Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
I guess Wilco - AM because that’s what drew me in? Or assuming I get the Morgan reissue, that because it will be the last thing I get from them.
Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)
- Thread starter Captainfog
- Start date
walkingdogs
Well-Known Member
I'm probably most upset about their seemingly inevitable demise because I was hoping and holding out that they would do a VMP version of Outkast: Aquemini and complete the collection of what to me what are the 4 true Outkast albums.
POGunter
Well-Known Member
One of the best things to come out of the long sordid history of VMP will be this vinyl forum. It was a great moment when everyone came together in just a few short days to save this community and created Needles&Grooves.
So….When the axe finally falls and the VMP lawyers are pleading the court for an extension will the judge look down and ask, “What would you do with more time anyway?”
RoxCity
Member
Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die is what got me into the club and really one of the main things that encouraged my record habit.
Whenever the ship goes down, that will have to be the music.
Thinking back there have been quite a few releases that feel definitive from VMP. I remember the 23 dollar add ons and how much I was able to grow my collection and tastes at the time.
Even late last year when I joined to swap for the Gospel Truth Box set, I enjoyed the products. The value just wasn't quite the same
roffle24
Active Member
I read somewhere they were supposed to update the production calendar this week. Guess they are either waiting til the last minute or it's not happening. If I don't see an update on that GD box soon I'm refunding. Not sure how Blue Note is on time now, while GD is still in limbo. There's no way it's shipping in January, I just want to see how much further its delayed.
I started my collection with Tha Carter III. I'll spin that and pour out a little.
I started my collection with Tha Carter III. I'll spin that and pour out a little.
ntaos
Member
I actually didn’t know N&G came from the old VMP forum. Thanks for learning me some niche internet history!
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
folsom_lives
pretty_lil_dirt_boi
We panicked and started sharing literal email addresses, started a discord, and prayed we could get a replacement forum off the ground in a matter of days. Praise be to those who pulled it off.
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
I still have PTSD from it
Wow I feel old
moohoohahaha
Well-Known Member
If the first post-collapse spin isn’t Tabakin you’re wrong.
Skalap
Well-Known Member
I remember being part of a WhatsApp group with some folks as well. I think there was @Joe Mac, @Selaws, @uvwxVinyl, @Mr Moore and others. Then this forum was created in a couple of days, money was raised for the next 50 years. I am not even sure if we could have done better with more time.
uvwxVinyl
Well-Known Member
Just catching up as I’ve not really followed VMP for more than a year or so. Not surprised they’ve not been successful in scaling their model - in the beginning these were records you could only get at VMP and now everyone, including the labels are doing the same editions or series with even better quality.
They should be credited with raising the bar in this industry - especially with some of the hip-hop albums I’ve received from them. Ultimately it looks like they were done in by their own greed.
Special mention for international members in that period prior to 2020 where they actually had no clue about exporting and we used to have a cheap/customs free way of getting NA exports into Europe. In hindsight I wish I had used that more at the time.
I think the fact that the rest of the industry caught up, means everything seems to be getting repressed and that experience as a consumer is much better than FOMO/gun to the head subscription that VMP was trying to sell. I can focus on records I actually want now, as opposed to spending my money on what might not be available later.
They should be credited with raising the bar in this industry - especially with some of the hip-hop albums I’ve received from them. Ultimately it looks like they were done in by their own greed.
Special mention for international members in that period prior to 2020 where they actually had no clue about exporting and we used to have a cheap/customs free way of getting NA exports into Europe. In hindsight I wish I had used that more at the time.
I think the fact that the rest of the industry caught up, means everything seems to be getting repressed and that experience as a consumer is much better than FOMO/gun to the head subscription that VMP was trying to sell. I can focus on records I actually want now, as opposed to spending my money on what might not be available later.
Selaws
Well-Known Member
For the past few months I have been listening to and sharing each record from VMP's Classics series on my Instagram each Saturday. I actually joined before they even had subs so I would probably listen to one of the earlier releases that I wouldn't have really heard otherwise, like Wells Fargo, Beach House, Daniel Norgren, Townes Van Zandt, Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, Fiona Apple, etc.
Haters gonna hate but VMP really opened my eyes to a ton of music, you guys via the old forum, and the albums I have from them are always on rotation.
Haters gonna hate but VMP really opened my eyes to a ton of music, you guys via the old forum, and the albums I have from them are always on rotation.
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MikeH
Well-Known Member
The lawsuit docs made me think “holy shit. The board wasn’t paying any attention at all to anything VMP was doing.” Either that or they are complete idiots.
And that was VMP’s side of the story!!
MikeH
Well-Known Member
They updated a few things on the cal I believe. Last I saw there’s some kinda production call about GD next week or some crap hah. Seeming like more and more that VMP hasn’t paid Warner and they are holding records hostage. Not buying the “Warner shuts down for most of December for the holidays” excuse.
I do think it’ll eventually come out.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Yea—when they got things right, they had some really killer releases. I have lots of VMP records that will easily survive my record purge I’m trying to do. Introduced me to good music but I eventually just outgrew most of what they were selling.
The somewhat ironic thing is that their success early on is probably their downfall. Labels saw the success they were having and thought “why don’t we just do that ourselves?” Then awful leadership made lots of awful decisions and they got greedy.
Biscuit
Well-Known Member
There's a great book called "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith that looks at business situations like this one. The takeaway is there are people who excel as entrepreneurs and can start/grow a business, but those same skillsets can become a liability, rather than a plus, if those individuals don't adjust at the right time. For example, hire and delegate responsibilities. The idea is that a person may have the skills to get you to the edge of the Rubicon, but you may need a more experienced hand or hands to get you across the Rubicon.
This is also why an experienced board can make a huge difference. An experienced board knows when to advocate for leadership changes and who to bring in.
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Nee Lewman
बैस्टर्ड
lol… “we spent a lot of time listening to customers…”. What they actually did was look at data.