Vinyl Me, Please is in Trouble? What should we (customers) do?

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I wanted to address the news about @VinylMePlease I make a lot of videos about them and you might have signed up for the service because of my recommendations. I do not work for them - and this information I have is my own opinion and facts gathered from online news articles - linked below - in short - I am not canceling my subscription - but watch the video to find out more!
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Watch his video - • How Vinyl Me Please Lo...
Stereogum Article about it - shorturl.at/btxFW
Denver Post (paywall) - article - shorturl.at/eoFU0
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#vinylmeplease #audiophile #vinylcommunity
Intro - 0:00
Summary of Discord Town Hall - 3:06
What am I going to do personally? - 6:08
Some thoughts on M45 video - 8:53
Addressing some complaints with VMP - 12:49
Does VMP Devalue your vinyl? - 14:45
Contact them if you are bothered - 18:45

[@TemujinScott80]

Sounds like VMP is making sure they keep their integrity and are getting rid of the bad apples and re-structuring. I’m always impressed with the quality of their vinyl

[@RequiemsArchitect]

Same! I've never had an issues, thank God, with any of my ROTM's.

[@Souldisco]

Thanks for the video, i don't think they will go out of business. In the past, they did a great job. Canceled my subscription because i was not happy with the titles. But for sure they released some great records.

[@xentakis]

Nadine, you didn’t stick around at least to get the Don Blackman record?

[@Peoria19581]

Support the growing pains of the vinyl resurgence. Another KZbinr just blasted VMP (over quality issues) and announced his cancelation which seemed very odd to me as he had applauded of the pressings and box sets in the past. Gary Salstrom from QRP (Acoustic Sounds) left AS and now is with VMP (the new pressing plant actually). Weed through the business smokescreen, its obvious VMP is being blasted because the competition (AS) is angry their top employee left them and will take some business with him. I'm still a VMP member. Thank you for the update

[@Peoria19581]

Totally agree with all your points. In addition, instead of "Buy now or cry later" (FOMO) t-shirts from AS, VMP new line of small run high end art prints (such as John Coltrane). Blue Note records does the same thing, framed limited art.

[@jimmccloskey4254]

The companies mentioned where you can get these records at reduced pricing, each month they have specials, same for each quarter and end of year. Most are to clear inventory. I have purchase 20 - 50 per season.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Yeah I’m starting to see the cycles and sales seasons. All good to me quality vinyl for cheap!

[@kmad5853]

Thank you for being a voice of reason on this. Everyone else has been doom and gloom and assuming the worst. Can everyone just wait and see if anything changes?

[@jodygoeler586]

Thank you so much for this segment. I’m sticking with vmp and keeping my membership. I agree with every point you’ve made, so I won’t repeat them. Just thank you!

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Thank you for watching!

[@reakyboy]

Thanks for sharing all your insights! Your detailed perspective is amazing-truly, there's no substitute for experience, which seems unmatched here. I really appreciate it and have been a big fan of VMP so far. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the Impulse Box set that I ordered right when it was released. I feel like a credit of some kind is in order, considering I paid in full and the expected arrival date keeps getting pushed back. I don’t anticipate rejoining unless they offer another promo close to or similar to a 12-month subscription plus 8 free records/selections.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

I ordered the impulse on accouncement day as well. I think there will be some kind of compensation for that.

[@booieaguilar4792]

I love VMP, although I don't have a subscription I get certain pressings from them. I'm the only person in my household that works so down the road I'd love a subscription if their still open. And I hope you still get a chance to tour that pressings plant, that way we can finally meet lol. I was curious what your thoughts on this were, but now I know. Much love to you brotha man

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Yo - the Tears of Sorrow vol 2 just came in and OMG. 😳 I think….i found a copy of vol. 1 for retail as well. Stay tuned!

