Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)

Skalap said:
TBH I work with companies in many countries and some of my suppliers had 2, 3 or 4 increases just last year. In the first increase announcement they apologize and explain why they will have to increase, in the second announcement they apologize with no details, in the third they just announce they'll increase again and in the fourth they announce they increased their price a couple of weeks before the mail.
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This one they just thank you for your money and tell you they're going to take more of it.
 
Skalap said:
TBH I work with companies in many countries and some of my suppliers had 2, 3 or 4 increases just last year. In the first increase announcement they apologize and explain why they will have to increase, in the second announcement they apologize with no details, in the third they just announce they'll increase again and in the fourth they announce they increased their price a couple of weeks before the mail.
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Not defending anyone but I work in Architecture and all of our projects have seen major increases because of material costs. Not minimal either, one example is a £15mill project increasing to £18mill in the space of 6 months due to inflation alone.
 
Selaws said:
Its seems like all subs are increasing and the one shown in your email is based on your current sub. Mine shows the year rate for example.
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Kind of weird tbh. If you're on a month to month sub you could easily be mistaken into believing that the longer options have not increased unless you remember what they're prices are. I can't be the only one that switches membership options every now and then based on the quarter.
 
Selaws said:
Not defending anyone but I work in Architecture and all of our projects have seen major increases because of material costs. Not minimal either, one example is a £15mill project increasing to £18mill in the space of 6 months due to inflation alone.
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Not even surprised. I work mostly in chemicals and one of my supplier increased one of his product line by +17,3% in January last year, +22% in April and now +9% (EDIT and IIRC they also increased in October but can't remember how much).
 
bdrummond said:
Didn't yearly subs increase as well?

And hey, nobody is going to judge you about where you spend your money. I could easily afford the difference tbh. As I said above it's purely the principle for me. If you're going to increase the fees, I want to see you doing everything in your power to avoid doing it in the first place. I have seen very little from them to avoid raising prices several times since I've joined.
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I just got the email and yes apparently they did as well. New price for yearly sub is $435. I will probably renew but I think it is crap that they gave a decent amount of credit to re-subscribe last year while I have got nothing in the last year other than a price increase on the yearly sub.
 
All options have increased $3-6 -- yearly for example was $33 prior to today.

I have been month-to-month since I joined almost 2 years ago because I only buy a couple records from them a year. I just swap my credit each month. Occasionally I'll buy something from the store when it's on sale as some of the ROTMs end up there for much cheaper if you wait. $40+ is already a stretch to me for any record. I'll admit I'm cheap but it's just not worth it to me. It seems like a bit of an inflection point for VMP - they market themselves as a premium service but, in my opinion, they are almost entirely propped up by their customer service department due to all the issues we experience with defects, packaging, etc. Maybe that is a better explanation for the price increase, who knows.

I know the Discord is run by them, but what a cringey echo-chamber. It's great to get info on upcoming stuff and get answers to questions, etc but my gosh, the gushing over every little thing and "can do no wrong" is...unappealing. At least some honesty is posted on the reddit sub although it is also moderated quite a bit. VMP has started to feel very cultish to me at this stage.

I already don't buy many records anyway but looking at the industry and products as a whole, the constant price increases, constant quality issues, etc has turned me off of vinyl a bit over the last year.
 
t4t3r said:
All options have increased $3-6 -- yearly for example was $33 prior to today.

I have been month-to-month since I joined almost 2 years ago because I only buy a couple records from them a year. I just swap my credit each month. Occasionally I'll buy something from the store when it's on sale as some of the ROTMs end up there for much cheaper if you wait. $40+ is already a stretch to me for any record. I'll admit I'm cheap but it's just not worth it to me. It seems like a bit of an inflection point for VMP - they market themselves as a premium service but, in my opinion, they are almost entirely propped up by their customer service department due to all the issues we experience with defects, packaging, etc. Maybe that is a better explanation for the price increase, who knows.

