Shady scams and other silly business ideas to take advantage of earnest new vinyl collectors

http://www.last.fm/music/Nick+Alt

Nick Alt creates his own formula by synthesizing soul, funk and electronica into self-described “neofunk.”

On his self-produced, self-performed album, Transit, Nick Alt uses an actual LinnDrum, layered organic synths, and sly vocal hooks. The album’s consistent quirkiness draws the connection between 80’s synth-funk remnants and sparks of futuristic lyrical backdrops. Inspiration for the album’s unconventional thematic elements stems from Alt’s own interest in classic novels Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World; Transit’s cuts serve as candidates for the hypothetical soundtracks. Nick Alt’s vocals remain smoothly layered in contrast to the rawer elements of the arrangements.

I recommend "Seven Year Itch."

did he even need to do a kickstarter? he could've just sold his *actual* linndrum

on a video he made that is on the vnyl facebook page he says that he has an "elaborate record collection". maybe he made a maze out of his records. or a tree house.

Cassandra: Wait, let me show you what I got at a garage sale.
Wayne: What'cha got?
Cassandra: Isn't that great? You've heard it?
Wayne: Exqueese me? Have I seen this one before? "Frampton Comes Alive"? Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of "Tide".
Cassandra: Look at this old one. Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Wayne: Wow. That is old. You know, I bet those guys actually have pacemakers by now.

I'm a huge analog junkie, and was so stoked to hear that their walls were organized by "vibe" haha.

what a wanker

So stoked, brah

Wayne's World (the SNL skit not the movie) originally made the "suburbs" joke about Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. I wonder why they changed it for the movie?

on a video he made that is on the vnyl facebook page he says that he has an "elaborate record collection". maybe he made a maze out of his records. or a tree house.

― scott seward, Wednesday, May 20, 2015 1:27 PM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A rich mix of all sorts of different styles... of thrift shops and yard sales put together.

Is it so hard for the VNYL guys to do the right thing? It seems that the scam is that they used the crowdfunding money to open a physical store instead of doing what they promised (possibly because they didn't consider the legal problems of their business model). Here,I'll fix their 'business' in four steps:

1. Give a public statement. You fucked up, you didn't realize it was illegal to trade records like that. Ask customers to hold on to those records you got, we'll make it up to you.
2. Open your physical store and create a user friendly online store.
3. Actually start answering all the complaints. If you hated those three awful bin records we sent you, we will you a chance to choose any new, under $20 vinyl record on our store for free as an apology.

4. If people want to keep their 'subscription', offer discounts worth their subscription every month in your online store or copy working models: A good example I can think of: for $27/month 'Vinyl Me, Please' gives you a limited edition vinyl just for VMP customers, original 12" x 12" art print, and a custom cocktail pairing. It might sound stupid and granted, it's not for everyone but a friend is subscribed and he gets some hard to find, cool vinyls more often than not. I personally think finding music is what's the internet is for and having strangers send you random records of their choosing is the least cheap way to find new music but whatever, it seems like VNYL is inspired by this sort of business stores but instead of doing something cool with it they just fucked up.

*we will give you a chance

I accidentaly a word.

I don't have "Frampton comes alive"

i think a well-curated small label-centric indie rock record club could do really well. and be cool. so much crap comes out every month i'll bet people would be happy to get a box of new chillwave records in the mail that were actually smartly picked. and you could even have a tape club too! at least 500 indie tapes are made every day. heck, i would sign up for a noise tape of the month club.

