Vinyl Me Please Anthology

[Joe Mac]

And

https://img.discogs.com/epGDjAhuO1eoOaY7WKYlFFCRvVM=/fit-in/600x425/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-13657137-1558486650-1237.jpeg.jpg

WTF are they doing using ampersands in sentences like this! Sorry, copy editor pet peeve.

That’s so poor. Particularly as they used the word everywhere else in the article.

Also a full stop and then starting the next sentence with “and” with a capital A. Eugh!

 

[MikeH]

Not that it's fully on point, but how would y'all feel if the number was on a stick on the shrink wrap.... *cough* Floating Points *cough*

So I ordered the limited white vinyl press from LNT directly before the VMP one was announced and I ended up with both. The LNT one also had the number listed on a sticker on the front of the album IIRC.

 

[Critter]

I would feel the same way I do about a lazy afterthought like hand-numbering with a Sharpie at the last minute... Or I’d feel as though I paid a premium price for a premium product and received what amounts to a high school science project that’s finished the night before it’s due, with many aspects of it being “just good enough” to get a D

I just can't tell yet if the sticker was a template they bought at PartyCity or not...

 

[baylord]

I initially thought the abruptness of the forum shutdown was weird, but I’m sure now that they realized the mistakes they'd made on the cover/label/foil stamping, on top of the other recent VMP controversies, would ruin their relationship with Blue Note, which could potentially make them a lot of money. Let's not forget that (1) they also didn’t deliver exclusive content or discounts or giveaways or listening parties like they said they would, (2) they censored a thread, and (3) they promised people would become a “true student of jazz” and then didn’t provide very much that could be construed as educational, not to mention the removal of liner notes from the Dexter album to make it more difficult to be educated or the timing of the informational booklet (which comes after we’re done listening to the records).

With that in mind, shutting down the forum abruptly probably seemed like the only way to avert another PR crisis. They knew that when we saw the product we’d realize they made more mistakes and we’d complain on the forums for 300 pages that things were already bad enough and that they are incompetent, and Blue Note would never work with them again. So they decided to nuke the forums and could only give us a couple of days warning because people were about to start getting shipments. Then they pointed people to Reddit, where many people in their target demographic for this set do not go. They probably didn’t bet that as many of us would end up here, but it's still not as high profile as the crucifixion they would have endured on their own forums.

The whole thing has made me totally soured to them now, and I used to be a huge VMP fanboy. In my real life, I’d break up with this girl. But with vinyl I’m that guy who keeps going back to his bad girlfriend.

"Next week, I'll break up with her, I promise..."
<listens to Al Green and Camp Lo>
"Well, maybe it can wait one more month..."

From a business case study perspective, I'm interested to see if nuking your own community ends up being a good way to handle fallout from a screwup. Will depend on what they rebuild later (which, by the way, they have no idea what they're going to do, they're just saying "we'll think of something better eventually" to get us off their backs) and whether we are willing to come back when the time comes. Personally, I won't be.

(But maybe I will haha)

 

[MikeH]

Will depend on what they rebuild later (which, by the way, they have no idea what they're going to do, they're just saying "we'll think of something better eventually" to get us off their backs) and whether we are willing to come back when the time comes. Personally, I won't be.

The fine folks here have already rebuilt the forum as far as I'm concerned and it doesn't have the pitfalls that the VMP one did. I feel like the new forum, if they ever make one, will be facebook too.

 

[Djxfactor511]

I initially thought the abruptness of the forum shutdown was weird, but I’m sure now that they realized the mistakes they'd made on the cover/label/foil stamping, on top of the other recent VMP controversies, would ruin their relationship with Blue Note, which could potentially make them a lot of money. Let's not forget that (1) they also didn’t deliver exclusive content or discounts or giveaways or listening parties like they said they would, (2) they censored a thread, and (3) they promised people would become a “true student of jazz” and then didn’t provide very much that could be construed as educational, not to mention the removal of liner notes from the Dexter album to make it more difficult to be educated or the timing of the informational booklet (which comes after we’re done listening to the records).

