Record companies are repackaging old albums and adding a few bells and whistles

FEW ENOUGH bands get a 90-minute documentary on BBC to promote their latest album, let alone a programme that they’ve made themselves. But when you’re rock royalty like U2, normal rules don’t apply.

The screening of From The Sky Downon BBC1 last weekend was nicely timed to coincide with the release at the end of this month of the 20th anniversary edition of Achtung Baby, the subject of the documentary.

With CD sales across the music industry in freefall, record companies have hit upon the marketing ruse of repackaging albums and adding bells and whistles to tempt fans to buy the album for a second time.

Achtung Babyis being reissued in five formats, each containing a remastered copy of the record. Rarities and B-sides will be included with most formats and the promise is that the reheating will be even better than the real thing.

One elaborate Achtung Babymakeover is a "super deluxe" six-CD and four-DVD edition. The goodies in this box set will include a pair of Bono's Fly sunglasses, an 92-page hardback book and 16 art prints.

The Achtung Baby"uber deluxe" box set – with this one you get a vinyl version of the album, badges and an exclusive numbered lithograth too – hasn't been priced up in Ireland yet, but on the Amazon US site the sticker price is $420 (€310).

The marketing idea is that middle-aged mums or their kids who are stuck for inspiration on Christmas Eve will shell out about €100 so that dad can trip down memory lane the next day.

Also repackaging in a big way in time for Christmas is Pink Floyd. Currently clogging up HMV shelves is a six-disc "Immersion" edition of Dark Side of the Moon. For €100, dad gets to hear and see Money and other tracks remastered and in live performance, a photo book, prints, a scarf, marbles, replica tour tickets and coasters. The only thing missing to replicate dad's original immersive experience is a joint.

For younger dads, The Smiths's entire oeuvre has been repackaged in a €250 collector's edition. Like the Achtung Babypackage, The Smiths's box set is stuffed with vinyl LPs and singles to add to the nostalgia effect, even though the plastic is destined for the attic when the Christmas tree comes down.

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WHILE U2 and Pink Floyd are sitting pretty counting their millions, it's a lot tougher for unsigned Irish bands who have been competing on The ApprenticeTV show for inclusion on CDs being given away in the Irish Daily Mail.

The Mailsponsored Monday's episode of The Apprenticeon TV3 and managing director Paul Henderson came up with the idea of a competition to promote young Irish bands. The apprentices had to select 20 music acts for CDs that will be part of the Mailpackage for the next two weekends. They also had to design the CD sleeves.According to Henderson: "We got involved to show that the Mailis an Irish newspaper based in Dublin. The promotion cost us less than six figures for an hour and half of TV, and as far as I'm concerned that's great value."

The Apprenticeseries is made for TV3 by independent production company Screentime Shinawil. The show's existence depends on Shinawil and its sales agent Marketmatch rounding up commercial sponsorship. Besides the Mail, also on board this year are Clarion Hotels, Bank of Ireland, eMobile and Guinness.

Shinawil managing director Larry Bass says securing sponsorship this year was “incredibly tough”. He adds: “We had to make a lot more pitches to potential sponsors than we previously did. A lot of companies said they couldn’t commit this year but that they would be interested in participating next year.”

New rules allowing product placement on TV shows didn’t bring much benefit, with just one deal inked with Gala Water, the own brand water of Gala convenience stores. In Bass’s view, it will take time for brands and agencies to work out how to price up product placement.

The average viewing figure for episode one of The Apprenticewas 450,000, down from 472,000 last year, but it's still a big draw for TV3 on Monday nights. Chief executive David McRedmond also values The Apprenticefor its young audience profile, which he says is important to the station.

"The series has started a few weeks later this season so the season finale will be closer to Christmas, which is a very important commercial period for us," says McRedmond. "Between The Apprenticeand the final of X Factor, we get a big week of programming in December."

But how much life is there left in the format? "We all had concerns about the X Factorthis year with the absence of Simon Cowell and a new judging panel. But it's working brilliantly, with audience numbers up over 10 per cent on last year. Changing The Apprenticeformat this year by offering the winning contestant an investment by Bill [Cullen] in their new business rather than offering them a job was a good idea. I think the show still has legs."

siobhan@businessplus.ie