gmoney Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 I don't think complaining on an internet message board changes much. However. Shit like this is potentially bad for a large portion of people that use this site. If you have been around and listening to records for a while, you might recall the reason many of us got into this - we enjoy the music, it allows us to physically connect to a medium that is becoming more and more digitized, and maybe we enjoy the sound/nostalgia of notes coming from a piece of plastic that we pretend sounds better than any other form of music. But when labels/stores think they can charge $35 for something that is worth $15 and get away with it - because it will sell out/people will buy it/'we gotta keep the doors open! - it starts to (economically) become a huge problem for a portion of us. Because soon, I know this might sound crazy, but other labels and stores will think "hey that one store sold it and sold out" why shouldn't I? And what became something a lot of us started doing because it was cost-effective has driven us out by a hobby mentality. So you might think it'd be a 'stupid reason' to sell a product will sell out for a cheaper price, but some people out there don't think that way. We tend to have a slightly more positive spin on things and think that taking advantage of customers might not be the best thing in the world. TL;DR - I like listening to my records and would prefer they stay in a price range I can afford. mindless, GradedOnACurve, Youinreverse and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvham Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I have no problem paying a bit of a premium for a limited edition/color but I do take issue with this being $28 plus shipping when I paid $20 plus shipping 4 months ago for Sufjan's "Illinoise" (which was a double LP, not single) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yancey47 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I just dropped 40 bucks on a green version if Reign in Blood because that album is great and I didn't have it on LP and I wanted to put it on my turntable and play it real loud. If I didn't already have a copy of Bleach I'd be all over this. I get The cash grab side. It should be at least 10 bucks less. but you are getting a good product and if someone doesn't think that it's worth 35 then they shouldn't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 It should be at least 10 bucks less. it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflycon Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Keep in mind that, regardless of price, this is still a HUGE, internationally popular band with an equally huge fanbase that will shell out the $ for this stuff. That alone will keep it in print, while the hobbyists keep the price up. I got the white 2xLP 20th Anniversary from SP and it was cheaper than this so I guess I did okay. *shrugs shoulders* Is it just me, or do you think white vinyl sounds worse? I don't have that particular 2xLP, but with other records of which I have a white copy and some other color, it always seems like the white doesn't sound as good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Is it just me, or do you think white vinyl sounds worse? I don't have that particular 2xLP, but with other records of which I have a white copy and some other color, it always seems like the white doesn't sound as good. I tend to notice this as well...can't recall how Bleach sounded, but it seems like white vinyl has more surface noise on average. I remember reading something once about how white supposedly has the lowest audio quality and clear has the best...can't remember where I read it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown pleasures Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Releases like this are totally the beginning of the end for the "vinyl renaissance." It may not be right around the corner, but when you start seeing things like this - releases that are limited for the sake of being limited, hand numbered, over-priced and basically released to market as pre-packaged collector's items - you know things are hitting a saturation point. It happens all the time - look at baseball cards, comic books, beanie babies, whatever. You have a group of core diehards that create a market out of nothing due to their sheer love of a product and then the floodgates open and everything goes downhill from there. Don't get me wrong, there will always be a market for records and those that love and collect them. But remember we're not talking about first pressing of Velvet Underground albums or rare mono releases of the Beatles. These are readily available cash grabs and in one or five or ten years, who's really going to care enough to spend a premium on the 2014 edition of Nirvana's first album on some random color that was released by some random retail store? It's just going to be one of the dozens of colored vinyl releases of Bleach and no one will give it anymore attention than any of the others. It really makes me sad when I see teenagers drooling over these types of releases (usually while proudly exclaiming how they just got their first turntable from Brookstone or Third Man or wherever...) when I know they can get a quality used black vinyl version at one of the truly indie record shops around here for $10 (or heck, even on eBay!). IN FACT, at these prices, they can get a quality used colored vinyl version of this from the 90s which at least has a little more cachet than this, right?! tonyfranciosa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamalatapes Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Not terrible for those who don't already have bleach on vinyl Those already with a copy are the ones getting pissed lol Meh... I'd rather go to swap meet and pick up a used copy still... Albeit I heard 90s pressings of most vinyl records sucked... so maybe you're right? I can't shell out 30$ + right now though so I'm going to leave this one alone... now if it were about 23$ shipped we might have a whole new ball game, but for now, I popped up to shallow center for the out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflycon Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I tend to notice this as well...can't recall how Bleach sounded, but it seems like white vinyl has more surface noise on average. I remember reading something once about how white supposedly has the lowest audio quality and clear has the best...can't remember where I read it though. I had white and clear copies of Maximum Rocknroll that I just traded. I used those two to demonstrate to a friend that I thought white had worse sound quality, not knowing that clear was supposedly much better - but just listening to the first track, "Live Your Life," on each, it's obvious. White vinyl just sounds like shit. Same is true for my copies of the "Everybody Hurts" maxi-single - trans orange one sounds pretty good, white one sounds like trash. Tons of surface noise. Releases like this are totally the beginning