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

jamieanderson1968 said:
I would be curios to see how many subscribers they lose over the next few months.
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I have a feeling that when everybody’s year long freebies subs end, they are gonna be bleeding memberships. Probably part of why they are consolidating tracks.

I don’t blame them for consolidating tracks because they were spreading too thin already. I also maintain that it’s gonna get harder and harder to license good titles. We have already seen it happening and as labels like rhino and Interscope make their own subscription services or regular release series, they aren’t gonna have over the really great stuff to VMP.

I randomly saw some VMP pressing numbers the other week when I was trying to remember who did that 4 pack of VMP stuff like 5 years ago for a crazy discount (it was bespoke post)…they did like 25k Feist albums as an initial pressing. That’s way higher numbers than I thought for the record of the month subs.
 
MikeH said:
I have a feeling that when everybody’s year long freebies subs end, they are gonna be bleeding memberships. Probably part of why they are consolidating tracks.

I don’t blame them for consolidating tracks because they were spreading too thin already. I also maintain that it’s gonna get harder and harder to license good titles. We have already seen it happening and as labels like rhino and Interscope make their own subscription services or regular release series, they aren’t gonna have over the really great stuff to VMP.

I randomly saw some VMP pressing numbers the other week when I was trying to remember who did that 4 pack of VMP stuff like 5 years ago for a crazy discount (it was bespoke post)…they did like 25k Feist albums as an initial pressing. That’s way higher numbers than I thought for the record of the month subs.
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I'm definitely out after my yearly membership ends in December or January. It was 100% the free records that got me into it but I've skipped on most records this year. I think you might be right.

So fascinating how the rising popularity of vinyl is also potentially VMP's greatest threat. It was potentially a business that thrived better off a dead medium
 
Ghost said:
I'm definitely out after my yearly membership ends in December or January. It was 100% the free records that got me into it but I've skipped on most records this year. I think you might be right.

So fascinating how the rising popularity of vinyl is also potentially VMP's greatest threat. It was potentially a business that thrived better off a dead medium
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It’s the downside of a business model where you don’t actually own anything you are producing. VMP is nothing without licensing titles and when labels don’t wanna license to them or open their own subscriptions, the choices become more and more limited.
 
Ghost said:
I'm definitely out after my yearly membership ends in December or January. It was 100% the free records that got me into it but I've skipped on most records this year. I think you might be right.

So fascinating how the rising popularity of vinyl is also potentially VMP's greatest threat. It was potentially a business that thrived better off a dead medium
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It still is popular but I don't see it as much as it was let's say 5 years ago. Prices increased a lot to a point we find it normal to pay $45/50 for a single lp. Music fans and record collectors used to buy two records for the price of one today. Many just don't buy as much as before because they simply can't afford.
 
Skalap said:
It still is popular but I don't see it as much as it was let's say 5 years ago. Prices increased a lot to a point we find it normal to pay $45/50 for a single lp. Music fans and record collectors used to buy two records for the price of one today. Many just don't buy as much as before because they simply can't afford.
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It was definitely more popular during the pandemic. People had more disposable income from not going out and more time at home to buy and listen to LPs.
 
MikeH said:
It was definitely more popular during the pandemic. People had more disposable income from not going out and more time at home to buy and listen to LPs.
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True, and a lot people who spent a lot of their disposable income on records during the pandemic no longer have the space to add X artist's 5th best record or whatever (even if it's still a good record). Not speaking from experience here or anything...
 
D Jilla said:
True, and a lot people who spent a lot of their disposable income on records during the pandemic no longer have the space to add X artist's 5th best record or whatever (even if it's still a good record). Not speaking from experience here or anything...
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That's also a separate issue - if you're a huge fan of that artist, then you'll be overjoyed this pressing is available (granted, depending on the # of other quality pressings), and it makes sense if the company offers it as a limited store exclusive. Where they screwed up their curation is pressing thousands of a band's 5th best record, expecting the community at large to feel the same way. This has led to 'please don't make us throw these in a landfill' sales. They could actually get away this to some degree before instituting Swaps but never seemed to grasp the inevitable outcome of when those two things intertwine.
 
serotonein said:
That's also a separate issue - if you're a huge fan of that artist, then you'll be overjoyed this pressing is available (granted, depending on the # of other quality pressings), and it makes sense if the company offers it as a limited store exclusive. Where they screwed up their curation is pressing thousands of a band's 5th best record, expecting the community at large to feel the same way. This has led to 'please don't make us throw these in a landfill' sales. They could actually get away this to some degree before instituting Swaps but never seemed to grasp the inevitable outcome of when those two things intertwine.
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I remember people complaining about the Isley Brothers - Go For Your Guns being chosen as their 4th or 5th best album. I recently bought the VMP and hot damn, it’s good. So I don’t think that the “5th best album” argument always holds water but it’s led to disappointments a lot lately for many people.

