Retrospect Records

"proper" re-issues? Ask some of the people over at melodicrock.com how they feel about Wounded Bird re-issues and then you can start throwing that word around.

Wounded Bird Rock Candy MTM Classix Retrospect Renaissance (legit? very possibly tho' not 100% confirmed) Karthago Battle Cry Those are 7 legit labels , if you'd like to add more go right ahead. FYI , I did not include Sun City because they haven't actually technically 're-issued' anything yet.

Yet again Stormspell puts his foot in his mouth. According to him EVERYTHING is fishy and EVERYONE is booting. You really need to get a life. There are about 6 or 7 LEGIT re-issuing companies in the world right now. Accept it and move on. The ebay police-thing isn't working for you. Are all Russians this 'fishy'?

um , I think it was perfectly clear that he was selling re-issues as they were stated as such in his auctions. If anyone couldn't figure that out then , um , maybe you should go back to school and not buy stuff off eBay.

No thanks , one opinionated Ruskie doesn't bother me a bit.

Hmmm , I guess you guys don't get it. Pretty much the only people who care about boots are the handful or so who post at this forum. "The Ebay Police". Everybody else wants the music.

Seems you are the only one complaining.

And which Retrospect release do you actually own Stormspell?

Mario at MTM is the LAST person who should complain about people selling Russian versions of MTM titles outside of Russia. I could tell you guys some stories about MTM screwing over their artists (ala Z Records) but you probably wouldn't believe me anyway so I'll just zip it.

Another cheap shot from the man who not only badmouths his competition but tries to steal contracts from under Sam...and has failed every time. At least David said the music was cool and SOME of what he is saying is true I suppose. According to Sam here's the real deal... SOME of the titles are taken from cassette (if that was the only source available then that's all you can use - FYI , the RPM re-issue by MTM classix was taken from VINYL - that's a FACT , and I can also guarantee you that Perris has released quite a few cd's that were mastered from demo-tapes). Other titles were remastered from the original cd's or left exactly as they were on cd format. There are also a few that were remastered from the original DAT's and/or reel to reels. Artwork is taken from the best source available and even Sam admits he wasn't happy at the way a few turned out. We will also see some silver-pressings come up shortly , like Manila Thrills , Axtion , Mariah , NewCity Rockers and very possibly Fire Dept. Sam said he was willing to give silver-pressings a shot to see if they are lucrative investments. To say Retrospect Records isn't a real label is like saying Yngwie Malmsteen isn't a real guitar player. And David , you started your label 6 months before Sam took over Retrospect and by seeing his 84 releases to your 4 I think I can safely say that he is kicking your ass. (I apologize if Dan is offended by this statement but I hope he sees what is going on here.) To be completely honest , David you really ought to keep your mouth shut until you know the facts. I'm starting to wonder if you run SunCity Records or JealousCity Records. Look , it's no secret that I am a supporter of Sam and Retrospect , but that's because I have been a customer and a friend for quite a few years and he gives me the scoop on what has been happening behind the scenes. David , you should be supporting Sam , not denouncing him because your releases 'look better'. I don't know if this response will get me banned from H.H. but I'd like to ask Dan to be objective when viewing David's statements and mine. To conclude , Sam has let me in on dozens and dozens of releases in the coming year and I think 2006 is going to be an exciting year for all of us AOR / Hard Rock fanatics. One more thing , we are all going to see a subsidiary of Retrospect emerge in 2006 called RetroThrash.

Firstly , they aren't MY releases. I have nothing to do with Retrospect Records. Secondly , Old Metal Records and Renaissance Records are two companies who release more generic product than Retrospect , IMO.

Another cheap shot at Retrospect Stormspell?

'I agree,sound wise they are equal to worldwide prints,but the sleeve notes etc,are not so equal.' Have to disagree there. 'If you notify people up front,its still illegal (just like selling CDRs),but at least the buyer knows what they are getting.' It's only illegal if the cd's are sealed. If they are opened , anything goes.

"The thing is , they are liscensed from those labels clearly on the understanding they are not to be sold outside of the Baltic states." Used cd's can be sold anywhere so that tag only applies to brand new discs. If they are opened , it nullifies that 'not to be sold outside Russia' thing.

