Jack White flips records too...and then flips out

[lonesomexloveus]

"You act like we bury them in tunnels in Vietnam for god sakes."

i laughed. only because i could picture half of the posters on VC digging around blindly in vietnam to try to find the rarest variants of gaslight anthem/converge/brand new etc.

[silentgods]

We're talking about VIET-FUCKIN'-NAM!

i remember my buddies dying face down in the muck, looking for that rare white stripes press.

may that despot Jack White suffer forever-moooooooore!

[weck]

here, ill say something. i fucking hate the white stripes.

[jhulud]

"You act like we bury them in tunnels in Vietnam for god sakes."

i laughed. only because i could picture half of the posters on VC digging around blindly in vietnam to try to find the rarest variants of gaslight anthem/converge/brand new etc.

"Did you find that Converge/Brand New/Gaslight Anthem/Alkaline Trio split 2xLP test press with hand-made jacket 1/1?"

[dreamover]

The whole point of third man has been to make every release available to everyone who wants it (allblack vinyl stays in print).

Then he has made rare color variants all available in different ways (random shops, third man store, vault-only store, random mail order, dead weather shows, pop-up stores, etc).

The whole idea is, vinyl in general shouldn't be impossible to get, everyone has access. The rare variants should be special, but everyone should be able to get at least one at some point (I've been able to get 5 split colors by the methods listed above).

The idea isn't to have a complete collection, it's to have one or two pieces that most people will never get. And for those people to have something you'll never have.

I can't be mad when an artist I'm a huge fan of starts a label and releases all his bands and records he likes on high quality vinyl. And does things like have pop up stores all over the country with exclusive releases, even if I don't get them cause I'm not from around there. But you bet, if there's a pop up store in Chicago, I'll snatch everything up that the people in LA, NY, Austin, London, and Nashville didn't get.

Since I've been participating in the vault, I've gotten tons all the exclusive records, worth much more on eBay, gotten into a free secret dead weather show with free open bar (300 people), taken a trip down to Nashville to go to third man. It's been pretty exciting. A guy that would provide all that to his fans isnt just in it for himself.

[xjustinxschwierx]

While I understand and sympathize where he's coming from...

he does own a record store that you have to be buzzed-in to get into and they only sell the records he's put out. which is pretty fucking lame.

[silentgods]

that you have to be buzzed into?

really?

[dreamover]

that you have to be buzzed into?

really?

it's not in the best part of town. It's right next to a meth clinic.

[lonesomexloveus]

haha. i would love to visit a record store that you have to be buzzed into. like visiting 5th avenue stores. but for poor people.

[mxv]

Seems obvious to me that if you don't like the way someone does business then don't support them by buying their crap. It does seem like a bit of a douche-bag move on Jack's part. It'd be like Derek Jeter selling his own autographed baseballs on ebay. Being a collector of any sort of memorabilia is usually done out of love and appreciation for another persons craft. For the artist, athlete, or whomever to exploit that appreciation only cheapens their character.

well said!

[mxv]

here, ill say something. i fucking hate the white stripes.

well said too!

[tooclosetosee]

here, ill say something. i fucking hate the white stripes.

Ditto. Seems like a lame dude from a lame gimmick band.

[andrewc]

It'd be like Derek Jeter selling his own autographed baseballs on ebay.

What if it was someone's own autographed golf glove....

[AlexH.]

There are people who live in Nashville and live off flipping Third Man limited releases. I'd be pretty pissed if I put out records for the love of the music and tried to do something fun with it, only for it to be taken advantage of by greedy assholes. I don't see a problem with putting up .8% of the pressing on eBay to see that some of that flipper money actually goes to people who put out the music, rather than people who stand in line to make a buck. You can still buy any of these albums for 20 bucks. No one is being cheated here.

First few White Stripes albums are great.

[melvinscam]

but i think of the issue that people are complaining about is that they paid to be part of a record club that was supposed to give them the oppurtunity to buy rare shit for cheap and instead they were told to go and bid on it on ebay.

[awesomemodeon]

people pay money to listen to that goofy shit?

[sharkticon]

but i think of the issue that people are complaining about is that they paid to be part of a record club that was supposed to give them the oppurtunity to buy rare shit for cheap and instead they were told to go and bid on it on ebay.

Yes and no. The Vault members are given their own special releases and are given discounts on certain others. They're never guaranteed limited copies of any of TMR's regular releases.

[tattoomike]

but i think of the issue that people are complaining about is that they paid to be part of a record club that was supposed to give them the oppurtunity to buy rare shit for cheap and instead they were told to go and bid on it on ebay.

I was a Vault (fan club) member for the first 3 releases and it was never once even implied that we'd get to buy "rare shit for cheap". As I stated before, you renew membership every 3 months and you know in advance what special package you're getting. These people are complaining just to complain.

[lonesomexloveus]

These people are complaining just to complain.

you've just summed up 90% of what is posted on this board in one fell swoop.

[silentgods]

Do you get records by being in the vault? or do you get the chance to buy records by being in it?

but i think of the issue that people are complaining about is that they paid to be part of a record club that was supposed to give them the oppurtunity to buy rare shit for cheap and instead they were told to go and bid on it on ebay.

I was a Vault (fan club) member for the first 3 releases and it was never once even implied that we'd get to buy "rare shit for cheap". As I stated before, you renew membership every 3 months and you know in advance what special package you're getting. These people are complaining just to complain.

[benjo09]

You get some records from being in it

[tattoomike]

Do you get records by being in the vault? or do you get the chance to buy records by being in it?

I posted earlier describing Vault membership. And no, it was not the post you quoted.

1. Vault members pay $60 every 3 months. This entitles them to a Vault package that's exclusive for that 3 month period, access to Vault exclusive content on the website (videos and chats) and discounts on some special releases (Vaults got the UTGWNL Box Set cheaper). They do not get first dibs on limited color pressings. TMR stops taking memberships for each 3 month period about a month in and presses the exact number of vinyl for each current member. They get a 12", a 7" and either a shirt, slipmat or poster/print. The ONLY way to get that vinyl is to be a member or buy it from a member (or someone who bought it from a member). I've seen the Icky Thump mono and Th Racontours live albums fetch high prices on ebay. These people know exactly what they pay for before joining. To be mad that they're not getting some extra service that wasn't part of what they paid for is assinine.

[cj]

i like this story.

on one hand he's exactly right about who is making all the money off these limited releases. if the market is saying a colored record is worth 500 bucks then why isnt the band/label entitled to that amount of money? why does somebody who has nothing to do with the band/label make more money than those who created it...

but on the other hand there are ways to eliminate record flipping in the first place, so there shouldnt be any complaining when it happens. forget pre-sales and posting limited edition numbers, just sell the records. you could have a run of 3500 records split 3000 black and 500 colored and just sell them as 3500 records with no option to pick color and no comments section for requests. the rare colored ones will get out to people who will appreciate them and people who buy them solely to resell on ebay won't want to take the chance. maybe its just simpler in my head though.

[axlrose]

If I'm Jack White and I don't need to make money of these releases to pay my bills, and I'm able to pay my artists for the records they sell, then I'm going to go have sex with my super model wife in a gold plated SUV and not worry about some poor bastard in Nashville selling my records on e-bay to some other dick who wants to drop $300.

[sharkie]

If I'm Jack White and I don't need to make money of these releases to pay my bills, and I'm able to pay my artists for the records they sell, then I'm going to go have sex with my super model wife in a gold plated SUV and not worry about some poor bastard in Nashville selling my records on e-bay to some other dick who wants to drop $300.