justindinealone Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 to help fund future projects.. discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I'm for it. The money goes back to the label you're (hopefully) supporting. And the few times I've seen labels selling test presses, the prices have been reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkrockvinyl25 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 i think it's a great idea...however with the times now...i've seen test presses bomb compaired to last yr and the yr before. but i guess any little money helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fartcat Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I'm sure they would hold on to at least one copy most likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Pressing records is super fucking expensive and unless you're pressing (and selling at retail) 1000+ copies you'll probably never break even, let alone make money. Test pressings are in demand and people will pay for them so it's a good way to make some money back. It's their stuff to do with as they please, who the hell has the right to tell them they can't sell their shit to make some money? Are they supposed to give all of them away so that some other kid can flip it on ebay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justindinealone Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 yeah, and the point isn't really to get eBay prices from these things.. however, determining prices for them seems like a daunting task Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markovianprocess Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I've just PM'd you an offer for an Attack In Black test press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tributefanzine Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I would say it depends on the bands and the prices..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgoodcore Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Pressing records is super fucking expensive and unless you're pressing (and selling at retail) 1000+ copies you'll probably never break even, let alone make money. Test pressings are in demand and people will pay for them so it's a good way to make some money back. It's their stuff to do with as they please, who the hell has the right to tell them they can't sell their shit to make some money? Are they supposed to give all of them away so that some other kid can flip it on ebay? Start a label, do a pressing, and then you'll have a more informed opinion, basically just what kyle is saying. When you can sell a test or 5 and make a few hundred dollars it really helps make a pressing work. It also helps smaller labels get closer to breaking even and allows them to probably press more stuff people will enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Pressing records is super fucking expensive and unless you're pressing (and selling at retail) 1000+ copies you'll probably never break even, let alone make money. Test pressings are in demand and people will pay for them so it's a good way to make some money back. It's their stuff to do with as they please, who the hell has the right to tell them they can't sell their shit to make some money? Are they supposed to give all of them away so that some other kid can flip it on ebay? AKA side one dummy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk0nuggets Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Selling tests is just something else that can help labels break even. I do it and I love when others do it. It helps if there is something special about the tests too like a special jacket or the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotterson Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 yeah, i dont really see a downside to selling tests. obviously, giveaways are nice, but everybody wins if a collector gets a test and the label gets a little boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldsnap Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 if the label is selling test press to put more funds into his label and it helps releasing other albums, why not? also, it's a + for the record collector who is missing that test press to finish his collection..but than again, it all depends of the price the label is looking for, if he's looking for ebay price, it's another thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamlikesmusic Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 if the label is selling test press to put more funds into his label and it helps releasing other albums, why not? also, it's a + for the record collector who is missing that test press to finish his collection..but than again, it all depends of the price the label is looking for, if he's looking for ebay price, it's another thing. But eBay price is what people are willing to pay. Should he sell it for cheap just so someone else can get eBay price for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldsnap Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 if the label is selling test press to put more funds into his label and it helps releasing other albums, why not? also, it's a + for the record collector who is missing that test press to finish his collection..but than again, it all depends of the price the label is looking for, if he's looking for ebay price, it's another thing. But eBay price is what people are willing to pay. Should he sell it for cheap just so someone else can get eBay price for it? i'm not sure i understand what you're trying to say? (my english sucks, haha). to sell it cheap to someone, than the rest at ebay prices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgoodcore Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 But eBay price is what people are willing to pay. Should he sell it for cheap just so someone else can get eBay price for it? i'm not sure i understand what you're trying to say? (my english sucks, haha). to sell it cheap to someone, than the rest at ebay prices? Let's call "X" the eBay price. I think he's saying if someone is willing to pay X than the label can sell it for, has a right to sell it for X. They don't need to sell it at X-20 just to be "nice" to a collector. I would agree with that. Plus, by picking a price the label can set the market a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll76 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Is it up to the customer(the label) or pressing plant to determine how many presses get made? There's usually only a handful, but could a label request 25 or more tests fully knowing they are going to sell 20 of them? I have no problem with labels selling them. In fact, it seems more legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtw88 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I'd say it's definitely good for labels to sell tests at high prices for two reasons. One is that people who put out records are usually doing it for friends and for fun and aren't making a shitload off of it, so they should be rewarded for their efforts. Also, just giving them away to random people is kind of sill because I know I personally don't care about having any test presses. There are maybe 10 records I would keep tests for if given to me, but I'd never pay for one and would probably sell one if I got it. Also, it doesn't make sense just to hoard them if people want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustinxschwierx Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I'll have a box of test pressing for sale at the Fest, me and Aaron & I think with Flood too were talking about doing this last week...pretty much all of my releases if I have any extras...I know for sure I don't have any black cross ones, I found a Black Mambas one the other day lost in my own records...I think i might even make special test press jackets for them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtcult Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Is it up to the customer(the label) or pressing plant to determine how many presses get made?There's usually only a handful, but could a label request 25 or more tests fully knowing they are going to sell 20 of them? I have no problem with labels selling them. In fact, it seems more legit. It's up to the label to determine how many are made and the label pays. For instance, for the Jonesin/Shang-A-Lang split we did 50 tests so we would have a "tour edition." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknroll76 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Is it up to the customer(the label) or pressing plant to determine how many presses get made?There's usually only a handful, but could a label request 25 or more tests fully knowing they are going to sell 20 of them? I have no problem with labels selling them. In fact, it seems more legit. It's up to the label to determine how many are made and the label pays. For instance, for the Jonesin/Shang-A-Lang split we did 50 tests so we would have a "tour edition." Got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarondanger Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Sucks but sometimes you have to do it. I like to help someone out who is a collector and don't have a problem selling them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobophobic Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 If a label presses only a few tests and sells/auctions them off to raise a few bucks, there's nothing wrong with that. But if a label presses 20+ copies knowing that they will sell them at a jacked up price, that's a little greedy on the label's part. Test pressings should be made to test the sound of a record and make sure everything is ok. The shouldn't be pressed for potential future profit. That kind of defeats the purpose of a 'test' pressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Is it up to the customer(the label) or pressing plant to determine how many presses get made?There's usually only a handful, but could a label request 25 or more tests fully knowing they are going to sell 20 of them? I have no problem with labels selling them. In fact, it seems more legit. Yes, the label can determine how many tests they get. Most plants have a standard amount they give (3-5 usually) and then after that you can buy extras at the cost of the record (usually no more than $1.75 per extra for LPs). Some labels order extras with the intent to sell, No Idea and VC come to mind. There's nothing wrong with this, as both labels do a lot of releases that don't sell out and don't break even, so it helps offset those losses by selling a few tests pressings for more popular records. Other times labels order more for tour editions and the like. The last 7" I pressed I ordered extra tests to give out to the bands and friends (but not to sell). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markovianprocess Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Well, if people want to buy them, I don't see what the problem is. I buy music because I want to support the bands and labels that put out the records and so that they continue to do so. Isn't selling test pressings just an extension of this? I'd rather the money was going direct to the label for these (even if it was them selling it on eBay) rather than going to some random who was insensitive enough to flog something special he/she got for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.