On your first (and partially third) points, we're only a third of the way through this adventure, so there's still plenty of time.

I agree with your concerns though.

 

[wmeugene]

I initially thought the abruptness of the forum shutdown was weird, but I’m sure now that they realized the mistakes they'd made on the cover/label/foil stamping, on top of the other recent VMP controversies, would ruin their relationship with Blue Note, which could potentially make them a lot of money. Let's not forget that (1) they also didn’t deliver exclusive content or discounts or giveaways or listening parties like they said they would, (2) they censored a thread, and (3) they promised people would become a “true student of jazz” and then didn’t provide very much that could be construed as educational, not to mention the removal of liner notes from the Dexter album to make it more difficult to be educated or the timing of the informational booklet (which comes after we’re done listening to the records).

With that in mind, shutting down the forum abruptly probably seemed like the only way to avert another PR crisis. They knew that when we saw the product we’d realize they made more mistakes and we’d complain on the forums for 300 pages that things were already bad enough and that they are incompetent, and Blue Note would never work with them again. So they decided to nuke the forums and could only give us a couple of days warning because people were about to start getting shipments. Then they pointed people to Reddit, where many people in their target demographic for this set do not go. They probably didn’t bet that as many of us would end up here, but it's still not as high profile as the crucifixion they would have endured on their own forums.

The whole thing has made me totally soured to them now, and I used to be a huge VMP fanboy. In my real life, I’d break up with this girl. But with vinyl I’m that guy who keeps going back to his bad girlfriend.

"Next week, I'll break up with her, I promise..."
<listens to Al Green and Camp Lo>
"Well, maybe it can wait one more month..."

From a business case study perspective, I'm interested to see if nuking your own community ends up being a good way to handle fallout from a screwup. Will depend on what they rebuild later (which, by the way, they have no idea what they're going to do, they're just saying "we'll think of something better eventually" to get us off their backs) and whether we are willing to come back when the time comes. Personally, I won't be.

(But maybe I will haha)

I certainly think the Anthology explains the timing. Whether it was as above or to replace it with the vapid Facebook group as the form of interaction, the timing is not coincidental.

 

[Tyr]

So just curious as I didn't wade through the multitude of posts in the FB group, did we ever get a response on the foil stamping?

I haven't received my package yet.

 

[baylord]

On your first (and partially third) points, we're only a third of the way through this adventure, so there's still plenty of time.

I agree with your concerns though.

Oh, I agree, there's still time. I just mean at the time they decided to shut down the forums all of those things were true and would have led to hundreds of pages of vitriolic posts. I hope they'll turn it around with the time they have left.

As others have said, I must also say: the first two albums sound wonderful and look great too, aforementioned issues notwithstanding. Great picks and a great package. And the way they packed it was superb as well.

 

[Indymisanthrope]

Totally unrelated -- does anybody know what ever happened with Tyler? We got a vague indication about a year ago that he wasn't really hands-on at VMP anymore, but his public social profiles all still point to VMP as his current career. When's the last time that you heard about him being involved with, well, anything there?

 

[Tyr]

Totally unrelated -- does anybody know what ever happened with Tyler? We got a vague indication about a year ago that he wasn't really hands-on at VMP anymore, but his public social profiles all still point to VMP as his current career. When's the last time that you heard about him being involved with, well, anything there?

Tyler is still a part of VMP. That's the only information we have been given.

He is still working on other stuff too (anybody check out his youtube show or his song he released on Spotify?). Outside of that, no idea.

 

[sahomerrocks]

I initially thought the abruptness of the forum shutdown was weird, but I’m sure now that they realized the mistakes they'd made on the cover/label/foil stamping, on top of the other recent VMP controversies, would ruin their relationship with Blue Note, which could potentially make them a lot of money. Let's not forget that (1) they also didn’t deliver exclusive content or discounts or giveaways or listening parties like they said they would, (2) they censored a thread, and (3) they promised people would become a “true student of jazz” and then didn’t provide very much that could be construed as educational, not to mention the removal of liner notes from the Dexter album to make it more difficult to be educated or the timing of the informational booklet (which comes after we’re done listening to the records).

