Shady scams and other silly business ideas to take advantage of earnest new vinyl collectors

Has anyone heard of http://vnyl.org/?

I think it was mentioned in a "terrible ideas" thread but it turns out that it is actually a great idea if you want to find a way to trick people into buying $1.50 worth of records for $25.00 (which I believe is the subscription cost).

http://www.stereogum.com/1801049/vnyl-sliding-why-the-netflix-for-vinyl-service-is-such-a-mess/franchises/essay/

Apparently no matter who you indicate as your favorite artists, they'll just send you a random three common 70s thrift shop records and then play dumb if that upsets you.
They don't accept returns.

http://www.recordstoreday.com/

https://twitter.com/themattbates/status/594284588257579008/photo/1

good lord

http://www.shugarecords.com/

http://www.better-records.com/dept.asp?dept_id=14-015-034

http://www.artvinyl.com/

the second hand rack in the one Urban Outfitters store I've browsed was 98% dogshit and sold everything for £6 but I was happy enough with the Heavy Metal Kids LP I got for that price

http://www.artvinyl.com/

― anthony braxton diamond geezer (anagram), Thursday, May 14, 2015 2:56 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the branch of (UK odds'n'ends austerity store) Home Bargains near my house sells 12" frames for £1.99 if anyone fancies displaying some LPs on their wall but isn't a profligate moron who thinks that £39 is good value for such a thing

Seriously, how is this a thing?

Which one?

On my twittefeed I keep getting a "Get xx number of indie singles from new acts each month, pre-chosen for youx" subscription service.

I mean, why would I?

(I'd post the link, but it's not there at the mo)

I dare-say a bunch of you music writers would pay a monthly fee to not receive etc, but.

the second hand rack in the one Urban Outfitters store I've browsed was 98% dogshit and sold everything for £6 but I was happy enough with the Heavy Metal Kids LP I got for that price

― pull blart, maul cops (DJ Mencap), Thursday, May 14, 2015 2:57 PM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

If that's the one at Marble Arch, all the second-hand stuff has gone, leaving only the 180g represses..

nah it was in Cardiff and yeah it's just moderately overpriced new stuff now so presumably such is the case with all their stores

This is more silly than scam, I guess, but ...

http://vinylmeplease.com/how-it-works/

"Custom cocktail pairing recipes"

It's...pretty exclusive. Request your invite today.

Wow. This is so depressing.

need that custom youth lagoon record for $27

lol these are all pretty great

the VNYL scam is amazing, the robotic 500 days of summer tone of their con artistry is brilliant

http://www.homebargains.co.uk/products/10407-rock-it-records-12-album-sleeve-frame-case-of-12.aspx

"Our price: £23.88"

(for 12!)

we have those expensive frames in the office, filled with U2 and Bob Marley sleeves.

That girl on the front page of VNYL. So excited! So naive! Such a perfectly sad thing! Ugh

Not to mention the really poorly executed record-face meme thing with the fka twigs. Just.. no.

https://twitter.com/ajakober/status/598701455080431616

wasn't there a thread on ILM started by someone looking into setting up something like this a few months ago ?

had a revival a little after, but to little avail.

yes, there was

What are your thoughts on a new project I'm working on: Wax & Stamp - a vinyl subscription club (UK)

WTF

https://twitter.com/gotvnyl/status/598911277952557057

That is NOT Doug Martsch...

Am I crazy here? Are they trying to trick people into thinking that's Doug Martsch, or did this dude trick them?

maybe that guy's name is also doug martsch

Parody account.

Real one's GETvinyl not got. Still sux.

any evidence that VNYL is actually a successful rip-off, or just a would-be rip-off?

it seems sort of tone-deaf to me.

Maybe it will inadvertently lead to a lounge/easy listening revival in a couple years.

Is there any evidence that anyone's gotten something besides thrift store garbage from VYNL?

Nope. Even with the happy customers.

Which one?

I was replying quickly on my phone earlier, so my initial response was to the first one, but it truly is disheartening to see so many.

What happened to vinyl fans being diggers? I remember when I first got into vinyl, it was just instinctual to hit second hand stores. Has common sense gone out the window in order to make room for this renewed interest in vinyl?

lol crut

Hey, jefferson airplane is not garbage u dummies

What happened to vinyl fans being diggers? I remember when I first got into vinyl, it was just instinctual to hit second hand stores. Has common sense gone out the window in order to make room for this renewed interest in vinyl?

as a new vinyl buyer i will say that i have been to many second-hand shops over the last 5 years and the selections - esp re what i'm looking for - tend to be really really bad. otoh if yr in the market for a jefferson airplane album this is a golden time to be alive.

most of the good vinyl i've gotten have been donations from relatives, finding stuff on ebay, and -- eek - paying full price for some new reissue

Airplane may not suck, but it is an easy, 25¢ thrift store find.