[@booieaguilar4792]

@@PiecesofVinyl it's a F@☆♤!n hell of a compilation brotha man, I knew you'd appreciate it. I've even been streaming it while I'm at work. You'll love vol. 1 also, and I hope you found the colored varient of it. I'd love to hear a video from you about this series also🤞 I hope you do. Also you can get ahold of the creator of shades of sorrow on the website. He gets back to you super quick, a conversation with you and him talking about Shades Of Sorrow would be hell a tight.

[@JoseReyes-hy6rd]

Not a subscriber but bought some records a couple of months ago during a recent sale. Finally got around to listening to them and a couple records had warps and skips. Opened a supoort request last week and today I got tracking number for replacements. I assume it wouldn’t have been that easy for a company that was in worse shape. So my recent customer service experience was positive

[@onyx550]

I have a question about Vinyl me please they are in my home state and have electronic music just wanted to know if I can get records from them if I have an account other than the five they have to start with?

[@PiecesofVinyl]

They have a very large inventory and you can purchase anything from it at anytime. If you sign up for the service you choose one of the four tracks and each month they send you a new record. But you can even “swap” those out for something else they have if you don’t like that pick.

[@onyx550]

So if I pick rock and then can I swap for electronic music?

[@onyx550]

I'm new to the vinyl world I just got into vinyl about 3 months ago and I live in Denver do you think I should sign up for vinyl me please to help grow my vinyl collection and if you say yes I should join then tell me why thanks

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Honestly? They probably wouldn't want me to say this - but if you just started 3 months ago, stick to quantity over quality for a while. Dont buy total crap - but flea markets, places with cheap records - you can get a lot of stuff and then once have a good amount and you start refining what you like - and you want some variety - consider VMP since they offer the picks and might get you stuff you didn't already have. You can always buy from them without a SUB - or you can also join for a little bit and quit - there is no signup fee. If you do sign up - I have codes in my other videos for discounts!

[@onyx550]

Yes I'm going to try vmp I'm in Denver Colorado and they are in Denver as well but they just had some problems with the ceo so they fired him so I hope they are still good I kind of heard they are ok but only having one problem with getting box sets out taking a long time so I'm going to try them soon

[@cchach]

I’ve been with VMP since 2017 and currently have 4 tracks. I also have purchased at least 1/2 of the Anthologies and several store exclusives. The pressing quality has decreased substantially in the past 3 years. I return about 1/4 each month for extreme warps. Several others I have to flatten. With that said the presentation and audio quality of most releases have been fantastic. I also loathe colored vinyl but overall the stuff they produce is pretty nice.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

I have had to get replacements too. But I have also had issues with older old out of print stuff. I had to get two of the BS paranoid on the second hand - but it’s hit or miss. I will say all of rotms this year have been fine.

[@cchach]

@@PiecesofVinyl yea and it’s really pressing plant dependent. They are very good about replacing.

[@austinhunt4260]

Never needed a record from them, but I am grateful they exist and I support them (if only morally, this far). Thanks for the news.

[@gorgom1025]

Thank you for being a voice of reason during this whole debacle. Some people overreact to the slightest hint of negative press (no pun intended), without stopping to think about the reality of the situation. Yes, the CEO and and his fellow C-suite pals fucked up, but that’s why there’s a board of directors. And the BoD swooped in before this was ever going to affect VMP’s business.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Thanks for watching!

[@VinylRundown]

Or maybe they swooped a little late. they didn't see any of the marketing material and press coverage of the "our new pressing plant"? that they never owned or controlled.

[@xentakis]

Yeah but it also sounds like the Board was not paying enough attention. Not sure how they did not notice all of this sooner.

[@VinylRundown]

@@xentakis The complaint mentions that after two years the plants still couldn't even press records on time. Does that mean they got mad only after the plant failed? if the plant was a success they wouldn't have cared much?

