dbarila
Well-Known Member
Accurate!
Secretly Society
- Thread starter Kris
- Start date
Ethos99
Well-Known Member
So I haven't been a member, I just purchased some one time things.
Is there a swap option each month and what do you guys think about the swap options? I'm thinking of joining for the bright eyes album but don't really want to get stuck for 3 months.
Edit: and now I've caught on on the thread and am more confused.. do the mockups not match reality every month?
Is there a swap option each month and what do you guys think about the swap options? I'm thinking of joining for the bright eyes album but don't really want to get stuck for 3 months.
Edit: and now I've caught on on the thread and am more confused.. do the mockups not match reality every month?
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hatfieldpdx
Well-Known Member
The mock-ups are notoriously off, and the pressing quality is often suspect. But the price is right and the customer service is top notch.
Regarding swaps, they will generally let you swap for any release in the Secretly roster. Some folks have suggested that a $20 limit is in place, but I would ask before making that assumption.
Ethos99
Well-Known Member
I can't complain about the price, just want to go in with my eyes open.
So there's a swap option or I need to contact CS to do it?
hatfieldpdx
Well-Known Member
You need to email CS. They almost always respond within 1-2 business days.
Ethos99
Well-Known Member
So generally are you happy with being a member?
I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
@Ethos99 My wife and I just signed up for another year after giving it a go last/this year and honestly, I enjoyed what was delivered to our home in that time than what we got out of a 2 year membership with VMP. For me, SS’s lineup is more in line with what I listen to. Of course there were a few unexpected surprises and a few releases that we swapped and probably shouldn’t have. The price is nice and some times you can get albums for $10 as a member. And as mentioned before, their customer service is good.
I’m just reaching the end of my first 3 months as a member and I’ve enjoyed the experience quite a lot and will definitely be re-subscribing for another 3. Like others have said at $20/record I can’t complain too much and find the releases to be in the perfect place for my non-jazz/classics listening habits. I’ve personally found their backlog to contain an ample amount of heat and have swapped all current months to obtain older releases (Durand Jones, Sharon Van Etten and Tallest Man). For me Secretly Society helps me stay up to date with great new indie/alternative releases and helps me catch up on old ones! Easily worth the cost if you’re into the labels they work with and with the addition of Ghostly that sweetens the pot even more. I imagine they will continue to pick up more and more indie labels as they mature and the options will continue to add depth to their offerings!
I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
And obviously if you are able to sub for 6 or even 12 months, it becomes even more financially advantageous. $16 and some change including delivery per month for a year is almost unfair.
hatfieldpdx
Well-Known Member
Generally, yes - but it's worth noting that I use it sparingly (on average, joining for a 3-month membership once a year). I find the ROTMs are pretty hit and miss, and I already have most of their back catalog that I truly want in my collection. As such, I wait for them to announce a good 2-3 month stretch, or for a few ROTMs that I like (they rarely sell out, though there are exceptions). I just re-joined for the first time in a while, will keep Bright Eyes and Mary Lattimore, and swap Whitney for Tallest Man on Earth.
In short, I would fully endorse a 3-month membership if you have your eyes on a few releases. $20 shipped for an exclusive is tough to beat. Member pricing on their exclusive pre-orders is another great perk, and you can bundle them with your ROTM for free shipping. I was also able to get free tickets to a few shows (pre-COVID, of course).
dbarila
Well-Known Member
If you buy a lot of their releases between the members discount and free shipping the sub pays for itself.
livinsmall
Member
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I'm always caught off guard by just how small this club is, relatively speaking.
I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
So I guess that means their members only pressings are very limited.
Yeah wow 1000 subscribers! They’re really just getting started here
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I was a member for 3 months and had no issues with the mockups or sound/pressing quality. Maybe I just got lucky...Tallest Man on Earth was very close to, and maybe even looked better than, the mockup IMO. I also got the Numero comp + Molina album.
hatfieldpdx
Well-Known Member
Good to hear, as I recently re-joined. Perhaps they have improved on both fronts? Both Dead Oceans and Jagjaguwar are associated with some shoddy pressings, and the mock-ups have been laughably off the mark at times in the past (and scroll back for their evolving mock-up on the Bright Eyes). Obviously, it's still a pretty great club given what it costs. I just wanted to share the full experience.
Swapped this month for Tallest Man, excited to get my hands on it. I’ve heard great things! Did the pressing sound pretty good? Only pressing I found a bit sketchy so far was Durand Jones American Love Call, but I think that my copy is just a bit dirty towards the end of Side B and it gets very muddy
I’m Just Ken
The Man Behind The Tan
My copy of TMOE was good.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Yea--I know about all the Jagjaguwar and DO issues in the past (all the Bon Iver albums up until 22, A Million for me were absolutely awful sound quality). The ones I got from SS (along with some exclusives like Khruangbin) were not nearly as bad. The DO variant of Khruangbin sounds better than my VMP one. None of the Secretly pressings were
I hadn't seen the Bright Eyes variant change. I wonder if the pressing plant couldn't actually get it to look like that. I'd rather get a heads up to be honest than get something like the VMP National release where it's completely the wrong color + variant while paying more for it and having them kind of ignore people's anger about it. I'm also not a huge Bright Eyes fan so I guess that's part of why I'm not bothered either haha.
I had a 3 month sub that was a birthday present and while I had no issues overall with the club, I didn't really love the selections every month so I ended up letting it lapse. I think if you like their roster of artists and enjoy the past ROTMs, then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
