Dtknuckles
Well-Known Member
I don’t think it’s because of demand. They didn’t call it Hittsville because they were promoting boxers.
Vinyl Me Please Anthology
- Thread starter mdmost
- Start date
I don’t think it’s because of demand. They didn’t call it Hittsville because they were promoting boxers.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
I mean it's because of demand now by people willing to pay tons of money for super high quality reissues of things that are crazy expensive for anything close to an original pressing. I don't think the same can be said for Motown.
wmeugene
Well-Known Member
Motown’s appeal is broader but not as deep as Blue Notes. I think Blue Note is the perfect label to charge a high premium, Motown just is not as much of an audiophile obsession. I also think, fair or not, the major part of Motown’s reputation is built on singles and not albums, which I think lessens demand a little bit.
With that being said, a Motown box full of unearthed classics and great AAA audiophile quality presssings could be downright revelatory. But I think $230 for 6 Motown albums would be a tough pill to swallow. My guess is $180 is where this comes in and that’s a tough decision point.
Speedracer
Well-Known Member
I think the difference between Motown and Blue Note, and the reason why Blue Note can charge such a premium, is the fact that it is much easier and cheaper to get clean Motown Original pressings, unlike with Blue Note where originals are often quite expensive and rare.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I think $180 is a good price for 6 Motown exclusive records that are pressed and remastered extremely well!
It definitely shouldn’t be over $200, if we are receiving 6 records of less!
I am soooooooo excited for this one! I just hope they don’t announce until a few weeks time as I’m really broke at the moment
Yeah, I think $180 is a good price for 6 Motown exclusive records that are pressed and remastered extremely well!
It definitely shouldn’t be over $200, if we are receiving 6 records of less!
I am soooooooo excited for this one! I just hope they don’t announce until a few weeks time as I’m really broke at the moment
Mowtown records tend to not be the most expensive. They sell for around €20. So if we’re looking at that range I think that anything over $150 dollars is an absolute rip off.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
mmmmmmm so if we get 6 records/albums in the Anthology box, it should be US$150. That would equate to US$25 per record!
If it is US$180 for 6 records/albums, that would equate to US$30 per record.
So you think US$30 for a Motown VMP exclusive pressing (AAA) is too expensive?
Yep. Mowtown aren’t the most expensive records to buy and that has to be taken into account. If they can make money off the classics at $23 a head they still have a margin for the extra shit no one needs at $150.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
I definitely agree! Fingers crossed it isn’t too expensive. I hate all those extras too! I don’t care at all about the actual box that came with the Blue Note Anthology and the whole podcast thing. It is nice to have it, but I literally just care about the music in the end. I throw out all printed inner sleeves even if they are good-looking, because I just want to clean the vinyl and put them in the best possible inner sleeves that will protect my record from scratches etc
Just give me a high quality pressing of Motown albums that are sleeved in great high quality inner sleeves and inside jackets which make it easy to pull out the record, and I’ll be very happy!
I mean I won’t be buying it anyway because I think the whole concept of “The Anthology” is a crock of shit concept designed to charge more than it’s worth for stuff in an unneeded box with an undeeded book and podcast. Just sell the albums individually and let me pick the ones I want!
wmeugene
Well-Known Member
I think $150 would be a fair and reasonable price point, but I see this likely being more.
dhodo
Well-Known Member
I'm the kind of person who had a hard time buying the AAA, some albums available nowhere else, Kinks box at $150, so I don't know if I'll ever be able to pull the trigger immediately after one of these is announced.
I still haven't even listened to the last part of the podcast.
I didn't end up listening to the podcasts after the first one because my shipment was so delayed that I wouldn't receive the records until after some people got their next box. Not only did this ruin a lot of the experience for me but it also meant that I was not able to participate in various pieces properly like podcasts and the community.
Additionally, I listen to podcasts in my car, putting it on a web page made it harder to listen to and so I didn't.
I'll stop my rant there but to say Anthology was a massive disappointment from a user perspective is an understatement.
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Here here.
I will definitely be sitting out if there is a Motown anthology. Same for Stax. I have quite a few titles in my collection from both and don't feel the need to dig deeper. If Motown is #2 and Stax is #4 (based on the slimmest of evidence) I am still curious about #3. Would love to see them do something modern, either an electronic or hip hop label maybe.
At this point, I'm pretty much in only for Classics (because those AAA pressings are fire) however, if more picks are like Fania, I may just drop VMP all together. Perhaps the wrong thread, but October's picks seem to not be my cup of tea so I may swap for something I like slightly better.
