How do you feel about this "Vinyl Factory" trend

You know, this bullshit ultra limited thing that seems to be sweeping over bands. Pressing 5 copies and charging a billion euro.

Burial and Air are two recent examples, Im sure theres more though. The Air package is very nice, but 200 squids for what is basically a LP CD and DVD?

I can understand small label, pressing is expensive and it take a lot of effort so printing in small numbers is economical, but Air are a huge band and you're not paying for the music or the other nice stuff. You're paying for your number of 300.

This really pisses me off. The Burial thing was worse though, because Air's LP is coming out on a normal pressing which I can buy and have anyway. I would have paid half of what the Massive attack Burial thing cost just for the record in a shitty piece of cardboard, bollox to the "screen printed", whatever the fuck that means anyway.

Fell for it big time last year and spent far too much on vinyl and limited releases. This year however - fuck 'em, if they're gonna take the piss like this, I'm gonna just buy an mp3/flac version and if there's no digital release then they're getting nothing.

Even the excuse of small pressings doesn't hold true - Our very own brisk (aka 3six) releases beautiful picture disks like the wonderful 2x12'' Memories in Widescreen which were individually hand numbered and stickered and he charged less than £20 including delivery despite being a really limited run.

  On 3/6/2012 at 4:33 PM, mcbpete said:

Even the excuse of small pressings doesn't hold true - Our very own brisk (aka 36) releases beautiful picture disks like the wonderful 2x12'' Memories in Widescreen which were individually hand numbered and stickered and he charged less than £20 including delivery.

Oh ye this wasn't what I was saying at all. Generally, even if they are small runs of copies you dont pay extra for the "exclusiveness" you just pay what it would cost to cover pressing+pay the artist.

I like the trend if the content is worth the price. often it is not but I doubt people buy these a lot

I don't mind this so much so long as they have the decency to put out a reasonably priced digital version. Otherwise no sympathy for the pirating of vinyl-only releases.

It's not my money people are wasting on this so why would I care?

If I could sell 200 copies of something for a lot of money I would be laughing my ass off and print 200 extra copies 6 months later.

  On 3/6/2012 at 5:14 PM, Squee said:

It's not my money people are wasting on this so why would I care?

Exactly. I recently bought a copy of The Kinks' Village Green as a 2LP set for 80 dollars? Do you (figurative "you", not Squee you) think I paid too much? Because it really doesn't matter, it was just as much worth it to me as whoever is buying the $200 Air edition.

  On 3/6/2012 at 5:14 PM, Squee said:

It's not my money people are wasting on this so why would I care?

If I could sell 200 copies of something for a lot of money I would be laughing my ass off and print 200 extra copies 6 months later.

Yes, but what about something thats exclusively vinyl factory release and you would like it. Without all the shitty frills, just the music?

Evening chassis,

It seems slightly elitist to me, that's my take on it. And I can see the snobbery in it too. The Vinyl Factory had a temporary shop open a few months back and they posted some photo's up of the event. The people there seemed to be rich hob-nobbers, sipping on champagne. Glad I stayed at home.

  On 3/6/2012 at 7:55 PM, chassis said:

  On 3/6/2012 at 5:14 PM, Squee said:

It's not my money people are wasting on this so why would I care?

If I could sell 200 copies of something for a lot of money I would be laughing my ass off and print 200 extra copies 6 months later.

 

Yes, but what about something thats exclusively vinyl factory release and you would like it. Without all the shitty frills, just the music?

Well there was this version too, but I can't argue with £30 being expensive for a single record (but no, I just now read it actually includes the DVD as well, so that's not an insane price at all dude!). But like I said, I just recently paid even more than that, and twice (for two copies).

edit: okay, after finding out that the £200 edition is hand-signed, limited to 300, includes the album on four records (so i'm assuming 45 rpm and/or even higher fidelity), each packaged in individually screenprinted inner sleeves, as well as a print from the film, all housed in a foil-stamped handmade cloth-covered box.

I know £200 sounds like a lot, but it seriously sounds like an epic amount of work went into it. It doesn't need to be nearly that expensive, but I could totally understand why fans could reason out purchasing it.

edit 2: counterpoint: Aphex Twin's Analord binder/series

  On 3/6/2012 at 9:22 PM, KY said:

  On 3/6/2012 at 7:55 PM, chassis said:

  On 3/6/2012 at 5:14 PM, Squee said:

It's not my money people are wasting on this so why would I care?

If I could sell 200 copies of something for a lot of money I would be laughing my ass off and print 200 extra copies 6 months later.

 

Yes, but what about something thats exclusively vinyl factory release and you would like it. Without all the shitty frills, just the music?

