Frequently asked questions about Club Tango Argentino (CTA)
What is CTA?
CTA is a tango club founded by Akihito Baba and is situated in Japan.
What and how many CDs were released by CTA?
I know of ~220 published CDs and my CTA-catalog page features the most extensive and updated list of published and available CDs there is. The CD list on the website of CTA is outdated and incomplete. And plenty of CDs being listed as CTA-CDs on some websites are not CTA-CDs like discussed here. Every 3-4 month CTA still releases new CDs. You find them on Tango-DJ.at CDs. As far as I know out of print CDs are not going to be reprinted.
Which CDs are available?
About half of the published CDs are out of print and most likely won't be reproduced. CTA is still releasing new CDs now and then. I get the information about available CDs and new released CDs and update my CTA-catalog accordingly. But also these new released CDs go out of print very fast. So it is very likely that only a very limited number of CDs are produced.
What does CTA-CDs look like - how do I identify an original CTA-CD?
Original CTA CDs are commercial produced CDs with screen processed cd and cover prints rather than homemade color-printed and burnt ones. On the rear cover you will find following information on an original CTA-CD:
- CDs with screen processed color print
- detail about year and matriz numbers
- three digit CTA-number
- "CLUB TANGO ARGENTINO" lettering
- "PRODUCCION DE AKIHITO BABA" lettering
- "INDUSTRIA JAPON" lettering
- JASRAC logo followed by a registration number
- "Esta grabación ha sido realizada en Japón con discos originales del colección de AKIHITO BABA" lettering
- "ESTA PROHIBIDA LA COPIA TOTAL O PARCIAL DE LAS OBRAS DE ESTE DISCO. (JASRAC = SADAIC) lettering
I have heard that it is possible to get most of the CTA-CDs as copies in BsAs. Is that true?
There are lot's of discussions going on about this. I have collected lot's of CTA original CDs, CTA-look-alike CDs and bootleg copies. There are some 1:1 copies, but then they have different cover and name - you won't find them unless you know it's the same by comparing it to the original. If it is a CD with a more or less similar but still slightly different cover as described above you have got the same tracks, but very different transfers most likely. So it has nothing to do with the original CTA-CD. Read more about CTA-look-alike CDs and bootleg copies if you want to learn how to identify an original CTA-CD and what you might get with bootleg copies.
How can I contact and order directly from CTA?
CTA is not replying to e-mails send to their e-mail address. CTA is not shipping CDs to addresses outside of Japan. So it is not possible to order directly from CTA.
Are there shops having a distribution contract with CTA?
As far as I know there is nothing like distribution contracts and/or shops distributing CTA-CDs. There is no need for CTA to bother with distribution of their CDs. There is only a very limited number of CDs produced and these are sold very fast to some collectors. So there is nothing like distribution contracts or reselling prices.
Where can I buy/order CTA CDs?
Why are CTA CDs so expensive?
Most special things in Japan are costly. Normal pop-CDs in online shops will be around 2700 to 3000 JPY. CDs of these special tango clubs like AMP and CTA are higher priced. Then there are expenses for transfering money, shipping, insurance and import tax. There is more margin in selling a BATC-CD for 15,- EUR than a CTA-CD for 50,- EUR. The number of produced CDs is very limited and go out of print very fast - so it's not a matter of the price, but to be lucky enough to get one in the first place. In addition I provide more information about CTA-CDs than you will find anywhere else on the internet. At least this way you can choose what you want to go for. This is not at all a business to earn money, but takes a lot of effort, time and work to be able to make some of these very rare and special CDs available for you.
What is so special about CTA-CDs?
First of all you will find plenty of tracks you won't find anywhere else. The recordings are taken from one of the largest collections of 78RPMs owned by Akihito Baba. CTA is known for transfering recordings from 78 RPMs to CD in a highly professional manner, very different to many Argentine transfers and CD-productions. The sound is known to be left as original as possible. So the transfer is done in correct speed and without filtering or processing. This results in the most natural sound reproduction you may be able to find.