And yeah, genuinely *GREAT* stuff is not going to be found in thrift stores. But when everything's a quarter, you have to expect Cat Stevens, not Velvet Underground.

I guess burning n00bs will never get old.

dying at the stereogum VNYL story, had not heard of this amazing scam. i'm imagining someone having some kind of account difficulty, they can't turn it off, lost password, and every month three more England Dan & John Ford Coley LPs show up, with "#LazySunday" stickers on the front, because of their interest in Sleater-Kinney, Meat Beat Manifesto and Sun Ra. they run out of places to put them, local stores have them on the blacklist, city sanitation crews rip them out of the trash and hurl them back under their doors. and yet they keep coming. endless England Dan & John Ford Coley. eventually a fire starts and they die of poisonous vinyl fumes. all for only $25 a month --- thanks, kickstarter and #VYNL!

i've always wanted to buy a dog eared copies of Sesame Street's The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and a Perry Como compilation for 25 bucks

the best part of the kickstarter economy part of the story is that nobody bothered to see if pay-for-records is legal, so it's now technically pay-for-whatever

the fact that they have no actual curation and it's just backstock and secondhand garbage is icing

Quoting the owner:

“It fucking sucks when we disappoint our members. We honestly feel incredibly sad when a member doesn’t like what we sent. That sucks for them and also for us. It’s like you just spent all this time planning out what you think is an awesome surprise gift idea for someone and then they can’t mask the look of disappointment when they open it up right in front of you. It’s completely deflating. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory of being a human curated service."

I imagine in the back of his mind he's thinking: "Nailed it! Just got to stay in character, then nobody can call us out! It's all subjective, I'll say. As long as enough r/vinyl or Urban Outfitters type kids keep subscribing we should be just fine."

If this was mine I'd just buy the contents of a record store that is going out of business with the kickstarter money and pay someone to put four random records that aren't too beat up in an envelope monthly

that'd be like a half-dozen kids working minimum wage for a couple days per month maximum right?

https://media.wnyc.org/media/photologue/images/a7/yourfavoritexmas3_firestone722.jpg

My #XmasVibes arrived! Nice clean copy. No flood damage!

^
Might be U.S.-centric

It was service that pressed to vinyl anything you sent in to them (copyright be damned).

sending in carrots

i thought this was an interesting comment in the first reddit thread:

Qrates uses GZ Media as their pressing plant. GZ was known for being a “safe” plant for sample-based music. Lots of vaporwave artists got their stuff pressed there, for instance. Around June of this year, GZ started using AI technology to identify samples and require clearance documentation. A LOT of Qrates’ projects were sample-based music, and around the middle of this year, a lot of projects had to be mass-refunded. This is my speculation. Qrates ran out of money to get anything pressed because GZ Media started cracking down on samples, and they had to mass refund a bunch of projects and ran out of cash.

the sad thing about those reddit threads is just how many comments were basically, "whaaa! we should be able to press any sample we want, this is bullshit".

original url doesn't work so i'm having trouble understanding what this is

― budo jeru, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 2:59 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Ah I didn't realize that, here: https://qrates.com

i have only ever made records by physically going somewhere and having lacquers cut, which you then would mail off to be plated. it always seemed to me like the places where you sent files w/ music and art were weird because surely you'd end up with a disappointing product? or maybe i'm just too cynical about the QC at these kinds of places, although this story . . .

iirc, CZ does direct metal masters

i'm not saying it's not legit, nor do i think my caveman process is the only way. but i've only ever been able to make it happen by doing as much as i possibly could myself

plus it's more fun that way

I won't go as far as calling it a shady scam, but I can't image why anyone would want to listen to Feldman's String Quartet II, an extremely long and quiet piece, on vinyl. Any tiny flaw, pop, or crackle will likely be louder than the music, and you have to switch sides every 25 minutes. Oh, and the label only offers this recording on vinyl - no CD, download, or streaming. (Luckily there are two other recordings of the piece out there).

https://www.discogs.com/release/14771547-Morton-Feldman-Pellegrini-Quartet-String-Quartet-II

Well I’m sure this will be a huge success and not shit all over Rough Trade’s reputation.

https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/about/sell-used-vinyl-records

Looks like they've suspended it after the backlash.

