Vinyl Me Please Essentials

bdrummond said:
Managed to track down a copy of RTJ3 a few weeks back from an amazon seller. I honestly don't know when it's coming or what I'm getting but it's entering the last week of the estimated arrival window. I honestly have never entered Rotate This but I feel like I need to stop there next time I'm in the city.
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You need to check out Rotate! I have been buying most of my vinyl there for 15 years, so I know them well. They kinda morphed out of Record Peddlar which was THE cool place to buy records before CD took over.

i am not a fan of Sonic Boom not just because it is so hipsterish but more because of their business practices - buying super low and selling for often more than Discogs value. They are notorious for paying you $2 for a record they will put for sale at $15. Their selection isnt very good either.

Rotate sure isnt for obsessive types though. They will spit you out for trying to return a record with a split inner sleeve or a bit off centre.

But that record you bring in, that Boom will give you $2 for, Rotate will give you half the Discogs value - fair, and better than any other store would do.

The thing about Rotate is that mostly they are bringing in new vinyl from US distributors and bypassing the labels in Canada, while Boom only buys from the labels. So you will get better selection and faster new releases at Rotate.
 
RHANDMJ said:
You need to check out Rotate! I have been buying most of my vinyl there for 15 years, so I know them well. They kinda morphed out of Record Peddlar which was THE cool place to buy records before CD took over.

i am not a fan of Sonic Boom not just because it is so hipsterish but more because of their business practices - buying super low and selling for often more than Discogs value. They are notorious for paying you $2 for a record they will put for sale at $15. Their selection isnt very good either.

Rotate sure isnt for obsessive types though. They will spit you out for trying to return a record with a split inner sleeve or a bit off centre.

But that record you bring in, that Boom will give you $2 for, Rotate will give you half the Discogs value - fair, and better than any other store would do.

The thing about Rotate is that mostly they are bringing in new vinyl from US distributors and bypassing the labels in Canada, while Boom only buys from the labels. So you will get better selection and faster new releases at Rotate.
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@bdrummond I agree with some of this above. Sonic isn't my favorite place just due to their prices being about five dollars higher than any other Toronto vinyl shop. They're definitely the showiest spot, the biggest, and despite what is said above I think they probably have the best selection just due to the sheer size of the place. BUT they in many cases will have 10 copies of the same album where Rotate will only have a couple, so a lot of Sonics space is taken up with duplicates. I wouldn't say there's a go to spot for everything you need in vinyl in Toronto, I usually frequent Kops, Dead Dog Records and Sonic and occasionally Rotate. But they're all good for different things. There's also Soundscapes that skews a bit more indie, Pop Music which is very small almost pop up looking spot at Dundas and Broadview. Tiny Record Shop at Queen about 3 blocks east of Broadview which is a mix of new and used with LOTS of OG hip hop and jazz but prices are high and I find the ratings higher than the actually quality of the used vinyl but it's a spectacle. If you want crazy high quality OG jazz then Cosmos West is pretty legendary but be prepared to drop some serious coin, but the stuff they get in there is nuts.
 
Mather said:
@bdrummond I agree with some of this above. Sonic isn't my favorite place just due to their prices being about five dollars higher than any other Toronto vinyl shop. They're definitely the showiest spot, the biggest, and despite what is said above I think they probably have the best selection just due to the sheer size of the place. BUT they in many cases will have 10 copies of the same album where Rotate will only have a couple, so a lot of Sonics space is taken up with duplicates. I wouldn't say there's a go to spot for everything you need in vinyl in Toronto, I usually frequent Kops, Dead Dog Records and Sonic and occasionally Rotate. But they're all good for different things. There's also Soundscapes that skews a bit more indie, Pop Music which is very small almost pop up looking spot at Dundas and Broadview. Tiny Record Shop at Queen about 3 blocks east of Broadview which is a mix of new and used with LOTS of OG hip hop and jazz but prices are high and I find the ratings higher than the actually quality of the used vinyl but it's a spectacle. If you want crazy high quality OG jazz then Cosmos West is pretty legendary but be prepared to drop some serious coin, but the stuff they get in there is nuts.
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I agree that Rotate is too cautious in the number of copies they bring in. But even when they bring in 40 some sell out fast - Flaming Lips last week for example they brought in a ton and were sold out by Friday - the actual release date.