of the end for the "vinyl renaissance." It may not be right around the corner, but when you start seeing things like this - releases that are limited for the sake of being limited, hand numbered, over-priced and basically released to market as pre-packaged collector's items - you know things are hitting a saturation point. This is a good point. I think "beginning of the end" is a bit melodramatic, but what you're saying is true. "Limited for the sake of being limited" is a good way to put it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 All my white Mount Eerie records sound fantastic. I thought people hated white because of looks. On topic: I just write off labels that do this, meaning I won't check out any new bands they sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebuygum17 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 A point raised earlier really hit the nail on the head. If a record is going to be reissued, make sure its one that hasn't already been done so numerous times and can't easily be bought at a much lower price than what you'll be charging. Having said that there are lots of lazy folk around who'll just see the new coloured ltd edition and think I must have it, regardless of the fact that with a little research they could save themselves a lot of money by buying elsewhere. I'm all for reissues, just make it something that's not readily available everywhere. e.g. An official Tool 'Aenima' reissue would be amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 All my white Mount Eerie records sound fantastic. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamalatapes Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Having said that there are lots of lazy folk around who'll just see the new coloured ltd edition and think I must have it, regardless of the fact that with a little research they could save themselves a lot of money by buying elsewhere. I know some variant collectors. They're just as weird as you and me, it's just their thing, they like variants. I could never do it myself, but yea they exist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramer73 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 wait a year, and you can get a 'loser' repress edition from Sub Pop!! You saw what I did there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Releases like this are totally the beginning of the end for the "vinyl renaissance." It may not be right around the corner, but when you start seeing things like this - releases that are limited for the sake of being limited, hand numbered, over-priced and basically released to market as pre-packaged collector's items - you know things are hitting a saturation point. It happens all the time - look at baseball cards, comic books, beanie babies, whatever. You have a group of core diehards that create a market out of nothing due to their sheer love of a product and then the floodgates open and everything goes downhill from there. Don't get me wrong, there will always be a market for records and those that love and collect them. But remember we're not talking about first pressing of Velvet Underground albums or rare mono releases of the Beatles. These are readily available cash grabs and in one or five or ten years, who's really going to care enough to spend a premium on the 2014 edition of Nirvana's first album on some random color that was released by some random retail store? It's just going to be one of the dozens of colored vinyl releases of Bleach and no one will give it anymore attention than any of the others. It really makes me sad when I see teenagers drooling over these types of releases (usually while proudly exclaiming how they just got their first turntable from Brookstone or Third Man or wherever...) when I know they can get a quality used black vinyl version at one of the truly indie record shops around here for $10 (or heck, even on eBay!). IN FACT, at these prices, they can get a quality used colored vinyl version of this from the 90s which at least has a little more cachet than this, right?! This is such nonsense. A relative recently gave me a whole stack of Elvis Costello records. He was a huge Elvis fan and he had tons of different reissues of different albums in different colors and variants. When I asked how much he paid for them at the time he said "way more than I should have, way more than they were worth." We might not like it, but this is nothing new. psus2h 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I don't think complaining on an internet message board changes much. However. Shit like this is potentially bad for a large portion of people that use this site. If you have been around and listening to records for a while, you might recall the reason many of us got into this - we enjoy the music, it allows us to physically connect to a medium that is becoming more and more digitized, and maybe we enjoy the sound/nostalgia of notes coming from a piece of plastic that we pretend sounds better than any other form of music. But when labels/stores think they can charge $35 for something that is worth $15 and get away with it - because it will sell out/people will buy it/'we gotta keep the doors open! - it starts to (economically) become a huge problem for a portion of us. Because soon, I know this might sound crazy, but other labels and stores will think "hey that one store sold it and sold out" why shouldn't I? And what became something a lot of us started doing because it was cost-effective has driven us out by a hobby mentality. So you might think it'd be a 'stupid reason' to sell a product will sell out for a cheaper price, but some people out there don't think that way. We tend to have a slightly more positive spin on things and think that taking advantage of customers might not be the best thing in the world. TL;DR - I like listening to my records and would prefer they stay in a price range I can afford. I like my records affordable too, but as several have pointed out, you can BUY all these records at affordable prices. Every album Newbury Comics is releasing already exists, just not in a colored/limited variant. So really what this sounds like is people are pissed they can't buy the colored/limited variant at price they prefer. This is hardly "the death of reasonably priced vinyl." travis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusted_By_Space Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Anymore every time i look at a new lp and see the price, my mind always goes straight to how much stuff could i get from deathwish or no idea for the same price. Then i usually end up passing on whatever it is im looking at and do an order at DW or NI. xadamhudsonx and danionly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac1 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 If this pressing included the bonus Live LP, on colored vinyl, the collectors would be a little more excited at the posted price as the live LP is OOP on white vinyl. No other version of Bleach is numbered and currently no other color versions