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

ChristoBee said:
Just gonna post this here :

www.geckoboard.com

Leadership

Get inspiration from other leaders, and learn from their mistakes, with candid stories from real companies.
www.geckoboard.com www.geckoboard.com
Click to expand...
Just some interesting quotes from that interview. I wonder what their reaction would be if you played this back to them now:

"Our hearts were in the right place we just had no idea how to run a company"

"It got to the point where we didn't have the time or money to sustain the quality of the product"

"One of the things we wanted was for VMP to have a community and to feel like a community. That it wasn't just a record coming to you in a mailer. To feel like you were a member, a member of a real club."

"We dont want to do anything that would betray the members that we have had for a long time."

"We just talked to our customers a lot, and chatted to them to keep them in the loop. Communication is one of those things that help you when things hit the fan."

"A good way to communicate is just to not be a jackass to them"

"They want to beat the shit out of you for making something, like on reddit or something"

"I think the people who are successful long term are the people that get rid of their ego"

Its also saddening to hear how VMP used to be compared to what its become. I came in at the Demon Days time and even then it had some level of personalization and customer care which it just doesn't seem to have now. In this interview Tyler talks about how him and Matt would go out and buy rolls of textured paper, wrap up each record with twine, and hand write a note to customers. He also says they would ring each customer to ask what they had been listening to that month and create customer cards, which they would then use to make personalized playlists to send to them. Sounds like the really early days were super cool.
 
Selaws said:
Just some interesting quotes from that interview. I wonder what their reaction would be if you played this back to them now:

"Our hearts were in the right place we just had no idea how to run a company"

"It got to the point where we didn't have the time or money to sustain the quality of the product"

"One of the things we wanted was for VMP to have a community and to feel like a community. That it wasn't just a record coming to you in a mailer. To feel like you were a member, a member of a real club."

"We dont want to do anything that would betray the members that we have had for a long time."

"We just talked to our customers a lot, and chatted to them to keep them in the loop. Communication is one of those things that help you when things hit the fan."

"A good way to communicate is just to not be a jackass to them"

"They want to beat the shit out of you for making something, like on reddit or something"

"I think the people who are successful long term are the people that get rid of their ego"

Its also saddening to hear how VMP used to be compared to what its become. I came in at the Demon Days time and even then it had some level of personalization and customer care which it just doesn't seem to have now. In this interview Tyler talks about how him and Matt would go out and buy rolls of textured paper, wrap up each record with twine, and hand write a note to customers. He also says they would ring each customer to ask what they had been listening to that month and create customer cards, which they would then use to make personalized playlists to send to them. Sounds like the really early days were super cool.
Click to expand...

When is that interview from?

I, like you, joined first for Demon Days. Back then, even though it was ~4 years into their company, it still felt fresh and real. After Biggie or Tidal (whichever came second), I hopped off for a long while since none of the titles interested me. I grabbed Moby's play, De La, and Van Morrison along the way before re-joining this summer after I was given a 3 month free subscription. I picked up Phoenix, MF Doom, Art Blakey, and then stuck in for QOTSA & Brubeck. I was pretty happy with the quality of each album (although, honestly, QOTSA really doesn't sound too great - but that's a source material issue and also contrasting it against Blakey/Brubeck and my MoFi stuff that makes up most of my regular listening probably doesn't help). But this last month has been a trainwreck. My account didn't migrate which was frustrating because I want the BB King, as I had been eye a MoFi copy for a long while and a chance for a much cheaper all analog pressing was great. Then it dropped my paypal; no biggie, just need to dig out the credit card. But it's mid December now, I haven't received shipping notice (and I'm also waiting on Fiona and Mobb Deep), and if I had to guess it'll be after New Years before anything arrives. There's been ZERO point ZERO communication.

What you have is a company that's lost their close-knit community feeling, and at the same time - as the company has grown - feels like a smaller and worse run business than ever.
 
Btsvinylfarm said:
When is that interview from?

I, like you, joined first for Demon Days. Back then, even though it was ~4 years into their company, it still felt fresh and real. After Biggie or Tidal (whichever came second), I hopped off for a long while since none of the titles interested me. I grabbed Moby's play, De La, and Van Morrison along the way before re-joining this summer after I was given a 3 month free subscription. I picked up Phoenix, MF Doom, Art Blakey, and then stuck in for QOTSA & Brubeck. I was pretty happy with the quality of each album (although, honestly, QOTSA really doesn't sound too great - but that's a source material issue and also contrasting it against Blakey/Brubeck and my MoFi stuff that makes up most of my regular listening probably doesn't help). But this last month has been a trainwreck. My account didn't migrate which was frustrating because I want the BB King, as I had been eye a MoFi copy for a long while and a chance for a much cheaper all analog pressing was great. Then it dropped my paypal; no biggie, just need to dig out the credit card. But it's mid December now, I haven't received shipping notice (and I'm also waiting on Fiona and Mobb Deep), and if I had to guess it'll be after New Years before anything arrives. There's been ZERO point ZERO communication.

What you have is a company that's lost their close-knit community feeling, and at the same time - as the company has grown - feels like a smaller and worse run business than ever.
Click to expand...
Yep, completely agree with you here. Another thing thats really annoyed me is that I ordered John Coltrane - Blue World at the beginning of summer and have just had tracking info to say its landed in the UK today. Unless I missed it, I never had 1 email to say it would be this delayed.