Tiny I really want to like, but they are just way over-priced and quality control is too variable. Cosmos I wont go into much. Ari is a nice guy but buys bulk from Japan for dirt cheap and marks them up massively. Not many records he calls mint really are. Cosmos is for folks who dont care to search Ebay or Discogs.

Havent been to Soundscape in ages, they were big during the last part of the CD era but only reluctantly got into vinyl. Compared to what it used to be, the vibe in there now is kinda like a funeral home. For the life of me I dont know how he stays in business. Actually I do - his dad is his landlord.
 
Expensive Headache said:
My D side of Ladies and Gentlemen also had a lot of noise even after multiple cleanings of debris. It’s crazy how they pitch a premium product but skip on lined inner sleeves. I’ve maybe requested 3-4 replacements this year for various titles from VMP and it’s starting to wear my confidence to the point of no return.
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Yep same for mine. In terms of the sleeves these are a reproduction of the original sleeves so I kinda get why they weren't lined. Although I would rather have a longer in there to save the vinyl than go through 4 copies trying to get one that isn't scratched up. Although what I'm hearing on side four, and the fact that you have it to, makes me think again that it's the dodgy pressing rather than scratches.
 
Mather said:
Yep same for mine. In terms of the sleeves these are a reproduction of the original sleeves so I kinda get why they weren't lined. Although I would rather have a longer in there to save the vinyl than go through 4 copies trying to get one that isn't scratched up. Although what I'm hearing on side four, and the fact that you have it to, makes me think again that it's the dodgy pressing rather than scratches.
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VMP are sending a replacement.

Rhino will put some of their releases in lined Inners and also include a facimile of the original sleeve to boot. That’s the sweet spot IMO.
 
Expensive Headache said:
VMP are sending a replacement.

Rhino will put some of their releases in lined Inners and also include a facimile of the original sleeve to boot. That’s the sweet spot IMO.
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Yeah I agree, I thought about that however this one is packed so tight I doubt it would even fit. But I always prefer that option. If there's one thing that with VMPs giant raising of prices that we should NEVER see from now on out it's paper sleeves. Opening that $35 Fiona FTBC and finding paper sleeves was maddening. SHOULD NOT HAPPEN
 
Mather said:
Yeah I agree, I thought about that however this one is packed so tight I doubt it would even fit. But I always prefer that option. If there's one thing that with VMPs giant raising of prices that we should NEVER see from now on out it's paper sleeves. Opening that $35 Fiona FTBC and finding paper sleeves was maddening. SHOULD NOT HAPPEN
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It fits. I removed it from the paper sleeve and replaced em with mofi’s immediately upon opening.
 
Mather said:
Yeah I agree, I thought about that however this one is packed so tight I doubt it would even fit. But I always prefer that option. If there's one thing that with VMPs giant raising of prices that we should NEVER see from now on out it's paper sleeves. Opening that $35 Fiona FTBC and finding paper sleeves was maddening. SHOULD NOT HAPPEN
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Run Out Grooves also do a nice job. Precedence that paper sleeves are not at all premium.
 
Mather said:
Yeah I agree, I thought about that however this one is packed so tight I doubt it would even fit. But I always prefer that option. If there's one thing that with VMPs giant raising of prices that we should NEVER see from now on out it's paper sleeves. Opening that $35 Fiona FTBC and finding paper sleeves was maddening. SHOULD NOT HAPPEN
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First post here from a former lurker to +1 this sentiment, after opening my copy of Shabaka a few minutes ago to find the cheapest paper sleeves I've seen in a long time... I hate that!!
 
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