Vinyl Me Please Essentials
- Thread starter Captainfog
- Start date
doncornelius
Well-Known Member
They're yet to send mine, and the package could arrive in October if there are delays during international transit.
Vinyl&Kicks86
Well-Known Member
what makes you believe they are shipping it out this month and not Nov. did you get a shipping confirmation?
No, I ordered on the first day.
agutierrezb
Well-Known Member
I ordered BVSC 2-3 days after they announced it was back ordered, but surely enough I got it Wednesday. They either figured out how to press a ton of extra copies in a couple of days, or they sent me a copy that belonged to someone who had ordered it before the backorder announcement.
Vinyl&Kicks86
Well-Known Member
VMP are notorious for if they over sell something and it needs a repress to randomly send out the copies they have regardless of when the record was purchased or when the person joined.
Cheesefry
Member
So I took some of the advice from forum buds and shot CS a note about my 4 records that have been hanging out “In Stock” 4eva, and sure enough...no answer to my email, but 3 rapid fire shipping confirmations today. It’s been a strange day, I work in a niche apparel industry, and several friends of mine lost their jobs today because one of the Top 3 companies in our small industry had to shut their doors. They were a competent company with leadership that I liked and respected. Which leads me to VMP.....IF I do decide to take this “sweet” $89.75 deal for the next 3 months, what are the chances my gamble pays off with getting “Stankonia” in Oct or Nov?? I had the RSD version, but gave it to my daughter who had missed out on it that RSD morning....Have wanted a good pressing since then. So, a quick poll:
1. Odds of VMP delivering Stankonia before Christmas
2. Odds of VMP(company leadership I no longer like or respect) still being in business by Christmas
And I truly wish all of the VMP team I’ve met along the way, the very best through all of this....I mean I’ve been rubbed wrong by pretty much everything they’ve done since shutting down the forum, but it’s ONLY records. It’s been extremely tough watching friends lose their jobs today, I don’t wish that on anyone, but I just don’t see how this business can continue to operate like this, and have any customer base left.
1. Odds of VMP delivering Stankonia before Christmas
2. Odds of VMP(company leadership I no longer like or respect) still being in business by Christmas
And I truly wish all of the VMP team I’ve met along the way, the very best through all of this....I mean I’ve been rubbed wrong by pretty much everything they’ve done since shutting down the forum, but it’s ONLY records. It’s been extremely tough watching friends lose their jobs today, I don’t wish that on anyone, but I just don’t see how this business can continue to operate like this, and have any customer base left.
i think they can do 3 months, they have everything already planned and they are going to have people who buy through discounted memberships and stuff and people coming on for spiritualized (if only they didn't have to do that and just cut their losses on the grateful dead boxset because legit sell them as individual albums that would work much better).
i think they have until MAYBE march of 2021.. COVID is still going to hurt everything but they have planned ROTMs for up until then so they have to do that for the businesses that gave them licenses.
what will happen to the staff afterwards... storf will probably try to do something like a stax records tone poets series like he clearly wants to do or write for p4k. cameron, matt, and tyler are probably completely out of a job, and i hope clay conder finds some good graphic work somewhere else
Tortured Diaper Baby Dept
Well-Known Member
Have you looked at the MOV pressing? It’s quite good and still easy to get. Quite possibly better than VMP could pull off w GZ. Unless you need color or an art print? You’re not beholden to their game plan.
Also there are no odds that we will or won’t get it. I’m sure VMP has the next 3 months mapped out (although it is VMP...). Realistically, since it’s already a decided thing by them it’s either 100% yes or no. We just don’t know.
i was actually going to ask how good the stankonia pressings are
but i do love pretty colors on vinyl
Cheesefry
Member
Yeah, even if I don’t score Stankonia, I’m probably gonna hang for Spiritualized. I think you’re right in busting up the GD sets, but my God, the per record price on that was kinda nuts if I remember correctly.
Hopeful for the staff that March is realistic, but the company my friends worked for had exclusive multi-million $$ deals with the largest sports licenses in the country...and it didn’t matter...They just shut it down.
Tortured Diaper Baby Dept
Well-Known Member
The main one you find is URP so there’s that...although I have it as well and it actually sounds good. But the MOV is nicer.
I’ll withhold comment on the colored vinyl thing.
gaporter
Well-Known Member
The thing is with Stankonia the album cover is mostly a black & white flag, so realistically what color would they really do beyond some combo of black + white? I like color vinyl but to me the benefit only really comes in if the color scheme matches that of the album cover or packaging
Cheesefry
Member
I haven’t, but I will check it out... damn that RSD with the orange/purple/black splatter was some hot shit!!
...but honestly, sound quality beats color vinyl every time as far as my personal preference is concerned. Thanks for the recommendation!
a black and white pinwheel would be very cool
Cheesefry
Member
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Or they could use the CD alternate cover art and really go wild...
...for the record this was the cover art my CD had back in the day.
gaporter
Well-Known Member
that is nice, but i get the feeling VMP wouldn't come through with a variant quite at that level
dhodo
Well-Known Member
Worth noting, unlike Aquemeni and ATLiens, I've heard the original Stankonias aren't good presses.
HuddieLedbetter
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure on Stankonia, but my condolences on the jobs lost across your friends and in the industry. It's stressful to watch and go through both personally and generally.
As for VMP: While I've no direct knowledge, my guess is that the pricing changes, etc. do reflect risk in their model. Their churn has to have increased across the percentage of people that experienced job insecurity, or just aren't happy with the service, and that has to have combined with lower new sign-ups as it is a non-essential good (well, for the folks outside this forum...). Depending on their board meeting schedule/ cycle they've had pressure to provide an answer on costs, yield per customers, efficiency, and importantly some level of net recurring revenue relative to (or in excess) of their churn. Their costs have risen with mastering, pressing. They also clearly have a mountain of operational inefficiency and costs. They needed to present a plan in this last meeting (or just prior to the next) because execs like to be seen as people that take action, have confidence in their decisions -- and hey, if you are right, why haven't you out it into implementation? (and that's a lot better than explaining that you've been actually managing the business poorly) -- which explains the sudden poor rollout of the announcements and changes.
They are in trouble or at least underperforming the key metrics their investors care about...
Will they stay in business? Subscription calendars can be powerful and give you time to recover.
Will it be valuable for the subscriber? It would take a lot of courage and management strength to drive quality as a strategy vs tricks on margins. (You can determine if the leadership has shown that courage) Also, fixing fundamental problems often has to do with culture, management -- real change can take time.
Flip side: The valuable exits for this business are largely dependent on acquisition -- which is tough and narrow for their investors because the range of potential buyers is really small. That's tough because investors aren't super excited about carry costs, but also provides some protection as long as they can get the metrics in line -- no one likes to believe that they be thrown away (or gotten wrong) a call and the tendency is to push the business to find a path. The original founders get heavily diluted, maybe replaced, but the business sticks around for a while.
I expire in May. Id have to see a lot of change and improvement in the service, the economy, etc to renew -- but I would like to renew. I love the idea and moments of the execution have been great -- they scream for a need of stronger management fundamentals and a stronger view of accountability, pride in excellence, and integrity in the leadership -- which seems to be squandering great promise.
Wow. That was long.