C&P'd from SuperDeluxeEdition

Music fans have poured scorn on Rough Trade’s newly touted ‘Flip Vinyl’ initiative (announced yesterday) that sees the legendary indie retailer entice collectors to “swap your pre-loved records for cash” via a collaboration with German outfit Flip Vinyl (described by RT as “one of the fastest-growing second-hand vinyl buyers in Germany”).

In theory it’s a good idea. You simply sell your records via the Rough Trade website in the same way you normally buy them, by adding them to your shopping cart and completing the transaction. You then print off a free postage label and pop the package into your local Evri Parcelshop collection point and get paid five days.

The problem is, the sums being offered are but a fraction of the item’s true value, and people have been quick to point this out on social media. By way of example, Rough Trade will pay you just £10.06 for the 8LP Nirvana Nevermind super deluxe box set. Since this box set was only released little over a year ago, Rough Trade still have this on sale. They are selling it new for £189.99!

David Bowie’s Five Years 13LP box set from 2015 is now extremely rare and has been out-of-print for a long time. So much so that the cheapest copy from a UK seller on Discogs is currently £800, and even that has “shelf wear”. The median price on Discogs is £626. However, Rough Trade’s Flip Vinyl portal is offering you an insanely low £9.28 for the same item! That’s about 1.5 percent of Discogs median price.
By way of comparison, a good second-hand record shop should give you somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of the item’s true retail value, depending on a number of factors including condition and how rare/valuable the item is. You are not, of course, getting the ‘full value’ but fans accept this because clearly the record shop needs to made money by selling it on and it’s a relatively easy way to shift vinyl or CDs (compared to going the eBay or Discogs route).

This FlipVinyl initiative has been described by fans on social media as “insulting”, “indefensible”, “pure profiteering”, and “an absolute rip-off”. In fact, Rough Trade felt compelled to follow up and defend the scheme yesterday with this tweet:

“Please note! We appreciate this service won’t be suitable for everyone’s needs i.e. those seeking to maximise collectible items. However for anyone looking to trade casually for a quick turn-around i.e. to make space, then this could well be a great solution.”

This did little to change anyone’s opinion and in fact rather poured fuel on the flames. Surely RT will feel compelled to have a serious rethink, or simply ditch this idea that has so antagonised their core audience.

Update: 16.00 BST 3 Aug: Rough Trade have announced they are suspending the FlipVinyl service “to reassess” and say “they understand and appreciate these criticisms”.

I have found the Rough Trade West shop off Portobello Road a bit of a treasure trove of 2nd hand vinyl. I don’t think I’ve paid more than £7 for anything in there in the last year. The price for new records are crazy though.

At least now you know how they've been able to price everything so low.

yeah I don't really know what the problem is here, the last time I went to Rough Trade West which tbh was several years ago, they had a load of 2nd hand punk records in the basement for pretty reasonable prices.

am assuming this new venture was going to be a Music Magpie for vinyl so you'd send them a box of records which would be worth several thousand pounds and they'd tell you actually these are 1p each take it or leave it

oh ffs

(tim walz extolling the virtues of "quality speaker wire" - no way it's real, but still lol)

also, hey guess we know who's buying those bob seger deluxe vinyl reissues!

It’s real

The We Buy Records podcast (hosted by two guys who own small record shops) did a breakdown of the whole Rough Trade situation - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/65-rough-around-the-edges/id1456163688

tim walz extolling the virtues of "quality speaker wire" - no way it's real, but still lol

looks like it's lamp wire tho in which case calling that "quality speaker wire" is a total chad move (and totally correct)

lol, yeah. i was assuming he meant as opposed to that super junk really thin stuff you sometimes see

The We Buy Records podcast (hosted by two guys who own small record shops) did a breakdown of the whole Rough Trade situation - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/65-rough-around-the-edges/id1456163688

― Maresn3st, Wednesday, August 7, 2024 3:26 AM (fourteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

this was hilarious, thanks

yeah, glad to be introduced to that podcast! nice energy. just DLed an episode with Max Tundra as a guest; that bodes well.

the VNYL dude had another company going for a minute w/predictably scammy results based on the comments

https://www.instagram.com/vinylboxofficial/

Not exactly sure what this service is (even after perusing the website), but it has potential to fit here:

https://www.waxlog.com/

What IS it selling? I think it’s an ultra-nerdy app that interfaces with discogs and allows you to see nerdy lists made by other ultra-nerds? And it allows you to flip through your collection?

Does it use the images from discogs to create a cover-flow interface? That might be cool but i’d never pay for it.

The Itunes cover art often messes up for me so I never use it but I like the idea of it.