Yep , I scored a few of Aldrumz releases myself. Saved myself a whole bunch of cash from having to buy those ridiculous $80 originals.

Anybody who would buy from that guy at a $8.99 shipping charge would be nuts , I don't care if they are sent from the moon. The Russian cd's are not the issue as they are just as good if not better quality than any other version , I know because I own a few. Not to mention CD-Maximum , Soyuz , Art Music , Irond and Fono are all legitimate Russian companies who license their product from Century Media , Massacre , Nuclear Blast , SPV and various other labels. I guess if these labels don't want their music being exported from the Russian federation they should lower their prices and be 'somewhat' competitive.

That will never happen.

"Bullshit. That's your opinion." There's no opinions on that buddy. You either support the bands or you don't. How is that an opinion? If you choose to trade cdr's with your friend rather than going to CDbaby and purchasing it from the band THEN YOU ARE RIPPING THEM OFF. Now where does the bullshit lay? There is no excuse or justification for it so don't even try. 'However, the currently "accepted standard" whether you agree with it or not is a pressed disc. Now, will that change in the future? Too early to tell.' Tell that to those struggling artists who can't afford to make them. "I will say this: it's a HELL of a lot easier for someone to copy a CDR release than a pressed disc release, so that "limited release" of 100 copies could easily grow into 500 because people are simply making copies and passing them off as one of the orginal 100." I agree , but that's why , for ebay merchants , the VERO program is in place and enforced. It's a simple answer , buy the cd's direct from the source. How much easier should it be laid out?

Ok here we go again. Let me explain clearly so Nostromo can understand. Silver pressed cd's are made in a minimum quantity of 1,000. That means a band has to dish out at least $1,000 to re-press their disc. CD-r's can be pressed in minimum quantities of 100 - that means a $250 investment. Whatever YOU feel about the investment doesn't matter. Some people either don't want to take the risk of spending a grand on a title that may only sell 100 or 200 copies. Therefore a $250 investment is a low-risk investment that many bands are taking advantage of. If you are anal about having silver cd's then shame on you for not supporting the bands - it is always the music that counts , not the packaging. There are quite a few bands on CDBaby that press their discs green or black or blue or whatever they want , if you don't buy it because it 'cheapens' your collection then you are into music and/or collecting for all the wrong reasons and I personally find that offensive. Being an artist and struggling to get a deal in this day and age is tough enough without having a select few dickheads trading cdr's and not actually buying the product. (I find it amazing that you will steal from the band by trading cdr's and yet won't fork out a few bucks to help them). Fortunately those 'dickheads' are in the minority. If the shoe fits. End of story.

And your aesthetic judgment about the bands has exactly *what* to do with CDBABY's commission? You're slamming the site, claiming it takes a HUGE cut, then when you get called on it, your response is "well the bands suck." Please. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just call it how I see it.

Taken from their website: - You set your selling price at whatever you want. - We keep $4 per CD sold. - We pay checks every week I'd HARDLY call $4 a "hefty cut", considered they handle all payment/shipment work for you and all you have to do is send them your stuff and then just sit back and cashing the checks. PLUS, with them you get GREAT online promotion having a dedicated page on their server (150,000 unique daily hits) with audio samples, artwork, YOUR OWN CUSTOMIZED info, customer reviews, etc. etc. Sorry, but no one can beat CDBABY when it comes to supporting independent bands! Not even close! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ok fair enough , but you're talking about 95% of the bands on the site that really suck.

you better check those stats again , cdbaby takes a hefty cut of the sales.

In this case I agree. The word "original" just serves to confuse people and it doesn't really add anything to the description. Just looking at things from strictly a logical standpoint, isn't "original reissue" an oxymoron? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> not if its a Wounded Bird release.

Perris sell some cdr's and MANY bands selling their own discs on CDBaby are in cdr format.

An 'original' is not a cdr?? What if it has NEVER been released before in ANY format? Examples: Suspicion "Hollywood Nites" Bittersweet "Loaded Up" a number of discs released by Perris Records a ton of discs on CDBABY It's that kind of hoyty toyty , nit-picking statement that makes me sick and makes you look like a complete But hey , to each their own , right?