The bigger issue was price hike without really a quality hike or curation hike. Nothing really changed aside from more tracks being added. They went back to GZ for everything. And the constant 40% off sales last year were really an awful idea for them. People who paid full price for stuff were pissed and people who used the coupon didn’t wanna pay full price for everything ever again.
 
MikeH said:
I remember people complaining about the Isley Brothers - Go For Your Guns being chosen as their 4th or 5th best album. I recently bought the VMP and hot damn, it’s good. So I don’t think that the “5th best album” argument always holds water but it’s led to disappointments a lot lately for many people.
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Fair point, though I had to look it up and couldn't believe that album was VMP Classics in 2019! Of course, while a bit of a gamble (even 5th best Isleys still slams), it was an RKS lacquer and pressed at QRP so understandable how it's also maintained value on the secondary market. Doing the 5th best at GZ at the current price is a problem, especially if it's in Essentials (or Essentials *and* Classics for a recent artist).
 
Gavaxeman said:
Bit disappointing to lose the rock track - I’m on a monthly sub so this might be the time to finally quit as even with 5 tracks struggling sometimes to make a pick - feels like this company is struggling sadly
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They are struggling.

Bad executive over-extended and diverted money into a pressing plant venture that a very small company like VMP simply has no business doing.

People were clamoring for new tracks like country and rock, but listening to voices online is not a reliable gauge of market support. Country - particularly old school country - is quite niche to vinyl. Rock was not necessary.

And people complained, and complained, and complained - about anything and everything. Over a year ago I commented that the people demanding repeated replacements on minor or cosmetic issues just drive up costs for everyone else. VMP tried, but now they have come to the end of the line where they just can't sustain that. They can't keep paying for free replacement shipping, no kidding. People are spoiled by Amazon - no problem, restrict buying to Jeff and Lauren. VMP is no Amazon.

I have to admit that I have been swapping for credit more than picking up from any track this year. I have July Joni and Alice, but nothing appeals in August or September on any track. If Q4 is similarly unexciting, I may be out as well.

Too bad. I have to say that VMP has been nothing but first rate to me. I have only received a couple of records that I asked for a replacement, and truth is, neither was a big flaw. Shipping has been perfect. Pressings have been superb. QRP is closed to outside orders, RTI is full up on BN/Universal, Pallas has declined to third rate status, Optimal is pretty full up as well. They could have gone to Memphis or some other shit plant, but they did their best - GZ isn't the worst by far.

There are a fair number of records in my collection from VMP that are absolute all star prized titles, and I am grateful to VMP for doing them. There will aleays be some who don't care for a title, just as I don't care for some. Part of the problem VMP is trying to solve is finding a way to make most people happy with something every month - and that is a tough job.

The 17 people working at VMP must feel pretty low every day with what gets written about them and their co-workers online all the time. It's really sad. Storf's not a guy making $100k a year, he's just a fan working in the biz trying to make a decent living. He's not paid for the personal attacks he gets - over records??

I hope this retrenching is a success. I would be saddened if VMP were to fail, and it would leave quite a hole in my vinyl buying. I wouldn't trade the VMP Roberta Flack, or the VMP Tyner-Trident for a dozen of Chad's Verve, Pablo, Contemporary etc. titles that are safely curated to appeal to a narrow, but solid, audience. At least VMP has balls.
 
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RHANDMJ said:
The 17 people working at VMP must feel pretty low every day with what gets written about them and their co-workers online all the time. It's really sad. Storf's not a guy making $100k a year, he's just a fan working in the biz trying to make a decent living. He's not paid for the personal attacks he gets - over records??
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I have said this same exact thing. Those are just dudes doing a job and people shit on them really fucking hard, particularly on reddit and SHF (some here too, some on discord, although discord is by and large a curated space so most of the shitbaggery is peer pressured into not happening; legit complaints tend to be addressed or at least acknowledged.)

I suppose there are times in the past that they were more brusque with dealing with customers, but gotta tell you I would be on a short fuse if I started to get comments about my appearance while working from dickheads on reddit. or constant monday morning quarterbacking from people who don't know my job or how to do it.
 
So weird that an exclusive from 2019 that's been out of stock for nearly as long is now back in stock and not just in low TBT numbers. It's been available without issue for a couple of weeks now.

www.vinylmeplease.com

Christmas in Soulsville

A Christmas love letter from Stax Records to you featuring the label's stars, we have this Christmas classic on Red & Green Starburst vinyl.
www.vinylmeplease.com www.vinylmeplease.com

I guess they just found a random crate full of copies?
 
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