The interview was one that @ChristoBee kindly shared from this site - Tyler Barstow of Vinyl Me Please on how to not be a jerk manager when growing a business [Podcast] | Geckoboard
 
Ajax said:
Regarding the John Moreland LP5 release: I been a big fan for a while and was surprised to see him work with vmp. But I'm more surprised that several folks around here mentioned it and were excited about it. I'm curious how y'all know John's music. Cheers.
Click to expand...

Saw him open for Shovels & Rope years back. Immediately fell in love. Tried to meet him afterward but he left to take care of his wife who was sick that night. Was gutted I couldn't get my records signed (I bought his whole in-print discography that night at the merch booth), but understood and respected that you gotta do what you gotta do.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
and eliding that your comment was also a fat joke. Why pretend otherwise?
Click to expand...
Ah, I see. Fair enough.

I apologize for the use of that particular language.

My choice of wording in that comment was poor, inconsistent with my stated beliefs, and tainted my legitimate criticisms of his behavior and actions in that subreddit. They were not intended to be denigrating of fat people (specifically or generally), but were easily interpretable as such, and for that I am sorry. I had intended the language to reinforce my belief that storf is useless where issues of purchases, shipping, and quality control are concerned, which I believe are accurate, but I see your point about how that language was loaded. Not sure that they rise to the level of a ban hammer, considering some of the other shit that gets said there, but OK. For the record, my intent was to go for an Untitled Goose Game reference. Comes in, acts shitty, waddles away.
 
TimmahTao said:
View attachment 26026

From this guy:
View attachment 26027

Thanks for the advice, internet tough guy! Seems like he's fine speaking for you @chrb98. :eek:

Also, lol at having every one of my posts in the subreddit being flaired as "VMP Hater". Seems like targeted harassment to me!
Click to expand...

Having a tag for “VMP hater” without a tag for “VMP blowhard” is super telling. The mods over there are better than this, or should be. With this they’re clearly drawing the line between two groups and standing on one side of it. If there’s any true desire from them to make things less divisive then this was a 100% the wrong move.
 
Wes C. Attle said:
Can anyone tell me what I’m missing with this Still Woozy thing?
Click to expand...
This VMP Rising will contain Still Woozy’s EP and all his official singles he has released to date! 🔥🔥🔥

Still Woozy’s sound is truly unique. It’s a blend of bouncy, star-gazing, ticklish, tingly, Lo-fi sounding beats that are warm, psychedelic, and sensual! It’s a truly infectious! Still Woozy vocals always change tempo, and he does so in an effortlessly, melancholic way which creates this intoxicating, love-sick aesthetic 😍

Still Woozy’s music sounds like someone who has been given a love potion drink, and as a result, they have this very chirpy, tipsy, groovy, bouncy and uncoordinated demeanour! 🤪

I highly recommend that you grab this VMP Rising as soon as it drops! 💎
 
NathanRicaud said:
This VMP Rising will contain Still Woozy’s EP and all his official singles he has released to date! 🔥🔥🔥

Still Woozy’s sound is truly unique. It’s a blend of bouncy, star-gazing, ticklish, tingly, Lo-fi sounding beats that are warm, psychedelic, and sensual! It’s a truly infectious! Still Woozy vocals always change tempo, and he does so in an effortlessly, melancholic way which creates this intoxicating, love-sick aesthetic 😍

Still Woozy’s music sounds like someone who has been given a love potion drink, and as a result, they have this very chirpy, tipsy, groovy, bouncy and uncoordinated! 🤪

I highly recommend that you grab this VMP Rising as soon as it drops! 💎
Click to expand...
I also enjoyed listening to the still woozy ep after hearing about it here, but man, sometimes reading your posts feels like someone just licked my eyeballs after they sucked on a mouthful of lollipops. Sweet and sticky. o_O
 
Tys1 said:
Having a tag for “VMP hater” without a tag for “VMP blowhard” is super telling. The mods over there are better than this, or should be. With this they’re clearly drawing the line between two groups and standing on one side of it. If there’s any true desire from them to make things less divisive then this was a 100% the wrong move.
Click to expand...
Maybe "VMP Apologist"?
 
NathanRicaud said:
@Joe Mac - Why the sad react????? 🤔

You don’t think I’m trying to sell everyone’s soul to the devil do you? 😈🙈😜😈
Click to expand...

It’s just hard to see someone say to others that you must buy hard from VMP when everything is so very very bad in every way.

By all means buy it if you want and I hope it arrives quickly, undamaged, that you get a shipping notice and that you really enjoy it.
 
NathanRicaud said:
@Wes C. Attle - If you love dreamy keyboards, twinkling guitars, velvety-smooth drums...just overall beautifully layered instrumentation that creates and intimate yet groovy and hazy atmosphere, then you cannot miss out on Still Woozy!

Everyone needs this EP!!!
Click to expand...
I agree, this all sounds really great on paper and should be up my alley, but I’ve listened to this a few times and I’m just not feelin this one. I see the hype for this has been big, but there’s been a lot of the “bedroom pop” stuff that I think just isn’t for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top