Just judging by this paragraph, it seems that what you find respectable about VMP compared to Newbury is that they... sell out of products more often? I think what you are looking at as respectable on VMP's part is what I hate about their marketing the most - the endless FOMO. Newbury sells out of their exclusives all the time, but at least from what I've seen they don't really make a show about how their pressings are super limited and "won't last long" (a phrase I have seen VMP tweet numerous times over the last couple months). Those three albums you listed aren't exclusive to Newbury, you can find plenty of copies elsewhere and Newbury is just another option, and I'm pretty sure Newbury is aware of that. VMP seems to have deluded themselves or are actively trying to delude their customers (whichever you think is worse) that their pressings will be the absolute best and that "zomg you'd better jump quick before sells out because we artificially limited this to sell out
" when in reality, when it comes to exclusives, 95% VMP are just repressing what is already readily available in a different color with no pressing differences whatsoever.
I think the idea that VMP are in an elite class of vinyl retailers is a falsehood that they continue to try to perpetuate because that reputation is really all they have at this point. They've built themselves up as the better option to a Newbury or an Urban Outfitters and maybe that was true at one point, but it sure as hell isn't true anymore. VMP is not any better than most other retailers or record clubs out there but they've slid by the past few years by making people believe they are the better option in comparison with companies that aren't trying to be as ambitious as VMP claims to be and without doing anything to prove that and stoking FOMO to ensure they keep the last hanger-ons tied down to the sinking ship. Because hey, we know our last few ROTMs have been shitty picks, but we might actually do
Section.80 next time, totally for real
It's all FOMO and it's also all bullshit. VMP enjoys a lack of transparency either companies of their stature could never get away with, and they've been alienating customers with underwhelming ROTMs, a tiring amount of FOMO and decisions thrust on their subscriber base with almost no notice (the price hike being the most recent one, but the price hike was much like the forum shutdown before it. "What would you do with more time" to give us more money?) I just don't have any respect for VMP, and it's really only their massive failures that makes me see as Newbury as desirable in comparison, which is the opposite of what they are desperately hoping people will think of them: that they are the best product just because of their name so that they don't actually have to do any of the work to prove that they are the best, they just need people to *believe* that they are.
