Shady scams and other silly business ideas to take advantage of earnest new vinyl collectors

really hard to distinguish between earnest kickstarter supporters and street teamers

― ultimate american sock (mh), Friday, May 15, 2015 8:48 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^ hilariously apt

... and applicable to many more situations, besides Vnyl

someone told me that the guy who started 4menwithbeards left and after he left their vinyl became erratic at best as far as sound quality goes. that 3rd Big Star they did is the best i've ever heard. on vinyl or cd. unbelievably good. way better than the rykodisc CD too. i can't vouch for that RSD vinyl version that came out though. didn't hear that.

Gotta love how "all analog" has become a treasured attribute - remember how in the early CD era a "DDD" SPARS code was a selling point to highlight albums untainted by analog recording or mixing?

(also ridiculous that the SPARS code had three letters - it should have been just the first two, since the last one by necessity is ALWAYS a "D" on a CD).

4 men w/ beards are sort of infamous for some crappy-sounding and/or poorly-pressed reissues

but like scott says they have some really good-sounding stuff too

i don't know the full history, but i suspect it's a buyer-beware situation.

Gotta love how "all analog" has become a treasured attribute - remember how in the early CD era a "DDD" SPARS code was a selling point to highlight albums untainted by analog recording or mixing?

― Lee626, Sunday, May 17, 2015 8:11 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is the essential paradox of the "analog/vinyl revival"! claims that were used to boost the prestige of the CD once upon a time are now being retooled and used to elevate vinyl over digital! for anyone with a long memory or just some perspective it's all alternately hilarious and maddening.

i imagine sound engineers who were instrumental in establishing standards for CDs are probably spending their days yanking their hair out.

Most of the DDD stuff I had sounded terrible -- the Kinks' UK Jive and Rosanne Cash's Interiors spring to mind. Really tinny and one-dimensional. Engineers seemed to think that the best way to show the new "clarity" of digital was with really sharp and painfully brittle high end.

The '80s digital recorders I used were *very* unforgiving about incorrectly set levels and such, a total PITA to work with. Analog recorders have a bit of "headroom"; if you go into the red on the VU meter it may distort a bit (or simply not get any louder), but it won't just chop off the top of the waveform.

...and analog distortion tends to be pleasant instead of horrible clipped noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhVU8RKRaTY
That head-torch gimmick is alltime

"...and analog distortion tends to be pleasant instead of horrible clipped noise."

true, look at, for example, Dave Fridman abominations like The Woods or Yoshimi (or the album that came after that, can't remember which one). That is digital distortion in the mixing stage and it makes me ill; it's clearly an aesthetic he liked for a while though, I don't udnerstand why.

WTF! every page I go to now has a VNYL ad! methinks I picked up a cookie somewhere, still that's a lot of advertising bucks - carpet bombing...

i worked at a company that did that kinda targeted advertising shit once, pretty standard that they only charge for conversions so if you wanna bleed vnyl dry click it every time

thanking u

Install adblock!

Yelps for the Vnyl store totally sound like the fake instagram and twitter fakeness:

"Can't wait to see this place develop and grow over the next few months. Was walking around Venice when I stumbled upon this vinyl shop. I'm a huge analog junkie, and was so stoked to hear that their walls were organized by "vibe" haha. They put a lot of thought into organizing their various record walls, and the individual listening stations are an awesome and innovative idea. Really loved the atmosphere, employees were super helpful. Would love to eventually sign up for their membership and receive records in the mail. Definitely will be returning in the near future."

"The store has just opened so I know it's still finding it's roots. It has a welcoming vibe and the records look interesting. The two sales people were very nice and helpful in explaining how the store's set up. And they explained that you can join their monthly club where three records are mailed to your home and you receive a 20% discount in the store. They also plan on having guest artists in the shop. I look forward to see how it develops."

"Just checked this place out and it is so cool! I am loving the new addition to Abbot Kinney. They have an awesome open air shop with lots of great records and supplies. They carry the U-Turn Audio turntables from Boston...which is a really cool company that got started on kickstarter. They also have the coolest "membership" that I cannot wait to sign up for. $24/month for three records based on your personal music profile. So great to get a new collection started! Can't wait to stop by often."

They also plan on having guest artists in the shop.

um...Ray Conniff's been dead for over a decade.

xp barf

xpost yeah nick alt has 35,000 fake twitter followers, too. kickstarter riches go a long way in that market

Presumably that's not Venice, Italy.

http://www.moviemartyr.com/images/1984paristexas02.jpg

I get it!

you can join their monthly club where three records are mailed to your home and you receive a 20% discount in the store.

wonder how much they'll give you as trade-in on said mailed-to-your-home records?

i've heard employees have been instructed to say "#keepem"

"I checked out your store and saw that you sell records, so I thought you'd really enjoy if I traded in old VHS copies of 'Cry-Baby', 'Valley Girl' and 'Beverly Hills Cop'"

excuse me but Cry-Baby is awesome

That's not the point though is it!

