Record Label annual subscriptions

Alan G

Alan G

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May 16, 2019
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Not sure if these quite fit in to clubs, maybe better in the bandcamp section, but I have two subscriptions from UK based labels so thought it worth sharing.

Specialist Subject Records - annual deal. Label releasing a lot of indie/punk stuff. They also have a great distro which allows access to some great US releases for far cheaper than postage direct from those labels. After buying a chunk of their 2017 catalogue I subscribed in 2018 and re-subbed in 2019. 2018 had some fantastic records in it, the highlights being Muncie Girls - Fixed Ideals and Jeff Rosenstock -Post. Last years can be picked up for a reduced price at the end of the year too, it looks like they add £10 postage to the US. Everything I've bought has come with a bandcamp code too, they usually email a code out early too. Cost for whatever comes out in 2019 is £100 and 2018 is £60 for 4 LPs, 2EPs and a 7".

Normally as a limited number at the start of the year, DIY punk label Make That A Take have a season tickets too. So far this year there's been the hardcore Get It Together LP and a blues/folk rock EP by Holy Snakes. Theirs is a mix of CDs and LPs though. Highlights from last year were the third LP by post-hardcore Kaddish, the EPs by pop-punk Goodbye Blue Monday, Tragical History Tours album and Please Believes debut LP. You'll see a bunch of this stuff tagged as "ecossemo" which is Scottish emo/hardcore/post-hardcore influenced music.

From both you normally get extras chucked in like zines, badges, stickers and the like, record tote bags, t-shirts and a teatowel.
 
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I have subscribed to Lauren Records Record Club in the past. It's a fun little sub for anyone who likes indie and pop punk stuff.
Here's what you get:

So let's go over this... $100 to sign up.. You'll get:
- The next 10 LPs (or 2 7"s = 1 LP)
- Rarest variant available
- Early shipments, before the record comes out
- 20% OFF for a year
- and other free stuff I'll toss in along the way (various records, t-shirts, stickers etc)

www.lauren-records.com

Lauren Records Record Club

ABOUT THE LAUREN RECORDS RECORD CLUBThe LLRC was made to offer an easy way to support a range of artists in one go. By subscribing you'll receive early bird vinyl variants of our next 10 releases, on average saving $10 per release and you'll also get free bonus items and perks (details below)...
www.lauren-records.com www.lauren-records.com
 
nolalady said:
I have subscribed to Lauren Records Record Club in the past. It's a fun little sub for anyone who likes indie and pop punk stuff.
Here's what you get:

So let's go over this... $100 to sign up.. You'll get:
- The next 10 LPs (or 2 7"s = 1 LP)
- Rarest variant available
- Early shipments, before the record comes out
- 20% OFF for a year
- and other free stuff I'll toss in along the way (various records, t-shirts, stickers etc)

www.lauren-records.com

Lauren Records Record Club

ABOUT THE LAUREN RECORDS RECORD CLUBThe LLRC was made to offer an easy way to support a range of artists in one go. By subscribing you'll receive early bird vinyl variants of our next 10 releases, on average saving $10 per release and you'll also get free bonus items and perks (details below)...
www.lauren-records.com www.lauren-records.com
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This is a great label and record club! They also recently opened up a tape club subscription for folks who like cassettes.
 
Another other great label subs for folks who dig indie rock, pop, punk, emo, guitar-based stuff is Community Records' sub.

https://communityrecords.bandcamp.com/subscribe

You get everything they release within 1 year from the date when you sign up. For VMP heads, they released one of the Thou EPs last year and have some crossover with some Topshelf Records and Polyvinyl artists you might be familiar with.
 
swamp jazz box set said:
Another other great label subs for folks who dig indie rock, pop, punk, emo, guitar-based stuff is Community Records' sub.

https://communityrecords.bandcamp.com/subscribe

You get everything they release within 1 year from the date when you sign up. For VMP heads, they released one of the Thou EPs last year and have some crossover with some Topshelf Records and Polyvinyl artists you might be familiar with.
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And now I need this because they are from NOLA.
 
There is also New West University

store.newwestrecords.com

New West University Class Of 2019

Welcome Students to the New West University Class Of 2019! Matriculate now and you'll get all the required courseware needed to enjoy all the new releases from New West Records and Normaltown Records in 2019. Class materials available on vinyl or CD: $319.98 vinyl $199.98 CD For one low price...
store.newwestrecords.com store.newwestrecords.com

and Yep Roc Completist but you can only sign up for that before the start of the year.
 
