Prosthetic Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Hi, I know most people's opinions of record labels aren't far removed their feelings on politicians, but here goes nothing: I came across this forum yesterday during a Google search for something random. Out of curiosity, I then decided to search for "Prosthetic" to see if there were any comments about our vinyl efforts -- either reassurance that we're on the right track, or complaints that we might be able to learn from. I'm relieved to see that the good seems to outweigh the bad. We know that vinyl fans are particularly passionate, and even though it's a difficult and expensive format, we try our best to make something that our bands' fans will enjoy. We know we don't always succeed -- sometimes, jackets turn out too flimsy, colors don't end up like we hoped, or the production costs (as with our Animals As Leaders 3D experiment) push the price higher than we'd like -- but we try to learn from those situations so we don't repeat them later. A common complaint seems to involve shipping costs. We've made a few webshop changes over the last year or so -- we used to handle all order fulfillment ourselves, but now we have a shop through Indie Merch, so we don't have as much control over these costs as we used to, but please know that we're not happy with USPS rates either. Unfortunately, postage is based on weight, and vinyl packages can get heavy fast -- and if orders include shirts or hoodies too, media mail is no longer an option. International rates are another topic entirely. Long story short, please know that we've spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get postage rates as accurate as possible, yet we still lost a ton on the international side back when we were still shipping everything ourselves because it's such a difficult thing to get right. Also on the price front, we make every effort to keep vinyl production costs down without sacrificing too much in quality so that we can charge lower prices to stores (who then add their own markups), our bands (who then sell on tour or through their own webshops) and our own direct customers. While there are surely other labels who do this even better, we really are doing the best we can -- and because every vinyl release is its own adventure with its own specs and quirks, we're always learning and (hopefully) improving. Just know that there are always different factors that come into play, that the specs dictate the retail price we have to set with our distributors (which, in turn, we can't undercut substantially in our own webshop), and that more times than you'd realize, our goal with vinyl is to simply break even. If there are any specific questions about our vinyl releases or concerns you'd like us to address, please feel free to post them here. I can't promise I'll be able to answer immediately, but I'll try to check back in on a semi-regular basis. Hopefully your comments will help us better serve you in the coming months. That said, thanks for paying attention to what we're doing, and for supporting us and our bands through this format. It can be a pain in the ass considering its fragility, the unpredictable manufacturing turn times, dealing with the USPS, etc., but reading comments from people who enjoy it makes it all worthwhile. Prosthetic Records P.S. Later this year, we'll have new vinyl by Scale The Summit, Skeletonwitch and Ramming Speed, in addition to some planned reissues I shouldn't jinx by mentioning publicly yet. David Loyd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest obzen Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thank you. I've always been a fan of your service and products. I am hoping Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh is on your list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadmonkey Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Love your label and stuff you put out.. Keep up the awesome work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anomynous Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Please tell me the new Scale the Summit album is vinyl, along with pressings of CDC & Monument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoshotthefrog Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Tell Trap Them to release a new album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manueledge Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Love a bunch of records on this label. It's really cool you took the time to write this too and also a smart thing. A lot of labels (especially small ones, granted) have gained a strong tie and support with and from the people on this forum given the way they interact and show that they actually care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosthetic Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thanks for the fast and positive responses. (I'm sure some not-so-nice ones are on the way, but if they're complaints, hopefully they're things we can fix, either now or in the future.)Despite the successes of alumni like Lamb of God, Kylesa, Animals As Leaders and All That Remains, we're a much smaller label than people realize, and hopefully threads like this show that there are indeed real people behind the curtain, not "suits." (Other than my wedding tux, my only suit is my birthday suit!) Quick answers: --Scale The Summit's new album will indeed be released on vinyl simultaneously this time around. The band controls the rights to "Monument," so a vinyl edition for that would be up to them. As for "Carving," if there was a cost-effective way to make less than 500, we'd do it in a heartbeat, but for now, we'll wait to see how the new vinyl does and revisit the idea then. --We wanted to reissue Gojira's "The Way..." in conjunction with a vinyl pressing of "From Mars To Sirius," but then we saw that Listenable was doing "From Mars..." vinyl, so we backed off. We'll also revisit this later this year. --Trap Them operates on their own timetable. We'd love to release a new album from them (although probably not in quite as many colors this time around!). In April, they're playing their first show in many months; hopefully we'll all hear more from them soon after. Also, for those who might care, here are updates on our three most recent vinyl releases:--Dragged Into Sunlight "Widowmaker." There should still be some copies in vinyl shops around the world (white in North America, 180-gram black in Europe), but we're planning a second pressing, so unless you're dying for one of the sold-out mail-order splatter exclusives, don't break the bank on ebay! --Ancient VVisdom "Deathlike." Similar situation, as we're sold out ourselves (of both black and the mail-order "smoke" variant), but there should be 180-gram black copies in various vinyl shops around the world. --Holy Grail "Ride The Void." We got burned due to the holidays and had to push back our street date to March 5, but the LPs are done and we started shipping all pre-orders a week or so ago. They look great (Stoughton gatefold jacket, gatefold poster). 