I was thinking about that too. There has to be some demand for a well done service like that - but it's a $75/month proposition right? The key to the VNYL business model getting some initial traction (other than dissembling about the product) is undeniably the low price point.

the vinylmeplease thing is basically that, but they went with 1/3 the records instead of tripling the monthly price.

they are also customized releases in some way. problem is that many of these could have been purchased from an urban outfitters 50% off bin at some point (or at least I got Donuts that way).

would probably work better to just commit to treating yourself to one new record from your local store once a month. just ask the guy at the counter, maybe.

you could do 2 LPs + 1 7-inch + 1 tape.

for 40 bucks a month?

and make money doing it?

if you got good wholesale prices from labels?

there are question marks involved.

be kinda cool to get two records and a single and a tape every month. like christmas sorta. good packaging would be key.

would probably work better to just commit to treating yourself to one new record from your local store once a month. just ask the guy at the counter, maybe.

well maybe that's a business idea: for 30$ a month we will take you to a record store and you get to pick one for free, it's on us

throw in a cheese sandwich and we've got a deal

made the mistake of looking at the old dollar bin thread. just depressing to see what previously was dollar bin cheap.

Really wish I had thought of this first. Records are under a dollar at most thrift stores if you go on the right days, profit margins are probably insane.

Sure, when you're scamming people.

just ask the guy at the counter, maybe.

Yeah, imagine that: ask a human being.

In my experience, most record store employees will be ecstatic to give recommendations.

Still waiting for something, anything from VNYL clowns.

They've been selling t-shirts on Instagram - $35, no returns. they definitely seem dedicated to the #keepem business model.

somehow that infuriates me even more than the "sell a beat up dollar record for $8" scam

Wayne: Exqueese me? Have I seen this one before? "Frampton Comes Alive"? Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of "Tide".

I recommend "Seven Year Itch."

Oh my god.

http://i57.tinypic.com/2vb3qqx.jpg

File under #BlueEyedSshole

http://imgc-cn.artprintimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/89/8937/49AR300Z/posters/alex-gregory-the-two-things-that-really-drew-me-to-vinyl-were-the-expense-and-the-inco-new-yorker-cartoon.jpg

uh Dire Straits is still $4

After tweeting multiple times per day for weeks, the @getvnyl twitter has been silent since May 15.

decapitated by the high velocity discus toss of rancid Englebert Humperdinck platters

one day after this thread was started, hmmm...

they live

https://instagram.com/p/3HnuJGHeux/?taken-by=getvnyl

it's so great how they share pics of vinyl records they'll never make available to their subscribers on instagram

subscribers will never get brand new in any sense

some good comments to that effect on the 'gram, lol #vnyl

It'll still get sold to venture capitalists anyway.

In true #vnyl fashion, the critical comments on that Instagram picture have all been deleted since this afternoon. If you look at some of the most recent Tweets from subscribers, they've received newer records -- at least two people got records by some band called DeLuxe (no idea), but then you can't see if the other two are Firestone Xmas records or what.

the other two are Julian Lennon's Valotte and the McDonald's Menu Song floppy

From what I can tell, De Luxe is a new, potentially unsigned, band that's given Vnyl promos.

http://www.discogs.com/Fugees-Featuring-A-Tribe-Called-Quest-Busta-Rhymes-And-Forte-Rumble-In-The-Jungle/release/184689

Someone got that. Granted, it's $.54 on Discogs.

From what I can tell, De Luxe is a new, potentially unsigned, band that's given Vnyl promos.

amazing

xp $.54 for the cd. it's a respectable $4 for the 12". Only 100% markup? a #vnylscore!

The 12" single play makes a lot of sense for #vnyl b/c a) like the chud they've been sending out, 90s singles are fairly plentiful at thrifts or wherever they're sourcing this stuff and b) millenial record noobs could very well get excited about something like an I Believe I Can Fly 12" (16 for sale from $1.95 - discogs). This guy is a genius.

Yes 90s singles are everywhere. I am kicking myself daily for passing up a Destiny's Child vinyl I saw a month ago. It was less than $2!

Well I did get quite excited a few months ago when I found a copy of the 12" single for En Vogue's My Lovin for a dollar at my local thrift store amongst the usual Barbra Streisand and Nana Mouskouri albums.

En Vogue's My Lovin for a dollar at my local thrift store amongst the usual Barbra Streisand and Nana Mouskouri albums

It'll still get sold to venture capitalists anyway.

Very true. Very asinine.