rationale from the record company’s point of view, how does that explain the recent Neil Young Harvest box with 3 CDs and 2 DVDs (for only $50) and the Dylan Time Out of Mind box with 5 CDs? The audiences for Young and Dylan are the same audience as Bruce. A BITUSA box with 2 CDs (album and outtakes) and 2 DVDs (the Arthur Rosato filmed concerts) seems like it would be even more commercially justified than Young or Dylan.

Neil Young own and controls his entire catalog and makes his own decisions on marketing.
Dylan has little say in his rereleases (I sit here with his Bootleg series Vol. 17 by my side).  In addition, Dylan has a bus load (if the bus is the size of Mexico City) of outtakes and alternate takes and a 60 year plus following of manic and rabid fans and followers (also in a big metaphorical bus) that eat anything Bob spits out, poops out, throws out or drops.   The Bob mania for every different lyric changed version of Tangled Up In Blue is not even close to the Bruce fans interested in the progression from Phantoms to Zero and Blind Terry.  “Same audience” doesn’t guarantee same response to like product - tickets, new media, nostalgia, ephemera, etc..  It’s a metric today, not a logic.  There are huge box set and multi disc vault releases for a lot of 60’s thru 90’s artists.  My point is not to argue worthiness - I am right with you there - it’s trying to understand the who, what and whys behind the decisions.  🤷🏻 (shrug)

Q2

Oats.
As to your MOFI article, oh yea.  There has been a huge uproar in that market since that story first broke.   It’s people furious that a digital step was secretly added to a promised all analog product (at a big retail price.)

I am not expecting miracles with an album from Bruce whose original masters and recording techniques are documented as less than optimum (gentle description).  But I am curious, with or without a ‘secret digital step’, what their wizards*  *please substitute any alternate word you find appropriate -  will do to the tapes.  

Now that I've had time to think about this preordered Greetings Release.  With Bruce not owning the Masters anymore.  I doubt Sony would lend them out to Mofi to use.  I'm seriously considering asking for my money back.

I sent Mofi an email asking them to reassure me.  I'll let you know what they have to say.

Still waiting for The Castiles Baby I/That’s What You Get box set…😋✌️

Here's what I was told approximately one month ago:

"Hi John, thanks for your email. We do not have a specific ETA for the Boss reissue just yet, but any preorders won’t be fully charged for until they are in stock and ready to ship. We’ll update everyone via our newsletter once we are nearing the release date. Appreciate your patience!"

Here is what I was told when they assured me the masters were analog.

Hi John,

"The Asbury tapes were original 15 IPS 1/4" analog master reels. They were transferred at Battery Studios in NYC to DSD256 by our engineer Shawn Britton, and then those files were flown to Northern California and used to cut the LP here on our cutting system in Sebastopol."

I don't trust that they received proper permission from Bruce's Camp to do this. I also doubt they received any masters from Bruce's Camp which is what I was told they were waiting for.

They sent me my pre-order out of the blue.  I sent it back unopened 10 months after my original order.