You've gotta hand it to Alt, he seems to be embracing his love for dollar bin records:

http://nicka.lt/post/119317532391/george-benson-live-in-la-love-this-reissue

http://www.discogs.com/sell/release/928872?ev=rb

tbf it's $3 for NM or M-

He has released a couple of his own awesome albums as well:

http://www.last.fm/music/Nick+Alt/Cube+(Demos)

http://www.last.fm/music/Nick+Alt

Nick Alt creates his own formula by synthesizing soul, funk and electronica into self-described “neofunk.”

On his self-produced, self-performed album, Transit, Nick Alt uses an actual LinnDrum, layered organic synths, and sly vocal hooks. The album’s consistent quirkiness draws the connection between 80’s synth-funk remnants and sparks of futuristic lyrical backdrops. Inspiration for the album’s unconventional thematic elements stems from Alt’s own interest in classic novels Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World; Transit’s cuts serve as candidates for the hypothetical soundtracks. Nick Alt’s vocals remain smoothly layered in contrast to the rawer elements of the arrangements.

I recommend "Seven Year Itch."

did he even need to do a kickstarter? he could've just sold his *actual* linndrum

on a video he made that is on the vnyl facebook page he says that he has an "elaborate record collection". maybe he made a maze out of his records. or a tree house.

Cassandra: Wait, let me show you what I got at a garage sale.
Wayne: What'cha got?
Cassandra: Isn't that great? You've heard it?
Wayne: Exqueese me? Have I seen this one before? "Frampton Comes Alive"? Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of "Tide".
Cassandra: Look at this old one. Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Wayne: Wow. That is old. You know, I bet those guys actually have pacemakers by now.

I'm a huge analog junkie, and was so stoked to hear that their walls were organized by "vibe" haha.

what a wanker

So stoked, brah

Wayne's World (the SNL skit not the movie) originally made the "suburbs" joke about Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. I wonder why they changed it for the movie?

on a video he made that is on the vnyl facebook page he says that he has an "elaborate record collection". maybe he made a maze out of his records. or a tree house.

― scott seward, Wednesday, May 20, 2015 1:27 PM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A rich mix of all sorts of different styles... of thrift shops and yard sales put together.

Is it so hard for the VNYL guys to do the right thing? It seems that the scam is that they used the crowdfunding money to open a physical store instead of doing what they promised (possibly because they didn't consider the legal problems of their business model). Here,I'll fix their 'business' in four steps:

1. Give a public statement. You fucked up, you didn't realize it was illegal to trade records like that. Ask customers to hold on to those records you got, we'll make it up to you.
2. Open your physical store and create a user friendly online store.
3. Actually start answering all the complaints. If you hated those three awful bin records we sent you, we will you a chance to choose any new, under $20 vinyl record on our store for free as an apology.

4. If people want to keep their 'subscription', offer discounts worth their subscription every month in your online store or copy working models: A good example I can think of: for $27/month 'Vinyl Me, Please' gives you a limited edition vinyl just for VMP customers, original 12" x 12" art print, and a custom cocktail pairing. It might sound stupid and granted, it's not for everyone but a friend is subscribed and he gets some hard to find, cool vinyls more often than not. I personally think finding music is what's the internet is for and having strangers send you random records of their choosing is the least cheap way to find new music but whatever, it seems like VNYL is inspired by this sort of business stores but instead of doing something cool with it they just fucked up.

*we will give you a chance

I accidentaly a word.

I don't have "Frampton comes alive"

i think a well-curated small label-centric indie rock record club could do really well. and be cool. so much crap comes out every month i'll bet people would be happy to get a box of new chillwave records in the mail that were actually smartly picked. and you could even have a tape club too! at least 500 indie tapes are made every day. heck, i would sign up for a noise tape of the month club.

I was thinking about that too. There has to be some demand for a well done service like that - but it's a $75/month proposition right? The key to the VNYL business model getting some initial traction (other than dissembling about the product) is undeniably the low price point.

the vinylmeplease thing is basically that, but they went with 1/3 the records instead of tripling the monthly price.

they are also customized releases in some way. problem is that many of these could have been purchased from an urban outfitters 50% off bin at some point (or at least I got Donuts that way).

would probably work better to just commit to treating yourself to one new record from your local store once a month. just ask the guy at the counter, maybe.

you could do 2 LPs + 1 7-inch + 1 tape.

for 40 bucks a month?

and make money doing it?

if you got good wholesale prices from labels?

there are question marks involved.

be kinda cool to get two records and a single and a tape every month. like christmas sorta. good packaging would be key.

would probably work better to just commit to treating yourself to one new record from your local store once a month. just ask the guy at the counter, maybe.

well maybe that's a business idea: for 30$ a month we will take you to a record store and you get to pick one for free, it's on us