Well there was this version too, but I can't argue with £30 being expensive for a single record (but no, I just now read it actually includes the DVD as well, so that's not an insane price at all dude!). But like I said, I just recently paid even more than that, and twice (for two copies).

 

edit: okay, after finding out that the £200 edition is hand-signed, limited to 300, includes the album on four records (so i'm assuming 45 rpm and/or even higher fidelity), each packaged in individually screenprinted inner sleeves, as well as a print from the film, all housed in a foil-stamped handmade cloth-covered box.

 

I know £200 sounds like a lot, but it seriously sounds like an epic amount of work went into it. It doesn't need to be nearly that expensive, but I could totally understand why fans could reason out purchasing it.

 

edit 2: counterpoint: Aphex Twin's Analord binder/series

My argument is more towards that Burial Massive attack release. Im still sour about that, where was the cheap release for that? Also if there was a digital release maybe we could have got a decent sounding track ffs, I could press a better sounding record with my arsecheeks

  On 3/6/2012 at 11:43 PM, chassis said:

Also if there was a digital release maybe we could have got a decent sounding track ffs, I could press a better sounding record with my arsecheeks

Aye, if I'm spending 25 quid (which I did) I expect the money to go on a well pressed record, not for some extra glitter on the sleeve.

Totally find it nonsensical for limited vinyl runs with no digital. I would LOVE to hear the burial and massive attack collaboration but I don't want to buy vinyl, and if I did, I don't want to pay crazy prices. Obviously there are digital files of it SOMEWHERE, why not throw them up on Bleep and make some extra cash, while exposing yourself to even more fans?

4xvinyl for the new 32 min long Air record? wtf.

  On 3/6/2012 at 7:55 PM, chassis said:

  On 3/6/2012 at 5:14 PM, Squee said:

It's not my money people are wasting on this so why would I care?

If I could sell 200 copies of something for a lot of money I would be laughing my ass off and print 200 extra copies 6 months later.

 

Yes, but what about something thats exclusively vinyl factory release and you would like it. Without all the shitty frills, just the music?

If the music is any good then sure. If it's ridiculously expensive then no.

Paying through the nose for a long sought after deleted record is fair enough. The fact that it's deleted and in demand drives the price up. But paying £200 for a brand new limited vinyl release is bullshit... a new 12" is worth what a new 12" is worth. This is just cynical marketing at its best/worst.

  On 3/6/2012 at 11:43 PM, chassis said:

I could press a better sounding record with my arsecheeks

lol

tight buns.

New Pet Shop Boys album in an acrylic case (or as I know it - plastic box)

50 minutes long, yours for just 500 quid - http://www.vfeditions.com/product/view/133

There's the Electric Recording Company too - set up by the fellow behind Peacefrog

They have available a replica issue of the "Mozart a Paris" box set, a major classical "holy grail" collectable, recreated in excruciatingly accurate detail and cut on contemporary valve equipment, limited to 300

The original sells for as much as £7,500

You can buy the reissue for £2,500

It's stupid.

If this way of doing business is the one that brings the most income to the artist than I'm all for it.

  On 7/15/2013 at 6:33 PM, mcbpete said:

New Pet Shop Boys album in an acrylic case (or as I know it - plastic box)

 

 

50 minutes long, yours for just 500 quid - http://www.vfeditions.com/product/view/133

"Designed by Farrow in collaboration with PSB and The Vinyl Factory, this limited edition is sure to become a highly sought after collectors classic - following on from 2009's 'Yes' box set which was showcased in the Design Museum, won Creative Review's 'Best in Book' and was voted Record Collector's 'Most Collectible Product of the 21st Century'."

Anyone selling things like this that has to resort to telling you that 'yes, it really is going to be sought after/worth more than you paid for it some day!' is doing little more than feeding bullshit to gullible punters. It reminds me of Boomklart's tactics - imagine how much all that 'limited to 500 copies - ESSENTIAL' fodder they've sent out over the years is worth now! Err, perhaps it's best not to.

Collectors gonna collect.

If you don't like them, then don't buy them. Some fans like limited editions, etc.

What bothers me is where they put tracks exclusive to an edition, so you're forced to buy it (whether you want to or not) to have all the tracks by the artist.

I think limited editions are fine. But what I don't like is what you pointed out, when they make you pay for the 'exclusiveness'. If they're gonna do a limited vinyl pressing, in this day and age at least have the decency to put out the digital files for purchase. And if they're doing like a limited hand numbered 300 pressing only deal, then the speciality in it should be that if you weren't fast enough or cared enough to grab a copy real quick, then you don't get it, but the price shouldn't be over the top. It should be what it should be, and if they want maybe charge a tad bit extra, because frankly that's a good marketing strategy. And you get the digital files or maybe you get a normal vinyl pressing later that doesn't have extra shit or a number written in pen by a sweaty hand.