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Cash Vs. Quality


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i do enjoy high quality packaging but when it comes to cost lately i'll only buy expensive releases if they are bands i'm really in to. i like to take chances on new albums but will only do it if the album is closer to $10. i just can't afford to spend $15-20 on a record of a band i might like.

i would think that smaller labels (like yours) that are putting out releases by lesser known bands would really benefit from cheaper products. i know you want to have high quality and i love the releases from your label that i have but i would think more people would be willing to check out your records if they were in the $8-10 range like no idea and fat wreck. i wonder the same thing sometimes with the mylene sheath. i love all their releases but when their bands aren't super well known and their records are getting close to $20 a piece it makes me wonder how many people would take a chance on their releases if they were cheaper

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Guest drahtuos

cost is a large factor right now, i've cut my spending on records way down. that said i'm going to pay whatever the record i want costs, i just expect it to be worth the money. currently i limit my spending to one to two records every two weeks with anything extra being payed for by selling or trading records i already own. going this route i feel i can afford any record no matter the price, i just have to be more picky.

so i guess i would say cash is my overall concern but i still care about quality and i'm not gonna bitch as long as i'm getting what i pay for.

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just so we're clear...nice packaging does not mean it has to be expensive!!!

I have done full silkscreened covers (2 and 3 panel), with heavy vinyl (fell into the trap there for a minute), multiple inserts and a fucking CD included, and I sell my records for $7-10. my 7"'s are still $3-4

granted, nobody gives a fuck, but it is not hard to keep prices down AND make some kick ass packaging.

Dude, I care. I'm already stoked for the unreleased Bailer record. Their full length was great, and the spot varnish on the cover was super nice.

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i prefer records that are NOT pressed at pirates press, and packaging that is not the cut and paste standard all in one packaging set the pressing plant does for you.

I dont mind paying a little extra for legwork, and for a label that actually DOES something and works at the release.

also, the people saying keep your prices down like fat wreck or no idea, may not realize that fat wreck presses thousands and thousands of records, and therefore probably gets a discount much more so than some startup label pressing 300 copies of something.

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i prefer records that are NOT pressed at pirates press, and packaging that is not the cut and paste standard all in one packaging set the pressing plant does for you.

I dont mind paying a little extra for legwork, and for a label that actually DOES something and works at the release.

I agree with this, to me a quality package is something that's had some care and thought put into it, not just being flashy/glossy/fold-out/3-d etc for the sake of it, and therefore costing significantly more than it need to!!

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Guest afsdan

also, the people saying keep your prices down like fat wreck or no idea, may not realize that fat wreck presses thousands and thousands of records, and therefore probably gets a discount much more so than some startup label pressing 300 copies of something.

half true. there's ways to make up the difference. a little more do-it-yourself/homespun/creativity is sorely lacking in small labels that think they can play with the big boys

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also, the people saying keep your prices down like fat wreck or no idea, may not realize that fat wreck presses thousands and thousands of records, and therefore probably gets a discount much more so than some startup label pressing 300 copies of something.

half true. there's ways to make up the difference. a little more do-it-yourself/homespun/creativity is sorely lacking in small labels that think they can play with the big boys

What label do you run?

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Guest afsdan
Duh. I guess I didn't even think to check that. I didn't realize that was a label either! Oops.

it's cool. I wallow in obscurity.

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I really just want one or the other but there is no excuse for not having both if the Mylene Sheath can put out a triple LP trifold on colored vinyl with heavy cardstock and matting for 25 dollars there is NO excuse for anything more. I will admit though if the price is higher I stop and think before ordering all the different color variations. thin crappy flexi vinyl is fine if you are going to press a thousand variants of say O'Pioneers Neon Creeps for 8 bux.

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Sound quality is paramount. Excessive surface noise on badly pressed records is terrible. But at the same time, I'm tired of boring releases, that's for sure. Sometimes I wish I listened to bands like Sunn 0))) just because the records and packaging of the limited editions are really cool (think about how cool Jay Reatard's singles comp on Matador would have been with some sort of box set edition). But instead I listen to a bunch of shit on labels like Goner that are just a regular sleeve and black vinyl, and every repress is identical to the first. That's great if you just "want the music", but if you're a collector who tries to have both the music and be there first for some sort of limited edition thing, then you're screwed.

I'd rather have it on vinyl than not at all, but I'd also like to get a limited edition of something, or at least know if exists so I can hunt it down over time.

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Guest markovianprocess

I think you need to find a good balance. I don't want vinyl that will warp and I don't want a sleeve that will split. There are very few bands I listen to that would demand or greatly benefit from 180 gram vinyl, and a lot of the people who buy these types of records don't have the sound system at home to appreciate a high quality pressing. I'd rather have more albums to listen to than a few on high quality pressings.

The short answer is, it really depends on the band.

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I won't hesitate to buy a record that costs 12 bucks or less. If it costs more than $16 many times I'll pass even if it's a band I like. (the reason I didn't order the new Coalesce LP).

Fancy packaging is nice but overall it's not that important to me.

So I had something kind of shitty happen to me the other day (long story) and I was upset and there happened to be some people selling records nearby (the German distro Green Hell) and I was flipping through and I bought the new Coalesce because it was heavy and I heard it had great packaging and art work. I ended up paying 18 Euro for it, more than I would usually spend. But I'm a sucker for picking up a record at a store and feeling the weight of it and thinking it must be cool and fancy because it's so heavy and so I buy it.

When I listen to it though all I want is to hear the music and to have the lyrics to read along with. Oh, and I'm not a fan of black and white unless it's done well, saving money by printing your colors in grey bugs me (Bridge 9 did that with Paint it Black).

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