Anthology had a ton of potential, Stax may interest me but only if A) the price is not outrageous and B) I know what I'm getting when I order it and can preview the music a bit.
Getting Dexter Calling, while an amazing album, was a bad pick only because it's widely available in AAA already. They could have picked a better album for the first one too, as much as I love Art Blakey and Horace Silver, the recording was fairly degraded.
I think they need to find their audience here, I can see this being shut down after a few more only because I don't think there will be much interest in a premium "curated" experience for many sets. Blue Note was the perfect way to get people hyped and for the most part, people seem pissed off about it (and rightfully so) to the point where they are selling off their sets around cost (I'm not going to include the flippers here because they exist no matter what). I think they need to focus on providing a better experience for their subscribers before moving ahead with other more premium offerings like Anthology. Once they build up that trust again, then look into branching out a bit to increase revenue/profits.
zombie.modernist
Well-Known Member
IDK, for me Motown is incredibly hard to collect for if you value mono mixes, good sound and clean surfaces. Over here the majority of heavy hitters (Supremes A Go Go, Reach Out etc) are certainly $5 records for the most part, but good luck finding one that's not riddled with regrind, pressing bubbles etc. Even then you've got to account for the wear to the grooves and surface, which was incredibly common as these records were partied down. Beyond all this, for the most part, the majority of 60s Motown / Gordy / Tamla just sounds like shit in my humble opinion. Some are too sharp, some too muddy, and almost all are just not good. Some folks prefer the UK Tamla/Motown pressings, which are certainly on quieter wax but those don't do a whole lot for me either, at least the ones I've come across in the US.
Currently I think the best Motown stuff on vinyl are the US 80s reissues, despite the preference for stereo mixes. They're pressed on clean vinyl, and sound pretty decent, but I fear the secret is out as the prices are up. Essentially for Motown stuff — sure it's cheaper than Blue Note, but if you want audiophile keeper grade copies, good luck not spending $30+ on multiple copies looking for "the one". It's not the worst label to collect for (looking at you King) but not a great one either.
One caveat here which may be a hot take, but I do agree the price is steep for both the VMP anthology bracket and the label's own AAA mono box. The reason why is that these albums are short, and sometimes a bit heavy on the filler. I don't really know how many Motown records are actually worth $30 to me.
Currently I think the best Motown stuff on vinyl are the US 80s reissues, despite the preference for stereo mixes. They're pressed on clean vinyl, and sound pretty decent, but I fear the secret is out as the prices are up. Essentially for Motown stuff — sure it's cheaper than Blue Note, but if you want audiophile keeper grade copies, good luck not spending $30+ on multiple copies looking for "the one". It's not the worst label to collect for (looking at you King) but not a great one either.
One caveat here which may be a hot take, but I do agree the price is steep for both the VMP anthology bracket and the label's own AAA mono box. The reason why is that these albums are short, and sometimes a bit heavy on the filler. I don't really know how many Motown records are actually worth $30 to me.
TCell
Well-Known Member
Interesting interview with Kevin Gray about the Motown in Mono series (not a box) coming from The Sound of Vinyl:
www.udiscovermusic.com
Fwiw, that set (Motown In Mono) is $150 US for 5 albums, so $30/album. I'l be interested to see how the VMP one compares price and album selection-wise if they are indeed going head to head. <insert Why not both? gif>
“It Just Really Floored Me”: Mastering Engineer Kevin Gray On The ‘Motown In Mono’ Series
Mastering classic Motown albums for the ‘Motown In Mono’ reissue series gave engineer Kevin Gray a chance to remember why he first fell in love with them.
www.udiscovermusic.com
Fwiw, that set (Motown In Mono) is $150 US for 5 albums, so $30/album. I'l be interested to see how the VMP one compares price and album selection-wise if they are indeed going head to head. <insert Why not both? gif>
Speedracer
Well-Known Member
I definitely get your point about finding a serviceable copy of Motown records, but I think any serious Blue Note collector would not blink twice if they got offered an original copy of their favourite Blue Note records for $30. In reality, you're lucky if you are able to get a clean Japanese 70s repress for $30.
zombie.modernist
Well-Known Member
Totally agree. In my typical rambling fashion I didn't summarize my points. To me $30 for a Motown reissue done right is fair because it's super hard to find clean copies. But to your point you can't even get G+ copies of some BNs for under $25, so the value of a BN reissue is way higher. Plus, to some Motown is a singles label, and BN is undeniably an album label. Not sure if I would agree but I bet that will inform some people's sense of value.