[FYFL]

Interesting playback experience with Obel’s record… I don’t have that particular one but now I am super curious.
Is it the dynamic range that’s causing this?

 

[FYFL]

Here are some titles that will hit the stores soon (perhaps some are already out).

This could be interesting P. Gregson is a bit of a venturous story teller.

There’s a vinyl counterpart of this D.Bowie set.

I’m afraid that they probably butchered it and cut corners. But I will be happy if proven wrong.

That’s for high rollers and GD fans. I can’t justify paying that. Not that huge of a fan.

This I might be interested in. We will see.

 

[FYFL]

I should probably add few words about last 3 records from VinylMePlease that I’ve listen to.
It’s a little tricky to recommend those (at least some of them) bc for 1,
to get those limited run exclusive pressings you do need to be a member.
And 2, they are very limited runs. Most of the time, it’s 1000 copies. Sometimes even less.
I forgot what this series is called….., something like Jazz Dispensary or something like that. That’s for rare Jazz titles. Mostly less popular or known artists or labels. It doesn’t meant that they are bad. Not at all. But a lots of time they aren’t a triple A transfers and packaging is rather basic. They do sound good tho. Records like Lyle Lovett, Joshua Judges Ruth can be purchased without committing to monthly membership (great record and sound btw). Yeah, it costs a couple bucks more but, if you sign up for their newsletter/mail, they often have a bunch of great titles on sale.
I should also add that quality of VMP records improved quite a bit over the past 12months or so.
Cameron Schaefer (VMP CEO) is one of the few who asked Chad for wisdom and ways to improve quality of pressing and mastering. And the only one that I am aware of, who actually followed through with Chad’s simple yet hard recipe for great sounding and looking records. He’s a young guy too, with plenty of time to master this craft and make some awesome records for rest of us for years to come.
I think he recruited Chad’s plant manager/plating master for VMP’s own pressing plant, so future for this label looks really bright. And perhaps with this new pressing plant, they will venture outside of membership only business structure…

 

[FYFL]

Another one that could interest some of you… For me it’s a no brainer. %100 analog by K. Gray.
Intervention Records.

 

[]eep]

Fun with figures...

I wondered what exactly 180gsm vinyl was supposed to be. The standard for abbreviation for gram is 'g'. So what is that 'gsm'? Some sort of special quality grade? What?

When I Google it, all I get is explanations of the benefit of 180 gram lp's over 120-150 g. So what's up with the s and the m? 180 giant screaming mimis? Now you might find this ignorant, but let me remind you it's our metric system that is certified by the ISO norm, which is a worldwide system. There used to be a metal 1 meter bar in a vault in Paris but now we seem to use laserlight. We use a normalised decimal system that doesn't require you to use your thumbs and feet. Or fractures. 'Imperial' is an idiotic heritage system prone to making mistakes and difficult rates between different unit's. But it's main advocat is the worlds biggest bullie/hegemon. God save the king eh... Empire United States?
Anyway...
What i guess is that gsm stands for GramSMetric?
So it's just a regular kind of vinyl, not virgin or quiex or anything like that.


The fun part is I stumbled on a website where you can order pressing your record on vinyl or CD. You can input your mastering, quantity, quality, label, sleeve, all parameters to make your album of lp's. All the while you can see the total price in Euro excl vat.
Now this is interesting. We know lp's aren't cheap. But just the pressing and sleeving costs per 1000 costs:
€2300 for 140g.
€2530 for 180g
Mastering for vinyl costs €45 extra
€2970 for color vinyl
€3010 for marbled vinyl
Full color labels €130 extra
€510 extra for full color printed inner sleeves €720 for 225g kraft paper
€080 extra for poly lined VS plain white sleeves (that's just 8¢ per album)
Standard outer sleeve €310
Full color printed €790
Gatefold €710
Gf Full color €1450
St os high gloss lamination €490 extra
Gf high gloss lamination €980 extra
Tip-on jacket (please sit down first) €3000 extra
Tip-on gatefold €4620 extra
Insert 300x300 double sided full color €620
8 page booklet €1200 extra
Obi €700 extra

Now an example of a 5000 batch of a double album with white poly lined inner sleeves and an 8 page booklet. This is like the Soundgarden album I just bought. I get to a total of €30530 ex. That comes down to about €7.50 out of the €30 I payed for it. Given this is only the medium and packaging I don't think it is out of the ordinary.
For the Agnes Obel Album I come to a total of €7
A single marbled vinyl with booklet in a tip-on jacket €7.20
Single clear vinyl simple full color jacket, poly inner €4.20


What I found remarkable is
- how little extra 180g costs (€0.23)
- how relatively cheap fancy colors are (€0.50 for marbled, €0.45 for color which is €5 extra retail, or more)
- how expensive the jackets and print are


So, I think this gives you some great insight about the cost of making an lp. And how to appreciate what you get. I now also appreciate Michael 45 his comment about the jackets and that he is used to working with publishing and print.

https://deepgrooves.eu/

 

[FYFL]

Licensing fees, legal fees, storage, distribution, premium vinyl/pressing plant/mastering. All adds up. And then there’s wholesale price. Not complicated.
And not one advertisement that I have ever seen said “gsm”. Maybe it’s a EU thing…?lol
Speaking of not complicated.
If you can still find it, maybe, just maybe, you wanna grab this…

PS for my little imaginary project of 1000 copies, it came out to:

So about $17000 plus shipping.
And probably local taxes.