Not sure if this is the right place (or good tact in general) but I actually signed up for a label subscription with a label I really liked and had a pretty terrible experience. Maybe it'll be an interesting tale of how label subs can go wrong? Apologies for the length.

Last year, I signed up for a sub with this small Portland label run by a dude all by himself. At the time, they offered a label sub through BandCamp which was like the Community Records sub where you get everything new they put out in the next year. I love supporting small labels so I signed up and was excited to follow their year of releases and hear some new music.

A month or two went by, they put out a few releases, and I didn't receive anything. I sent the label owner an email and he apologized and said I'd get something soon. A few weeks later, I received my first package with 2 random back catalogue LPs and a random CD. None of them were their recent releases that I should have received and everything was water damaged (it was dry by the time I got it but everything was warped and stained). Inside the package was also a note that said "Sorry I forgot to send this. If you are still unhappy, email me and I'll refund you" and it was signed by someone who was *not* the label owner with their personal email address.

I messaged the label owner to ask about the package, why I received those albums instead of their new recent releases, and mention the water damage and warping. He wrote back and said "Sorry, I'll ask the guy who does my mail-order". Weeks went by with no response. During that time, I would check his Twitter occasionally, since we followed each other, and he'd make a lot of sad posts about how running a label sucks and how depressed he was and how hard it is to have a family and not make any money. Knowing that, I kind of stayed back and gave him space.

In the meantime, I emailed the guy on the note and asked if he could step in and help. He never replied.

Finally, I just messaged the owner and asked to get a refund. He replied pretty quickly and basically said his mail order guy went MIA with all his records, he had no idea that people weren't getting their label sub releases, and apologized and said this has never happened before and he is at a loss as to why it happened. He said he could only afford to give me half my money back and he'd need to refund the rest in 2 weeks (I think the full total was like $70-80). By this point, I had figured out his mail-order guy was the drummer in one of the label's bands which had a new release that was being promoted at the time and they had been posting on each other's Facebook and Twitter accounts in the time I had been trying to get this resolved. It was obvious I wasn't going to get any real insight into what was going on and maybe his story was true and the mail-order guy took all his stuff and they were still friends/working together on other things, so I just said yes to the payment plan refund and closed the chapter on my experience with them. I also unfollowed him on Twitter because I was anxious I'd see a sad/depressing post subtweeting his experience with me.

That's long but I think it's a good example of how labels are just people and this trend of doing label subs is *not* a good idea for every label and person running a label. It's also a reminder of how on top of things labels who run successful vinyl clubs are. It's an endless grind for all labels and we all have mental health and physical health and life issues so I've grown to appreciate labels who can be prompt, transparent, and positive despite life in the arts being pretty thankless and grueling for most people. (y)
 
Anyone else here a Newvelle Records subscriber? They have a pretty strange model: $400 for 6 new contemporary jazz albums by a mix of established and new artists. Premium packaging, and pressed at RTI (though on clear vinyl, which I think is a bit strange). I was on the fence for some time since you don't really know what you are going to get, but I finally pulled the trigger and have been happy with the experience. The operation is clearly run by music nerds, and they have curated a really interested variety of music. Despite being music fans first, they seem to run a pretty efficient operation; everything has arrived in flawless condition in a timely manner.
 
Sodajerk said:
Did I hear something about a @Plaid Room / Colemine sub? Take my money. I have some extra VMP $ that my wife doesn't know about and they're burning. A. Hole. In. My. Pocket!
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not sure they have a consistent enough release schedule to do one of their music, if they keep doing variants of other stuff like they have done with the Lee Moses releases that would be the direction from what I see currently
 
nolalady said:
I have subscribed to Lauren Records Record Club in the past. It's a fun little sub for anyone who likes indie and pop punk stuff.
Here's what you get:

So let's go over this... $100 to sign up.. You'll get:
- The next 10 LPs (or 2 7"s = 1 LP)
- Rarest variant available
- Early shipments, before the record comes out
- 20% OFF for a year
- and other free stuff I'll toss in along the way (various records, t-shirts, stickers etc)

www.lauren-records.com

Lauren Records Record Club

ABOUT THE LAUREN RECORDS RECORD CLUBThe LLRC was made to offer an easy way to support a range of artists in one go. By subscribing you'll receive early bird vinyl variants of our next 10 releases, on average saving $10 per release and you'll also get free bonus items and perks (details below)...
www.lauren-records.com www.lauren-records.com
Click to expand...
Hmmm, this actually sounds really appealing :)
 
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