[@xentakis]

@@VinylRundown Good questions - based on what I’ve seen, it seems like there are more than a few unanswered questions in that complaint, including yours. It also appears there was a 4-3 board vote on a resolution to authorize *something* related to the plant, but it’s unclear what exactly that authorized, and why the CEO (who seems to have had a clear conflict of interest) cast the deciding vote.

[@philipbolton7265]

Excellent summary. thank you. I've about 15 VMP records and every one is the highest quality.

[@thomasmandeno2776]

Well said man. I have absolutely loved my first years subscription with VMP. I have got so much more out of the service than I ever thought. I would feel very sad if something happened to the company. Some people complain no matter the circumstances. It’s pathetic.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

What stuff do you get from them?

[@thomasmandeno2776]

Just hip-hop really. I have purchased quite a bit over the last year and have never been disappointed. Living in Australia, the free shipping is a major bonus

[@dank.6942]

I was with them for nearly 4 years. I like them generally. I just cancelled prior to May 1. I think the album quality has diminished, in terms of the caliber of artists and the significance of the records. They clearly can't license many "hit" records that are less than 40 years old. I exhausted the swaps system eventually and my decision point came when I took store credit 2 out of 3 times, and before re-upping in May, I looked at all 5 tracks, for 3 months, and couldn't find one record in 15, that I wanted, and I didn't care to go on accumulating store credit with nothing coming down the pike.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Not enjoying the selections is totally understandable - I think they should get more indie stuff but also vinyl is just super popular right now so it might be hard to get access to certain things.

[@kevintrjohnson]

I was given a 15 dollar credit when I inquired for the second month in a row about the Cowboy Bebop pre-orders. They didn't say anything about the reason for the delay, let alone that it had anything to do with the pressing plant.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

That might be involved here. I think some of the Latin titles I have are delayed for this reason.

[@Drexlspivey78]

I’ve been a member for 3 years and will continue to renew another year next month. Quality is why. Always quality pressings. I’ve definitely skipped months and taken the credit but before I had to renew, I always use the credit to get something I really wanted so I end up with 12 records (at least) a year, that I really want. Most of the time its releases Ive been trying to find VG+ or M copies of but they’re $100+ if I even find them. Their box set are fucking gold too. I have Willie Nelson, Waylon, and Whitney Houston first album. All are beautiful.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

They blew me away with the Vanguard box - I am not a folk person at all but that is really nice and now I like a lot of Folk stuff. And that box is relatively cheap too.

[@EddieJazzFan]

VMP puts out good stuff. Sometimes I don't like the titles but then I do a swap. The one thing that really bugs me is when you pre-order a box set, they charge your credit card within seconds even if the box doesn't come out for months.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

That could be improved I agree.

[@stevelanemusic4463]

WOW, Wow, wow... Thanks for the info..!!

[@aa5az423]

Hopefully, time heals all wounds.

[@ProfJazzNoob]

Thanks for the rundown, dude!

[@nelsonarblaster]

I’ve never bought an album from VMP. I have no first hand experience but my perception has always been they are a company that capitalized on the color variant “exclusive” train. They seem more interested in aesthetics. Acoustic Sounds seems the opposite. Again, this is perception. But if I have this perception then probably thousands of others do as well.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

They do color variants for some stuff. But even with those they try to still provide good audio. Color don’t take away from quality if the mastering is still good.

[@mpw116]

Great video man. Agree with everything you’ve said. It’s clear that you read a lot of the back and forth on discord.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Thanks! Discord can get wild!

[@davepounds8924]

Sounds like troubled times ahead!!

[@jimmccloskey4254]

Micheal45 has gone OG because he compared about 25 or more OGs and new pressings only to have many chuckle at each comparison when he admitted to the OGs being better. It became a challenge for him to continue in a similar manner. I use to on the comments keep a running score, nearly 18 OGs to 3 or 4 new.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

The OGs might be better from a pure sonic standpoint - but - if you want all the originals and extras and everything in mint a lot of time it’s really hard to find or really expensive or both.