are in print. There was a UK pressing a few years ago (980..) in a few versions (black + white 11-track, limited 13 track and clear) that sold moderately well, now oop, and not too high on collectors list as the vinyl was very thin and, to me, felt cheap. As someone who owns this LP on every official color of SP pressings (except the unofficial iceburg version) I will not go out of my way to pick this up at $28. But if I got to Newbury, get 20% off, and can walk out without paying shipping, then yes I will purchase. To much other good music available. My buddy owns a consignment shop, and I stock new LP's in the "record room", but he gets calls every week from new collectors looking for "original" 90's vinyl for cheap. He always laughs, while stating "who doesn't", and tells the caller there are tons of boxes for digging. The record shows I do always bring a few of the same folks. A couple of weeks ago everyone ignored my Mudhoney LP's and the only OG 90's LP that went involved a trade with Andy from The Saddest Landscape who, surprise surprise, also collects OG 90's vinyl. But I did "dig" an OG black vinyl Bleach (EX, $25), OG US Nevermind (VG, $35) and a Replacements, Sorry Ma..(VG, $30) plus had my best selling day in 4 years. My point. This pressing will sell to people who want a color or numbered version of Bleach. But, if buying to flip, some collectors may be disappointed that the value and will not skyrocket overnight. jase 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown pleasures Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 This is such nonsense. A relative recently gave me a whole stack of Elvis Costello records. He was a huge Elvis fan and he had tons of different reissues of different albums in different colors and variants. When I asked how much he paid for them at the time he said "way more than I should have, way more than they were worth." We might not like it, but this is nothing new. I think you're overlooking an important fact right in your own post: your relative was a huge Elvis Costello fan. There has always been a market - for nearly as long as records have been around - catering to huge fans. There's got to be someone buying all those Beatles picture discs, die-cut Madonna interview singles, shady Smiths bootlegs, endless color variants from Europe, etc. I'll even admit there's a few bands who I have difficulty passing up re-releases by. The difference here is that these aren't aimed at huge fans. Maybe some huge fans will buy it, but if every huge Nirvana fan - the ones who own Love Buzz and such - picked this up, it would have sold out in 10 seconds. This is aimed at the casual vinyl listener who thinks albums pressed on color are A) pretty and worth a 300% markup. I reckon a good amount of these will never even be opened from their shrink-wrap. Remember, according to Newbury Comics themselves, these aren't even records! They're individually numbered "pieces", like those Franklin Mint chess sets or limited Marvel superhero busts. Hurry, supplies are limited! Collect 'em all! tonyfranciosa 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_ben Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Anyone have free time this evening? I am going to Best Buy and going to walk around and yell out to everyone around anything I see that is "over priced". What? You don't do that in real life? Just online?...hmmmm psus2h, Alice in Chains and travis 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I dont think you have a clue what we do in real life. And while you're at Best Buy, grab me a 3.5" floppy, Zip disk and a dot matrix printer. 3fingersdown, xadamhudsonx and Brock N Roll 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsimmons Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaba1337 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Here's a great example of "limited release" represses of albums priced appropriately. The Black Keys - The Big Come Up Regular black $13 http://www.bompstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=12575 Pink Marble $15 http://www.bompstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=15420 There are over 20 represses of this one, and none of them have cost more than a couple dollars over the original black. Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose. $10 http://store.noidearecords.com/collections/lp-s/products/againstmereinventingaxlrose 38 reissues, tons of colors, always dirt cheap. Obviously Nirvana is far more famous than either of these bands, and Newbury knows they will sell at the price point they have set, but that still makes it a rip off. I would have no problem paying up to about $20 for this Bleach repress personally, but $28+ shipping is too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Here's a great example of "limited release" represses of albums priced appropriately. The Black Keys - The Big Come Up Regular black $13 http://www.bompstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=12575 Pink Marble $15 http://www.bompstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=15420 There are over 20 represses of this one, and none of them have cost more than a couple dollars over the original black. Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose. $10 http://store.noidearecords.com/collections/lp-s/products/againstmereinventingaxlrose 38 reissues, tons of colors, always dirt cheap. Obviously Nirvana is far more famous than either of these bands, and Newbury knows they will sell at the price point they have set, but that still makes it a rip off. I would have no problem paying up to about $20 for this Bleach repress personally, but $28+ shipping is too much. I don't think there has been any debate about this being a ripoff. It is. It emphatically is. My whole point is that, ripoff or not, I'd much rather more money going to independent record stores and labels like NC and Sub Pop than something like Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown pleasures Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I don't think there has been any debate about this being a ripoff. It is. It emphatically is. My whole point is that, ripoff or not, I'd much rather more money going to independent record stores and labels like NC and Sub Pop than something like Amazon. The idea that Newbury Comics is independent is a little misleading. It's like calling Boston Beer Company a "craft brewery." Sure, technically they are, but the difference between the little guys and them is almost as large as between them and the big boys. That isn't to say Newbury Comics (or Boston Beer Company, for that matter) doesn't do a lot to help the industry and that their success doesn't trickle down to smaller players, but when I walk into one of the high-rent Newbury Comics mall locations full of clothing, shoes and Hunger Games merchandise I'm sure not thinking I'm helping a struggling mom and pop record store. jaba1337 and BuzzersonKillwell 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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