Guessing it's just an app that's looking to take off with earnest new vinyl collectors using goofy vinyl fetishist pandering functions and the ROI is both the "premium" version and maybe some other abstract profit avenues down the road for and if it were to become successful. Not really picking up on any scam angle though.

"Silly business idea," at least(?) Tho I guess every wildly successful app must have been deemed silly at first, by some wag....

Well yes absolutely silly, and totally FOR the same demographic that the thread-relevant scams target. Don't get me wrong.

A new way to explore your record collection.

lol. how many of us have been flipping through our records and thought, you know what? i'd rather be looking at my phone

irl lol

its weird enough to peruse other peoples collections on Discogs

My wild guess is that it just started as a fun little project to make the discogs "collection" page more fun to look at and then turned into an overthought idea for a social media app. But it does cater to the object-worship-focused collector which does exist. Full disclosure I look at my collection on discogs a lot when I'm not home if I just want to think about all the cool bands and singles etc that I like and have. I'll suggest sharing my collection with others online so that I can try to connect with them over shared musical taste. But there are lots of people out there that pay $$$ just to get the rare glitter splatter vinyl version of whatever and I can someone like that looking for a sexier interface to drool over their acquisitions.

Record subscription service Vinyl Me, Please accused of 'ghosting' customers

https://ra.co/news/82675

VMP lasted 13 years?

They were one of the leading vinyl reissue labels for awhile, but as that article points out there's been a ton of mismanagement, price-gouging etc. Last month I saw a Facebook ad from a bankruptcy liquidation company claiming to represent VMP, and they were selling off all their backstock at rock-bottom prices (hundreds of titles at something like $5-10 a disc). It looked pretty sketchy, but maybe there's something to it?

I have some of their stuff from 5-7 years ago, they're genuinely great & affordable pressings, regardless of what's going on now I can attest to the fact that they were good once

https://www.denverpost.com/2025/04/25/vinyl-me-please-customer-complaints-refunds-orders-lawsuit/

Customers say the troubles are ironic, given that VMP in February denounced a look-alike scam site that had been advertised on Facebook as a going-out-of-business sale. While the highly detailed, spoofed site has disappeared and resurfaced at times, its "everything must go" message was angled to play into fears that VMP had already declared bankruptcy, following the recent complaints, delays, lawsuits, and turnover.

So it was sketchy!

That Facebook ad is a scam that almost caught me.

i know a couple of people who have fallen for purported vinyl sales which wound up being scams, but they got their money back in the end.

VMP seemed like the real deal for awhile there, though, and they were. i do appreciate how they took the model created by VNYL and made it legit (til they maybe followed the VNYL model of taking the money and running.)

I thought the VNYL model was taking the money and 200% honoring it by sending back a brand spanking old Mitch Miller LP with a #DanceParty sticker on it? You know, because of how you love artists such as Sonic Youth and Mannequin Pussy

They both were subscription services offering 'Curated Experiences': VYNL took the low road and was sending out $1 records in expensive boxes, while VMP was trying to become a vinyl version of the Criterion Collection by licensing & pressing new & classic titles with added gimmicks.

IIRC, VYNL eventually graduated to shipping RSD returns and catalogue overstocks, so basically what used to be cut-outs.

VMP's big thing was a subscription service that sent you their choice of classic rock, rap, country, etc LP per month, depending on which sub you had. I liked the coupla pressings of theirs I picked up along the way - especially during a weird period pre-pandemic when they were posting LPs to the UK for free - but would never want a subscription service where other people were choosing what records I would buy. But VMP was the only way I managed to get an affordable Buhloone Mindstate before the 2023 DLS reissues.

would never want a subscription service where other people were choosing what records I would buy

I was a member from spring '22-'23, ostensibly on the "Country Track" so I could get a hard to find OG copies of Doug Sahm album. They allowed you switch titles, either one of the other ROTMs or from a reasonably extensive list of older titles, so I only actually got maybe three Country records total during my subscription. They also allowed you to bank credit for a month if nothing struck your fancy that month, which is now one of the big problems subscribers are having trying to claim or get refunds.

i was a vinyl me please member until late 2023. the service itself was fine–with the multiple tracks and ability to swap records, you could get some good stuff. it was expensive, tho.

I have a very good sounding Jorge Ben reissue they did, I think that's all but yeah they were legit

i wouldn't have thought to pick up albums by the silvertones, or gabor szabo, or (like grisso) doug sahm on my own, so i appreciated the curatorial aspect, and if there was some bullshit as the main record of the month, i would swap with one of the genre options

Folks are posting over in the VMP sub that current subscribers are getting their bankruptcy emails and it looks like the store credits were unsecured, so they're basically worthless now.