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

I alternate between "Omg I has an original pressing" and "Whoa I have a pristine repress" all the time.

For instance, I got the recent "Sun Zoom Spark" Beefheart set, even though I have Clear Spot already, but I've already played the box more than the original (oh, and the Decals more than my mid seventies reissue, but then the sound is much improved)

I did get the cd box at the time but wasn't very fussed for some reason. Maybe I'd overdosed on Beefheart at that point, or maybe it suits home rather than car listening, or maybe I was so chuffed at getting the LP box for £20..

Mmm I have the original Asia album that belonged to my father... it’s fairly mint and I don’t care for it... might sell it on discogs if the demand for Asia is back.

stealing this from a friend's facebook. record store day releases. column h is wholesale and column g is retail. long live record stores....

https://scontent.fbed1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/28795774_10155538768213528_6030469263706861567_n.jpg?oh=351f0d2e316010dc8d6c8a72e328bf5b&oe=5B4997FC

lol, love that last one. must be a typo. but it kinda FEELS like that.

I was just about to ask!

looool

I take it those are Light In The Attic releases and not Lita Ford back catalogue?

jesus christ what a scam

It's OK record clerks make all their money in tips anyway.

I'm just thinking of the number of times I've requested a couple records at my local place and the owner has quoted me a price and then knocked a few dollars off when I picked them up for being a good customer

$13.99 for a seven inch? JFC.

$2 per inch is standard now

10% markups? Those are grocery margins!

$2 per inch, excelsior

surely that vinylmoon biz has to be a pay-to-play kinda thing for the bands/musicians on there.

oh totally

Shady scams and other silly business ideas to take advantage of earnest indie bands

The packaging of that vinyl moon stuff is beautiful. The fact that it is has seemingly no connection whatsoever to the music contained therein seems sketchy, shady, screwy and something I'd want nothing to do with.

btw i totally purchased a "flipped" vinylmeplease pressing of Buhloone Mindstate last month because it was cheaper than any copy of that album I'd ever seen and worried I'd feel played, but it sounds like a dream and hey I guess I think vinylmeplease isn't a terrible idea now (though I could never afford to subscribe) (and wouldn't want to as I don't need someone else to curate my record collection)

vinyl me please is so corny but yeah i figured its product was pretty ok

i wonder if it's "pay-to-play" for the artists/designers too! why not.

xp

someone here go under cover, submit some music or art, and see what it costs. then report back.

daaamn scott, I imagined it was smth like that but seeing it is sad

I submitted my band, we'll see if they ever write back. I wouldn't die if I had a song on one of these.

goddamn that record store day data is so depressing

really wonder what LITA's margin is on those

https://pitchfork.com/news/high-definition-vinyl-is-happening-possibly-as-early-as-next-year/

The HD vinyl process involves converting audio digitally to a 3D topographic map. Lasers are then used to inscribe the map onto the “stamper,” the part that stamps the grooves into the vinyl.

so etching the stamper rather than cutting a wax and electroplating it to get the negative? seems like it would work. kind of surprised laser etching/3D printing isn't already in use (tho i guess any plants still around are probably old tech)

outside of the "HD" name, it seems like it could be a good idea for squeezing in more tracks with a process that's better for the environment. there's always the possibility that it's actually worse for the environment, though.

this could be very good... or very bad

is this just digitally encoding the music onto wax? do you need a special needle/equipment? or is this just a different manufacturing method

it sounds like instead of wax+electroplating they are going to just manufacture the stamper in one go, with lasers, cos 2018

the phrase "converting audio digitally" will not win this many fans among vinylphiles, methinks

when they find out how this record was actually made, let's just hope they catch it on schillervision

"Plus, the new-school HD vinyl LPs would still play on ordinary record players" = ok this is interesting.

Is it still truly analog if it's encoded by a digital laser?

I mean, how is this different than vinyl sourced from CDs sound-quality wise?

i've always been a fan of late-70s/early 80s digital vinyl. there are classical albums from that era that sound amazing. deutsche grammophon and rca were good at it. although even better was when rca japan was doing 45 rpm audiophile pressings in the 70s. that shit kicks ass.

so is there any legit reason to be bummed about new vinyl reissues that are sourced from CD rather than remastered from the original analog tapes?

i dunno, i just kinda wonder why people would bother getting the vinyl instead of the cd now if the source is digital. if there is a cd. which isn't a given these days.the cd is probably going to be a lot cheaper.

the difference to me with 70s digital releases is that the process was designed for lp. recorded digitally but made for vinyl. by people who were VERY good at what they did. the best actually. now a lot of cd recordings are kind of thrown onto vinyl without a lot of work put into them. the vinyl is of varying quality. mastering can be rushed.

like most things in life, the quality of the product is really a case of how much time and effort (and expertise) was put into making it. but 9 times out of 10, most people aren't going to care or notice. a digital recording slapped onto vinyl is still going to sound okay.

i do get bugged when a fancy new reissue doesn't have a cd option. someone revived that trad gras thread and i remember being so happy that there was a cheap 3-CD option for the boxed set that came out. 20 dollars -vs- 70 dollars. and you can STILL get that 3-CD set online for under 20 bucks. the vinyl box will cost you 100+ now.

i like to save money when i can. which is why i bought so much new vinyl in the 90s. because it was always so much cheaper than the cd. and then i made a killing selling it all again on ebay years later...

every new reissue i've bought has had a digital download, which may as well be a free cd. for me it's better as i haven't regularly used a cd player in 10+ years.

i've actually heard enough great-sounding CDs to be convinced there's nothing inherent about digital recording that makes it sound harsh or lacking in warmth. but i've also done enough recording with both analog and digital gear to know that digital is very unforgiving if you don't have everything set optimally.

yeah that was a great time in the '90s when nobody wanted vinyl and stores and it was all sold off for cheap. Why didn't I buy all 20 copies of Paul's Boutique that were sitting in the cutout bin for a year for $1.99 each?

yeah, this is true and it makes sense for most people. buy the vinyl and have a digital version. i just prefer CDs and don't have a proper audio set-up for my computer. so i don't really listen to stuff that way.

x-post

"Why didn't I buy all 20 copies of Paul's Boutique that were sitting in the cutout bin for a year for $1.99 each?"

i've mentioned that very example on ilm more than once. strawberries in philly had tons of them in the clearance bin. i bought exactly one.

i remember multiple copies of that Dead Man soundtrack too. oof...

i remember when Grand Royal went out of business and was selling off its stuff for super low prices. i only got 2 Pizzicato Five 12"s, really should've loaded up on records.