To: Friends, family, customers & contributors
From: Richard Weize
 
This is a letter I have not wanted to write. In fact, I have put off writing it for several years.
 
Ever since I founded BEAR FAMILY RECORDS in 1975, I have focused on producing quality releases – first on LPs and later on CDs and box sets. I have worked with the finest engineers and music researchers and writers to create the highest quality product.
 
After I left BEAR FAMILY in 2015, I continued to release records and books on my own ANDMOREBEARS and RWA labels. The critical response has always been gratifying, for which I am grateful. Although I have recently celebrated my 80th birthday, I find that it is difficult to walk away from the business. There are still projects and topics I want to explore. Colleagues I have worked with in the past continue to bring worthwhile ideas to my attention. It seems hard for any of us to stop.

The biggest problem I face is coming to terms with the massive differences in the record business. The digital age has overtaken us, for better or worse. Too few people want to buy physical product anymore. That goes for both LPs and CDs. The days of a lavishly produced box set with multiple CDs and an attractive hardcover book appear to be behind us. Many of us miss and still collect record albums, but not enough to make their production
economically viable. I can't stay in business by filling up a warehouse with unsold albums.
 
And so I've got to change with the times. I will continue to finish projects I have started, but beginning next year I will concentrate on streaming and downloading. The music I release will be available on streaming services, and the artist biographies and discographies, in the same high quality format you've come to expect, will be available from my website (www.richardstuff.com).
 
My website will also be a forum to stay in touch with you. I will let you know about forthcoming projects and hope you will share your ideas and reactions with me as you always have. I know many of you also wish that we could hold back the hands of time and continue to release all of our projects on vinyl and CD, with the same accompanying books and articles you've grown used to.
 
I never expected to get rich in the record business, but neither can I afford a steady stream of financial losses. Things have to change.
 
I hope you will understand and continue to be part of our musical family, even if the end product looks different in the 21st century. Please share this information with interested friends and remain in touch with us. Thank you!
 
Richard
Vollersode, Germany, March 2026