Amazon vinyl subscription

Okay, I successfully canceled Black Sabbath LP.

Then I successfully canceled the subscription entirely.

Then I resubscribed to the subscription to see if that would generate a new selection for this month.

Now I'm refreshing the "Your Orders" page to see if anything appears, but so far there's nothing. I wonder if I've "missed the window" for getting anything this month? According to the subscription page, "Your subscription will renew at $24.99/box plus tax on the next order date July 14, 2021."

I'll post an update if a new title appears in my orders, but for now it appears that my experiment above just resulted in skipping me for June.

 

By the way, this is the message I just received via email after I canceled my subscription:

 

If Amazon wanted to lure in people like those on SH.tv, they would use exclusives: Exclusive titles, or at least exclusive vinyl colors.

They'd only need 1000 people to subscribe to the series to make exclusive colors cost effective.

 

I was in, saw that they were about to ship the Sabbath LP, decided to cancel. I don't want to be in a "club" if they are just sending stuff you can order easily anyway.

 

What's the point of this? Why wouldn't I buy records I actually want?

 

I guess they see “Vinyl Me Please” does well and are trying to compete and have their own version. A much crappier, lame version.

 

Yeah, but I only buy about a quarter of my lps from amazon. So there's about a 75% chance they'll send be something I already have. Or ,like, 70% something I have 5% something I don't want.

 

Exactly. Which is why this whole idea doesn’t make much sense. Curation by machine isn’t really the greatest idea.

 

lol. I know someone who knows someone who buys up all these returns (I think from other sources too). Makes a killing on these damaged lps.

At one time even eBay was trying to get into the exclusive release game. Basically stuff a long the lines of "a special colour variant" that you could only buy on eBay. Not sure how that would've worked since eBay themselves do not sell direct. My guess is that they would've partner up with one or more of their larger music sellers.

 

Weird thing happened: I kept checking my "Your Orders" page every day this week, and no item from this record club ever appeared. I assumed that meant I was skipped for June.

But then a moment ago I received a "...has shipped" email, letting me know that The Clash London Calling 2xLP is on its way to me.

This is the one that Amazon says they're sending to me:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XDCB93Y

I have the Simply Vinyl pressing of London Calling from 1999, which actually sells for less (Median: $31.32) than what the Amazon product is selling for as of this writing ($32.56). Getting this 2xLP for $24.99 shipped seems like a reasonable deal to me.

What is now a little mysterious is that Discogs ( The Clash - London Calling ) doesn't list a 2015 Canadian pressing of this 2xLP set. So which version are they selling us for $24.99? The 2015 Europe pressing?

 

You're getting this one:
The Clash – London Calling (2015, 180 Gram, Vinyl)

 

London Calling 2xLP just arrived, via UPS, and ... pretty bad corner ding.

I'd been having such a nice long streak of flawless LP shipments from Amazon lately (all in those cardboard boxes with the interior "flaps" that really help hold the item in place throughout its journey), but this one came in a different cardboard box that I've never seen before, much thinner without much protection around the sides and corners. It's from some vendor called "Lilflatpack" ( Custom Packaging for Ecommerce - Lil Packaging ).

I'm all in favor of biodegradable materials; this damage I experienced is more due to design flaws in a package that is supposed to be designed to protect LPs, but does a poor job of that critically important task.

If they always send the Amazon Vinyl Club Subscription LPs packaged this way in the future, I won't remain subscribed for long.

 

Amazon Quietly Launches a Monthly Vinyl Subscription Service

I think this is a ploy to get you to buy re-released classic rock from them rather than the 3rd party sellers who specialize in these titles in their original vinyl format.

 

Amazon Quietly Launches a Monthly Vinyl Subscription Service

Like I said in another thread. A ploy to get you to buy re-released classic rock vinyl from Amazon over 3rd party sellers that specialize in classic rock titles in their original vinyl format. The ones with no barcode on the back.

 

Nothing I’ve seen so far about Amazon’s “me too” service suggests it will be anywhere near the level of VMP.

If you’re twenty years old, and just getting into the “vinyls” of Pink Floyd and other warhorse artists for the first time, maybe this is a good service for you. But if you want cool titles like The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby, or country albums, or all of the other interesting records VMP puts out, this is not for you.

 

subscribers will receive randomly selected records that have been returned to Amazon for damaged corners etc

 

Sounds like they aim for the broadest appeal in their selections, so they send you something you probably already got.

 

Huh. This is probably dumb but I subd for a month, what the hell.

Edit: looks like London Calling coming as first shipment. Sony Music Canada Inc. 2015

I’m guessing this is a gimmick to blow out overstock to some degree.

 

All true. It just strengthens my position.

 

Yeah, they'll start you off with Kind of Blue or Aja or Teaser and the Firecat or The Doors.

You'll get an album a month.

In a year, they'll send you a new, much better, reissue of Kind of Blue or Aja or Teaser and the Firecat or The Doors.

The possibilities are endless, in a Mobius strip sort of way.

 

Not new information, but this is Engadget's coverage of the new subscription service:

Amazon cashes in on the vinyl resurgence with record of the month club | Engadget

 

I wonder how many of these albums can be bought 24/7/365 for less than the $25 monthly subscription fee?

 

Time will tell, but so far the 3 titles known to have been a part of the subscription haven't been easily bought for less than $25 shipped. Even the 1xLP Black Sabbath ... I decided after canceling that title from my subscription that I'd explore buying it separately, and I couldn't find it for less than $25 shipped.

 

"You can return a vinyl ..."

Ugh, stop. You're killing me.