With that in mind, shutting down the forum abruptly probably seemed like the only way to avert another PR crisis. They knew that when we saw the product we’d realize they made more mistakes and we’d complain on the forums for 300 pages that things were already bad enough and that they are incompetent, and Blue Note would never work with them again. So they decided to nuke the forums and could only give us a couple of days warning because people were about to start getting shipments. Then they pointed people to Reddit, where many people in their target demographic for this set do not go. They probably didn’t bet that as many of us would end up here, but it's still not as high profile as the crucifixion they would have endured on their own forums.

The whole thing has made me totally soured to them now, and I used to be a huge VMP fanboy. In my real life, I’d break up with this girl. But with vinyl I’m that guy who keeps going back to his bad girlfriend.

"Next week, I'll break up with her, I promise..."
<listens to Al Green and Camp Lo>
"Well, maybe it can wait one more month..."

From a business case study perspective, I'm interested to see if nuking your own community ends up being a good way to handle fallout from a screwup. Will depend on what they rebuild later (which, by the way, they have no idea what they're going to do, they're just saying "we'll think of something better eventually" to get us off their backs) and whether we are willing to come back when the time comes. Personally, I won't be.

(But maybe I will haha)

I honestly think we're giving them too much credit to assume they caught the mistakes post-production before the consumer did

 

[Chucktshoes]

I honestly think we're giving them too much credit to assume they caught the mistakes post-production before the consumer did

It would be a break from historical pattern for them to catch the issue first. Other than Queen, it’s almost always brought to their attention by some unlucky soul who ordered from them.

 

[AudioAce]

T I P - O N G A T E

 

[gouis]

It would be a break from historical pattern for them to catch the issue first. Other than Queen, it’s almost always brought to their attention by some unlucky soul who ordered from them.

In the early days they caught an error on the Donuts release, sent everyone the full album anyway with a note saying there was an error on one of the records and that replacements would be sent, and then sent the replacement record with the next shipment. All without you having to do anything.

 

[wmeugene]

In the early days they caught an error on the Donuts release, sent everyone the full album anyway with a note saying there was an error on one of the records and that replacements would be sent, and then sent the replacement record with the next shipment. All without you having to do anything.

Those were the days. Their response there and to Queen was fantastic. They’re on an 0-fer streak for 2019.

 

[duke86fan]

I dunno why we got at least 4 oops in the year (weyes blood, anthology, forum, Nat Turners Rebellion), hell in just 2 months. I mean the first 3 months were pretty fine, but after Loretta Lynn its been a ton of oops

 

[MikeH]

I dunno why we got at least 4 oops in the year (weyes blood, anthology, forum, Nat Turners Rebellion), hell in just 2 months. I mean the first 3 months were pretty fine, but after Loretta Lynn its been a ton of oops

Selling out looks good for VMP. There are quite a few whispers of them trying to get more investors involved. It's potentially why that Lloyd Star guy was brought on at the end of last year.

 

[duke86fan]

Since the Facebook can't be used for criticism. Used the one way they can

Anthology@

Email them and show them you care, whether it's about the foil stamp (which is slightly explained but not really in the faq), the Dexter cover, the label, anything (though not about the semi-censoring since that's a little different)

Show that you would cancel or refund or anything because of this

and please be civil... we dont wanna seem like hostile people who will try to kill VMP for anything they do

 

[Indymisanthrope]

Selling out looks good for VMP. There are quite a few whispers of them trying to get more investors involved. It's potentially why that Lloyd Star guy was brought on at the end of last year.

According to SEC filings, VMP received about a half mill in funding in January (the first infusion of a million in 2018 was presumably what this Billboard article was referring to).

New investors...new president/COO...higher prices...more errors...less acknowledgement...no forum. It's hard to imagine that there's not a straight line running through all of those things.