I know the Discord is run by them, but what a cringey echo-chamber. It's great to get info on upcoming stuff and get answers to questions, etc but my gosh, the gushing over every little thing and "can do no wrong" is...unappealing. At least some honesty is posted on the reddit sub although it is also moderated quite a bit. VMP has started to feel very cultish to me at this stage.

I already don't buy many records anyway but looking at the industry and products as a whole, the constant price increases, constant quality issues, etc has turned me off of vinyl a bit over the last year.
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If only they had a forum where they can communicate in a more professional way than on a Discord, build a strong customer relationship, etc.
 
t4t3r said:
AI know the Discord is run by them, but what a cringey echo-chamber. It's great to get info on upcoming stuff and get answers to questions, etc but my gosh, the gushing over every little thing and "can do no wrong" is...unappealing. At least some honesty is posted on the reddit sub although it is also moderated quite a bit. VMP has started to feel very cultish to me at this stage.
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Never got on the discord train, but reddit is super-cultish when it comes to VMP when things are going "ok". Today they're going through some shit with the price increases, but after a few days it'll be back to gushing over everything, and downvoting anyone who dares say that some albums have pressing-wide issues, when likely it's because their setups are complete shite to begin with.
 
Skalap said:
If only they had a forum where they can communicate in a more professional way than on a Discord, build a strong customer relationship, etc.
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I don't need a forum, I'm just interested in good records. $3 a month may be very reasonable in the current environment, but it has just forced me to take a hard look. I defended the last, bigger increase. But even though this one is smaller, from my perspective, Dave Van Ronk, the disco-ish inessential Black Nasty and a lame Wilson Pickett record touted as featuring Duane Allman (which it really doesn't) are just not justifiable expenditures these days.
In 2022 I sat out long stretches, but swapping for credits doesn't equal the subscription cost, and took 8 of 12 Classics, 1 Essential and 2 Country. In 2021, I took 8 of 12 Classics, 1 Country and 2 Essentials. That would seem good rationale to maintain a subscription, but some of those I could easily have passed on, and now with a few bucks added, I would.
 
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Costs have gone up everywhere so a price increase is not a surprise.
VMP having poor communication also is not a surprise.

That said, a 3 month International subscription is $158 USD = $215 CAD. I could buy 5 Acoustic Sounds/Tone Poet titles from a local shop for that.

I had been contemplating coming back for Wilson Pickett in March, but not sure I $71 like it.
 
4080 said:
Did VMP send out an email about the price increase and I missed it? I'm only familiar with month to month but it's gone from $52 - $55 and add-ons are $36? International sub BTW don't get too excited....can anyone confirm a price increase across the board?
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So with VAT I’m now looking at $70+ for one record plus $45 for add-ons? It will be worth it for all those Amazing, absolute must-have albums coming the next couple months, he said sarcastically.
 
I will also admit I'm not in their primary demographic - I don't want colored vinyl, rainbow splatter, expertly curated booklets, paper inserts that are a nuisance, the list goes on. Just give me flat, quality vinyl with a decent jacket and good mastering/cutting (to their credit this is being done very well) and I'll be happy. Other companies seem to be managing that for about half the price.

I am also over the "evErYthInG iS MoRe eXpeNSiVe gUyS" --- I get it and I'm not saying that isn't true, but at least make it look like we are getting something for the cost increase. Add in another track, more store releases, something, anything This feels more like your internet or wireless company raising their fees every year "cause they can."
 
t4t3r said:
I am also over the "evErYthInG iS MoRe eXpeNSiVe gUyS" --- I get it and I'm not saying that isn't true, but at least make it look like we are getting something for the cost increase. Add in another track, more store releases, something, anything This feels more like your internet or wireless company raising their fees every year "cause they can."
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As I'm choosing to die on this hill: it's not even about giving me more for my buck here. It's about even TRYING to appear like this increase isn't self-inflicted.

And with that tweet with the chicken breasts I posted earlier...it would be more understandable if the grocery chain in question hadn't posted record profits.

So if you're going to hike prices, make me fucking believe you need to.
 
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