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

For some, a vinyl record simply represents 30 minutes of incredible music

Have these people actually ever played a record?

No, but they saw some at Urban Outfitters once.

the Hairy Records logo would look nice on a t-shirt (RIP Hairy Records)

http://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/5vYZsXzb_ezFA8xec4PpjQ/348s.jpg

its death throes as 'The Vinyl Emporium' less deserving of t-shirt beatification

http://www.thevinylfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Untitled1-663x400.png

The Vinyl Shirt Club!

A shirt made of vinyl, who wouldn't want one

The Music Consortium's Vinyl Emporium is a Dr Seus, right?

unique t-shirt

i need to make more shirts. we sold a ton of them. and people still wear them. but i've been out of them forever. just black with our logo on the front.

http://johndoejunior.com/sign.JPG

https://lostcontinentbooks.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/john-doe-jr-books-and-records-exterior-1.jpg

I wish I'd bought one when they were still around. I'd wear the shit out of it.

i'm actually thinking of asking people who know how to make shirts to make me some. limited edition style. i always loved how the philly record exchange would get different artists they knew to make different shirts for them.

(or maybe not even people who know how to make shirts. just get people to come up with a design/art.)

cool looking store!

i can think of at least one great illustrator on ilx whose designs would look amazing on a shirt

My favorite t-shirt is a Justin Bartlett designed Aquarius Records one. It's a little worn down. :(

if you are in philly you should go to this. wish i could.

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlf1/v/t1.0-9/11990582_738285656318323_1465214365321780138_n.jpg?oh=3b8115526cf6c0d579167b9e6fa02084&oe=569ACA02

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12011408_740889882724567_6942776905916401054_n.jpg?oh=76c1f9cd3bf2fee66f4a934164c10cda&oe=56619E2E

greg, who started the record exchange with my pal jacy 30 years ago, is now the president of the rock and roll hall of fame. which still seems crazy to me. he's a really nice guy.

https://rockhall.com/visit-the-museum/learn/staff-bios/greg-harris/

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/16/vinyl-records-club-subscriptions

Those who signed up in August got a limited edition gatefold of Wilco’s mid 90s album AM with a print by artist Ryder V Robison. In June, there was Hot Chip’s 2012 album In Our Heads and September sees Four Tet’s Pink released on vinyl for the first time with a 180 gram double LP ... If you’ve got broad musical tastes, disposable income and the desire to own something relatively unique, it’s a win.

not sure that liking three different indie bands counts as having broad musical taste tbh

I think there's a fair distance covered across the spectrum between wilco and four tet

probably a lot of Four Tet fans not interested in Wilco and vice versa but probably also a lot of "music fans" interested in both, they kind of fall in the "acclaimed" category?

things radiohead fans like

I was thinking "stuff Wire readers might say they like to relate to normalos"

LOL

ie. things Radiohead fans like.

https://www.facebook.com/The-Edit-Vinyl-823609547727620/timeline/
http://theedit.replyyes.com/
I'm not a vinyl guy at all but this popped up in my facebook feed and it makes me IA.

The ad copy read "Build up the ultimate collection with records every vinyl collector should have"

what a fucking bullshit concept

"Here's my bottle of Chateau Lafitte Rothschild 1981, here's my Patek Philippe, oh, and this is an interesting piece, The Shape of Punk to Come by Refused"

"Thanks for feeding me good music on the regular, you take all the anxiety out of selecting what to buy next!"

— Steve

Jesus Christ, Steve. Record collecting might not be your thing.

The Edit Vinyl

Yesterday at 5:10pm ·

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Hard to resist actual dogs listening to Snoop Dogg ‪#‎Repost‬ @fitzmunoz with @repostapp.
・・・
The Irish post game is brought to us by a little Gin and Juice on vinyl. ‪#‎cptnlou‬ ‪#‎lilhogie‬ ‪#‎fitzmattrimony‬

https://www.facebook.com/823609547727620/photos/a.823622291059679.1073741828.823609547727620/906416779446896/?type=1

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/12042839_906416779446896_324134853056187523_n.jpg?

I did think the "Pastor of Muppets" line was funny.

but old

scott I would totally design a shirt for yr store

I'm not a vinyl guy at all but this [The Edit] popped up in my facebook feed and it makes me IA.

Irrationally Angry?

It's a pretty rational reason! This doesn't seem scammy like some of the other stuff itt, but it really embraces the idea of Smug Vinyl Culture... going even more smug, instead of trying a different message. Stickers with "you have excellent taste" in all caps. And the other one, "there's no accounting for excellent taste". (It feels like we're this close to a club announcing as a selling point "we are The Hipsters, follow us if you're a Hipster", if that hasn't happened already.)

We pack every record in a 3mil poly sleeve ‪#‎cuzwecare‬

Doesn't make me angry tho. Just disappointed. The service itself sounds harmless enough, if you like famous records and flattery. Does anyone know how much they overcharge?

Free trial, pffffft.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/couldyoudefine/IMG_4224_zps5akchhcr.jpg

http://theedit.replyyes.com/about

What a bunch of tools

it just seems like this weird combination of collectorism and cluelessness? Like there's nothing special about these records, it's just "here is a famous album on vinyl." I don't know what the prices are like. I assume they overcharge, but the prices for new vinyl on sites like Amazon are already ridiculous.

Go into a Barnes & Noble sometime -- The Wall for $50! Never Mind the Bollocks for $30!

Almost makes me pine for the days when I walked into a flea market and was outraged that they were selling beat-to-hell common Beatles albums for $15.

it just seems like this weird combination of collectorism and cluelessness? Like there's nothing special about these records, it's just "here is a famous album on vinyl." I don't know what the prices are like. I assume they overcharge, but the prices for new vinyl on sites like Amazon are already ridiculous.

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Friday, September 18, 2015 10:18 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's so funny how there are these business models that entirely rely on the consumer being:

1. Into the idea of owning vinyl.
2. Not yet knowledgable about music aka notable artists/albums
3. Not confident or unwilling to do research.
4. Excited about subscriptions and/or "mobile app" reliant frameworks

It's weird that vinyl has gotten fashionable enough to make #1 and #2-4 co-exist for an individual, but it is clear that these services are for young people that have only ever known what it's like to listen to various collections songs on pandora or spotify, unlikely ever in context of an "album" so not only is the physical idea of vinyl alien and novel and puzzling and exciting, but perhaps so is the idea of an album at all.

Just the idea that there are enough people that fit that mold for The Edit to have an office and employees. Though that market for vinyl is such a fad I wonder how long it'll be profitable for them.

I really want to make a parody site of The Edit and Vnyl but with easy to find VHS tapes, straight-faced with all the same rhetoric included.

There's something a little Silicon Valley twenty something about it, like thinking your narrow little demographic represents a much bigger market than it actually does and trying to base a startup around it

I guess it's not new exactly and applies to so many previous sites and mail order services but these vinyl ones in particular are trying to create a niche for themselves as expert curator middlemen even though they're totally unnecessary and their choices are obvious. It's like joining a beer of the month club where they dig deep and send you obscurities like Sam Adams Octoberfest and Boddington's.

The larger trend of "curated" consumer products also strikes me as pointless and even a little narcissistic.

see also:

A Box of __________ Shipped to Your House Each Month

xp haha exactly

I really want to make a parody site of The Edit and Vnyl but with easy to find VHS tapes, straight-faced with all the same rhetoric included.

This is pretty brilliant. Tapes are only $1 apiece so the profit margin could be huge.

"We know you'll enjoy the romantic comedy Jerry Maguire"

"No one should be without a copy of River Phoenix's breakout performance in Explorers!"