 

[]eep]

That's quite extravagant. I downloaded it once but I didn't put it on my HD. I didn't like it. At all. It seems some other do.

My further thoughts on pricing. Like you said, licenses, marketing, transport. Transport and storage is more because of the extra size and weight. Ok I get that. The rest is the same. Just add the price of the medium on the price of a CD and it's still pretty skewed. And I suspect the artist is still not getting a good deal.

 

[FYFL]

That's quite extravagant. I downloaded it once but I didn't put it on my HD. I didn't like it. At all. It seems some other do.

My further thoughts on pricing. Like you said, licenses, marketing, transport. Transport and storage is more because of the extra size and weight. Ok I get that. The rest is the same. Just add the price of the medium on the price of a CD and it's still pretty skewed. And I suspect the artist is still not getting a good deal.

Artist/label licensing is anywhere from 5–10 percent. Depending on the band, label, arrangement, length of licensing, nr of copies etc.
It sure seems like it doesn’t cost a whole lot but, you add this all up plus the profit margin and risk…. Well, the only ones that actually make a killing are those bootlegged pressings/“labels. And those really crappy ones that make LPs that sound worst then CDs.

MoFi keeps getting desperate. More all analog titles out.
I actually have nothing against that.
It’s the ones that they made a killing on by lying that really bother me.
I’m personally not a huge MoFi fan but those who don’t really give a sh!t, can snatch some really cool, analog titles right now. Do as you wish.

 

[FYFL]

That's quite extravagant. I downloaded it once but I didn't put it on my HD. I didn't like it. At all. It seems some other do.

You mean Smashing Pumpkins box set? Yes and no.
Before this release it would cost around $250-$800 from a flipper.
You can get it now (if you look) for $95 or less. And it is beautifully made+analog (possibly/maybe/hopefully).

And they are pretty awesome IMHO. I would also consider this album a classic.

 

[FYFL]

Don’t listen, don’t care about, and definitely not interested. But surely there’s the fallowing of Gorillaz out there. And since it’s not just about what I like, here you go (on LP now or very soon. I see conflicting dates on this release):

 

[]eep]

Another price that stuck out like a sore thumb...

I had a €5 voucher and they had the mono 'Are you experienced' so I ordered that on Amazon for €20. Then I saw that Adele, who usurped all of the pressing plants last year and sold for €40, now for only €15. That was a Richard (we call him Dick) move anyway. Serves them right.

Oh how the mighty have fallen (lost weight). Wining housewives don't do as well as pining unfortunate girls I reckon. Just goes to show you need to work on the inside, not the outside. She now sounds as sincere as her piano is real.

 

[FYFL]

It’s actually an album worth buying.
She’s anywhere at the top of my playlist but that album is actually worth occasional spin. And she’s isn’t the only Richard in town. T. Swift keeps bunch of plants contemplating a third shift as an option. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I would guess more than 0.5M per year. I’ll have some plastic tomorrow and my Pumpkins got Smashed by out of stock message by a distributor with website in need of an update.

 

[]eep]

Yup, Taylor Swift is the other big stacker. Let's just try to see the silver lining there, if these artists open up new markets, new customers, new turntable owners, then the market will need to expand. I mean, the market will tighten and prices go up, but the industry will have to expand. I just hope it won't be at the cost of quality. If you see how we can make chips in nm scale in dust free rooms, lp's should benefit from the progression in the last 40 years.

 

[CJG888]

The 1019 now has a custom cover:

The new idler wheel and VTA compensator wedge also arrived today.

I’m considering fitting a Shure M44-7 with a new Jico nude spherical stylus. Any thoughts?

 

[FYFL]

Yup, Taylor Swift is the other big stacker. Let's just try to see the silver lining there, if these artists open up new markets, new customers, new turntable owners, then the market will need to expand. I mean, the market will tighten and prices go up, but the industry will have to expand. I just hope it won't be at the cost of quality. If you see how we can make chips in nm scale in dust free rooms, lp's should benefit from the progression in the last 40 years.

Any growth in vinyl popularity is a good thing as a whole. It’s nice to see more and more young kids getting into it as well. Not only good for vinyl but music in general.


Cassette tape flashbacks. Still available and cut from analog.