[@wgb113]

You buy records for the music?!? Crazy talk man! JK…good video, VMP will be fine now that they tossed the shady ELT.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

what is saying - "The two things that really drew me to vinyl were the expense and the inconvenience."

[@wgb113]

@@PiecesofVinyl precisely! 😝

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Got a feeling a lot of the vinyl industry is going to feel some pain pretty soon.

[@EddieJazzFan]

Yup, and not just the vinyl industry, but a lot of the economy, I hope not though..

[@davidpetersen7091]

Good discussion. Mr. Pete------>

[@kegwfu]

Whomever is doing customer service for Blue Note is the worst. It makes me want to never order from them again. However, VMP has always been responsive when I have an issue

[@PiecesofVinyl]

I completely agree!

[@MikeGervasi]

They are in trouble and have been for a while. When you hear about the upper management hijynx going on it's coming fast.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

I hope you are wrong. I like their records.

[@philipketchum1407]

The more KZbin I watch regarding vinyl the more I’m glad I didn’t fall down that rabbit hole. Too expensive, complicated and filled with drama

[@ursaminorjim]

I think they'll weather this little embezzlement trauma just fine. They're expensive, yes, but the quality of the pressings has been excellent across the board.

[@thomasmandeno2776]

I had made the comment to Michael previously that it was absolutely absurd to belong to all 5 tracks. I guess if you can afford it…otherwise this seems very over indulgent

[@jayzeeshawn]

I love VMP!!!!

[@audiotomb]

I support VMP Hate to see them struggle I got in early when they brought Fiona Apple out Like your focus on the music , who cares on collectability etc M45 has a long history More a hype sticker junkie than a listener First it was Only remasters, audiophile labels, ERC snobbery, Mofi the best Then a complete Mofi betrayal Then a dramatic 180 After responses telling him to listen to original he reluctantly tried them The last couple years original pressings only I would not recommend his very limited experience

[@hubtunes9607]

Doesn’t effect me as a customer

[@nechadi]

Yeah but how does it affect you?

[@hubtunes9607]

@@nechadi Not in the least bit. Im not canceling my subscription

[@wallyallgood]

45 has become the most cringe member of the VC in the game! Now that he has a business selling originals (OBC), why would he promote reissues, other than Acoustic Sounds reissues which he also sells. This whole “look at me I can afford multi hundred dollar originals on my multi thousand dollar system,” is so out of touch and probably a big part of why much of the VC doesn’t speak very positively of him.

[@PiecesofVinyl]

He’s a good guy. It is nice to show the access of some of the rare pressings - but the rest of us need to listen to something - and make rent!

[@highrantdistrict]

"I have done freelance video marketing work for them for social media", plus you took payment (a box set) to pimp the company, but "other than that" you've never worked for them... man, that's a lot of verbal gymnastics. Where do you stand on the lawsuit Alex filed against VMP for retaliation, gender discrimination and a racially hostile workplace? You neglected to mention that in this advert for VMP. Where do you stand?

[@PiecesofVinyl]

I should have clarified my "freelance" video work for them - I have not had to fill out a W9 - or - I have never been considered a "sub contractor" for them - as I do and have done for other companies in my freelance video work. In my opinion - (if you want to call it verbal gymnastics) - I am NOT "an employee" for someone unless I am paying taxes with Uncle Sam with them - In the past I have made videos promoting record shops and owners that I have visited and from those videos....through a monetized YT channel - (and the free beer they gave me in one case)...I was technically paid - but I dont consider myself ever to have been "employed" by them. Where do I stand on an internal company lawsuit I have never heard of until you mentioned it here??? If they are doing that stuff - that is wrong - and a court of law will decide that. Again, I dont work for them so I have no idea. Can you send a link for reference?

[@robbiedetroitstigermanviny8883]

This here is going to be the death of the vinyl resurrgence.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

The vinyl resurgence will destroy itself with greed