180-gram black LPs will be available in record shops shortly, while the "blue marble" LPs are available through mail-order and any stores who hit us up directly. The band will also have an exclusive tour variant, but I'll let them hype that themselves! Thanks again, Prosthetic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raidenradio Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Just wanted to pop in and say I would love to see Scale The Summit "Carving Desert Canyons" pressed. Looking forward to their new album. Any plans for pressing anything by Last Chance to Reason? I heard they were working on "Level 3." I'd love to get anything by them on vinyl. And lastly, White Arms of Athena "Astrodrama" is awesome. I don't think you guys did the pressing on that but I just wanted to say I love that album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markok Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Hi! Always great to see labels looking for feedback. Yes, please repress the Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh, preferrably 180g black. I already have one copy which I ordered straight from you years ago, unfortunately the gatefold sleeve got severely beaten up during the transit to EU (splits, bent corners, you name it...). Also, one question. I have three copies of Animals As Leaders self-titled (the first pressings) and for some reason the bonus track is with awful sound quality with compared to the rest of the album - it seems like it was ripped straight from youtube. What happened there exactly and why is the quality so bad? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosthetic Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 Hi again, Last Chance To Reason is indeed putting the finishing touches on their new album. At this time, we have no plans to release it on vinyl, but as the band's fan base continues to grow, we'll be happy to reconsider. We can't take credit for the White Arms of Athena LP, but we're glad you enjoy it. Sorry to hear that the Gojira LP didn't arrive in good condition. As for "Wave of Babies," we used the same WAV track (sent to us by the band) that we'd sent to iTunes, etc. We didn't notice anything wrong with the test presses, but perhaps since the rest of the album was mastered prior to its initial release and the bonus track wasn't, the sound quality suffered a bit. Still, we apologize if it didn't seem up to par. Thanks again for the feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Yes, please repress any and all Gojira. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anomynous Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Good news on the Scale vinyl. I'll definitely be preordering The Migration, and I'll buy Carving whenever it releases. I thought that "The Collective" sold pretty decently, so personally I think Carving would have no problem selling, but I don't know the numbers. I'll second the last Chance to Reason request/demand. Know it won't happen anytime soon, but still. But yes, press/repress all Gojira. I don't even consider Listenable a viable option for Gojira vinyl, because of how expensive it is. $60 to the US? No thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Yes, please repress any and all Gojira. This x 1000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 But yes, press/repress all Gojira. I don't even consider Listenable a viable option for Gojira vinyl, because of how expensive it is. $60 to the US? No thanks. Listenable? More like "Unaffordable!" Am i right?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eclipsical Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 --Scale The Summit's new album will indeed be released on vinyl simultaneously this time around. The band controls the rights to "Monument," so a vinyl edition for that would be up to them. As for "Carving," if there was a cost-effective way to make less than 500, we'd do it in a heartbeat, but for now, we'll wait to see how the new vinyl does and revisit the idea then. I'd do a pressing of Carving Desert Canyons right now, just say the word. ; ) And lastly, White Arms of Athena "Astrodrama" is awesome. I don't think you guys did the pressing on that but I just wanted to say I love that album. That was me, thanks for the kind words! Which variant did you pick up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anomynous Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I'd do a pressing of Carving Desert Canyons right now, just say the word. ; ) please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raidenradio Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I'd do a pressing of Carving Desert Canyons right now, just say the word. ; ) That was me, thanks for the kind words! Which variant did you pick up? Got them to sign it + $10 frame at Hobby Lobby + $0.50 posterboard from Wal-Mart = this awesomeness on my wall. (Plus I got another copy of the same variant to listen to) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellbent Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Repress Himsa - Courting Tragedy and Disaster but not on a pic disc! Do some color mixes. That album is just genius!!! roadmonkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anomynous Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 http://shop.listenable.net/product.php?id_product=3876Please repress this so it isn't $60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadmonkey Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Repress Himsa - Courting Tragedy and Disaster but not on a pic disc! Do some color mixes. That album is just genius!!! Would also really love to see Summon in Thunder Pressed. Already have both versions of the Pic Disk for Courting.. it doesn't sound bad considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellbent Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Would also really love to see Summon in Thunder Pressed. Already have both versions of the Pic Disk for Courting.. it doesn't sound bad considering. Agreed on Summon In Thunder. CTAD is something I would love to own on colored vinyl. I still need to get both pic disc pressing. Just been putting it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosthetic Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 Just wanted to say thanks again for all the comments, which did indeed help to make the Gojira TWOAF re-press and FMTS "initial North American press" a reality. (Obligatory pre-order link: http://store.prostheticrecords.com)Also, the new Scale LP has sold quite well so far, which bodes well for the prospects of offering "Carving" on vinyl later this year. Stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
circuit bored records Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Do you guys run your eBay store as well? I wanted to pick up a record that's still available through indiemerchstore on your eBay store because shipping was way cheaper (media mail), but it ended up selling out a couple days ago. Still available on indiemerch though. Any chance a couple more copies would get relisted? FYI, it was the Animals as Leaders self titled album. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanSmithers Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Just wanted to say thanks again for all the comments, which did indeed help to make the Gojira TWOAF re-press and FMTS "initial North American press" a reality. (Obligatory pre-order link: http://store.prostheticrecords.com) Also, the new Scale LP has sold quite well so far, which bodes well for the prospects of offering "Carving" on vinyl later this year. Stay tuned. Just got my clear/blue haze Scale the Summit LP in the mail today! Looks excellent! Can't wait for Carving to go up for order! Thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anomynous Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Got my copy of The migration in, it's great. Already ordered all the new Gojira. Can't wait for the new Skeletonwitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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