Ultimate '60s garage compilation series pipedream

[gregk25]

With the record industry in poor health, the "exclude the middlemen"-idea is taking a rebound recently, it seems to me. So many labels (i.e. Sacred Bones, Captured Tracks, Matador's 7"-club...) doing "exclusive, ltd. deluxe"-versions that are mailorder-only, sell out instantly and a few weeks later cost triple the initial price on ebay/discogs. More often than not the "deluxe" consist of just a number written somewhere and colored vinyl (which I hate anyway), but sometimes you do get little extra that's actually nice: the great insert-letter w/ the recent Bees 45, a bonus 7" with the new Yo La Tengo LP. Offering a subscription modell would work, I suppose, if subscribers getting something GREAT, they'd otherwise miss out on: i.e. a bonus-45 with unreleased songs, reproduced band cards or group pictures, a guided tour of the boss-hoss-g45-bunker...

 

[sylvain]

With the record industry in poor health, the "exclude the middlemen"-idea is taking a rebound recently, it seems to me. So many labels (i.e. Sacred Bones, Captured Tracks, Matador's 7"-club...) doing "exclusive, ltd. deluxe"-versions that are mailorder-only, sell out instantly and a few weeks later cost triple the initial price on ebay/discogs. More often than not the "deluxe" consist of just a number written somewhere and colored vinyl (which I hate anyway), but sometimes you do get little extra that's actually nice: the great insert-letter w/ the recent Bees 45, a bonus 7" with the new Yo La Tengo LP. Offering a subscription modell would work, I suppose, if subscribers getting something GREAT, they'd otherwise miss out on: i.e. a bonus-45 with unreleased songs, reproduced band cards or group pictures, a guided tour of the boss-hoss-g45-bunker...

I don't think those bonus would be a requirement. Any comp of the kind being discussed here, pressed the luxurious way (gatefold, heavy cardboard, 2lps, liners, etc), will sell out within a month, if pressed between 300 and 500 copies, numbered or not. The best way to avoid having copies waiting on the shelves.
Now, to recoup the investment, the public price for each copy may also be of the "collector" one.... The only other option is to press 1000 copies of each volume, but this will cost you a lot, and you have to be prepared to stock some copies during years in your cave. Days when lim-1000 releases were sold out within 3 months (=the 90s/ early 00s) are long gone. And if you get 300 copies remaining in stock for 2 years each time you release a new volume in this 40 or so vol. series, you'll get out of place quickly, and sick and tired of that all...Unless you associate with a label like Norton / Crypt/ Sundazed etc which are used to deal with the "long queue" model, ie. selling a bit of everything, but during years, and usually at cheap prices. Now, it's far from sure if they could "afford" such a series.

 

[MopTopMike]

There is no way a project like this can be done with Norton and/or Sundazed, even Crypt. It has to be a limited bootleg deal. And I don't think you could sell 500, the market is not there for the cost.

 

[tom kirby]

There is no way a project like this can be done with Norton and/or Sundazed, even Crypt. It has to be a limited bootleg deal. And I don't think you could sell 500, the market is not there for the cost.

Mike,

Are you saying that the music being discussed could be made available in the suggested order, but only by having each volume a download instead of any kind of "hard" media? To me it's always been about the music not whether it's on vinyl or cd or whatever the current technology has to offer in way of a hold in my hand format. I personally am much more excited in saying to someone "man, you've gotta hear this" than in saying "wow, come look at this vinyl."

 

[MopTopMike]

I was referring to a boxset (vinyl) release. I don't think anyone would want to even bother with downloads, since it would be a bootleg (unauthorized) project.
I was working on a legal reissue project which didn't even get off the ground - the company which owns the rights / tapes canned the project due to legalities and paperwork costs. Let alone the project would not meet the expectations required by the number-crunchers in accounting.

 

[tom kirby]

Thanks Mike.

 

[howlin' hoosier]

I was referring to a boxset (vinyl) release. I don't think anyone would want to even bother with downloads, since it would be a bootleg (unauthorized) project.
I was working on a legal reissue project which didn't even get off the ground - the company which owns the rights / tapes canned the project due to legalities and paperwork costs. Let alone the project would not meet the expectations required by the number-crunchers in accounting.

Sounds like you were dealing with Universal...

 

[axel]

this will be the Rolls in the comp universe.

That's a nice way to put it!

 

[axel]

and... I'd love to do the design!

That would be awesome! I think Kai's ideas for 60s garage visuals are highly innovative. They are stylish with a rough/handmade edge and I think totally appropriate for the genre. A garage comp series with that look would be amazing.

 

[gregk25]

Seconded! As a long-time freeloader of ShyC's impeccable 6Ts-graphic-skills the sheer notion of them gracing a whole comp-series gets the heart pumping.

 

[pfft]

Samples, please!

 

[EXPO67]

Samples, please!

They're on his blog. One of the best actually, shame I don't speak German.

 

[pfft]

Do you mean this?
http://shyc.posterous.com/

I can't find any art, only 45's.

 

[EXPO67]

Do you mean this?
http://shyc.posterous.com/

I can't find any art, only 45's.

Yes, that's it. I've only seen the label scans.

 

[ShyC]

Samples, please!

Alright then, some samples of posters, flyers and covers.

As you can see, I kind of dig Twiggy.

Kai

 

[pfft]

Very cool.

 

[MopTopMike]

Sounds like you were dealing with Universal...

No, EMI

 

[sylvain]

I dig the artwork above, would love to display such posters when I'm DJing !
That said, aren't they a bit to "psyched-out" when it comes to 66' "teenbeat mayhem" sounds ? This reminds me the Warren allergy to anything "psych"... They look to me as the colours of 67-68, not really 64-66. But maybe am I wrong. If I was a graphist, I'd go for a black / white thing, full of dangerous moptops, ties, suits and some gothic lettering. This would probably be revisionist as well, but more IMO in the league of the pre-67 mood.

 

[EXPO67]

Anything BUT zombies and cavemen is OK with me.

ShyC's graphics are more psychedelic than teenbeat I suppose.
1st two Twiggy posters are super cool.

 

[ShyC]

Thanks guys. Since graphic design is what I earn my bread with, I can of course do any style that's wished for. Just give me a "briefing": '62, '66, '67, '77. 80s is when I start to suck, though.