SOUND CLIPS OR NO SOUND CLIPS

[Retrospect Records]

I have been told by quite a few peeps that the soundbytes I offer on auction and website really helps someone decide whether or not to get the disc (regardless of whether they are silver , green , blue , black or polka-dot.....PLEASE don't bring that up AGAIN)...

 

So anyways , was just wondering how many people find it a useful addition...

 

3rd choice was intended as a joke ,but I do realize that there are people who actually do it.

 

Thanks for your opinions on this even if only a dozen respond.

[T-BONE]

There's nothing worse than seeing a cd cover with the coolest looking band, logo, song titles and a shitload of hype and then getting it and finding it's a glorified beer coaster. Soundbytes are very useful with two exceptions...

 

I've seen many sellers, websites or even bands that put up low quality or low bitrate clips on the website and in the past, and I've passed this off as them trying to save website space, or possibly making it easier for the slow connection people to get the clips etc... Then I get the cd, and the production is so horrible that it sounds like the cd was recorded of a old cassette. I much prefer when they take the time to put up a good representation of the tunes and make them at least 128 or 160bitrate minimum.

 

Also, when chopping the tune up for the 20-30 second sample, part of the verses and most of the chorus works best in my opinion. I've seen many times where they just play the first 20-30 seconds and when you're listening to the clip, it stops right before the big chorus, which in my opinion, is a big seller

[headbanger4life]

I agree with T-Bone. To many times, I've purchased a cd based to hype or inaccurate comparison to another well known band.

 

The soundbytes that you put up for your bands really helps a lot. It has turned me on to a lot of bands that I knew nothing about. Please keep the great work.

[& then]

with both T-Bone & Headbanger! The other thing that may add is having, on average, three or four sound clips available for a cd makes a differance, too. So a person can sample more than one or two songs on most cd's, even tho many of the sound clips on many websites, in general, not in all cases , tend to be of the better songs, it still helps to be able to hear sound clips.

[chocularok]

Sound clips are great, & multiple sound clips (as you have done) is even better. A lot of times when only one sound clip is offered, it's because all the other tracks on a disc are total shit. Also, if you're only going to use one clip, a good "deep" track number, say 7 or 8, speaks volumes as to the quality of the disc overall instead of using the lead track.

[Fat Freddy]

I like soundbites, especially if it's a song or band I've never heard before. Kinda bugs me when they're only 10 or 20 seconds long though. I know it's a pain to use longer samples because of the bandwidth they take up) but sometimes it's hard to tell if you like a song or not from such a short teaser...

[zacharyamelie]

Of the last 20 cd's I bought off the net, I bet 17-18 were because of the samples, the others were because they were a band I already loved. Soundbites are great, especially with vocals, nothing is worse than hearing 20 seconds of an intro and no vocals. I'll ignore the 1 person who wanted to be an ass and burns the cd's, and say it is a done deal with your poll, soundbites are the way to go.

[aMetalhead1966]

I like soundbites cause after years of buying Music I want to eliminate

buying things I won't listen to.

[Retrospect Records]

I thank everyone for your input on this issue. Whether you buy from RR or not , it's nice to know that the work I put into the soundbytes is actually worth the effort.

 

(I know I know , the artwork is next....)

 

I think everyone will see an improvement in the newer RR releases....

 

7 new releases are now available from RR...I will post that later today in a separate thread.

[TIM (2)]

I thank everyone for your input on this issue. Whether you buy from RR or not , it's nice to know that the work I put into the soundbytes is actually worth the effort.

 

(I know I know , the artwork is next....)

 

I think everyone will see an improvement in the newer RR releases....

 

7 new releases are now available from RR...I will post that later today in a separate thread.

 

Absolutely, 100% worth it. I chanced upon the Mariah release on the RR site (before people were talking about it here) and bought both albums immediately on the back of the soundbytes.

[Doksdad]

I prefer to listen to soundbytes prior to purchasing. I do prefer them to be over a minute in length otherwise it is a waste. 30 seconds is not enough. They need to be over a minute to fully get into the chorus and the heart of the song. Keep the bytes coming I say....

[David]

I thank everyone for your input on this issue. Whether you buy from RR or not , it's nice to know that the work I put into the soundbytes is actually worth the effort.

 

(I know I know , the artwork is next....)

 

I think everyone will see an improvement in the newer RR releases....

 

7 new releases are now available from RR...I will post that later today in a separate thread.

 

 

Sam,

 

Sounds like you are making small steps in the right direction, maybe the next step after the art-work boost is converting to silver pressed discs??.... And than I suppose natural progression would be distributors and advertising!! The future looks bright!! Wow, than you would be able to put Retorospect Records in the same league as Metal Mayhem, Perris Records, Kivel Records, etc.. now that's something to be proud of!!

 

Kind regards

Dave

[Retrospect Records]

I thank everyone for your input on this issue. Whether you buy from RR or not , it's nice to know that the work I put into the soundbytes is actually worth the effort.

 

(I know I know , the artwork is next....)

 

I think everyone will see an improvement in the newer RR releases....

 

7 new releases are now available from RR...I will post that later today in a separate thread.

 

 

Sam,

 

Sounds like you are making small steps in the right direction, maybe the next step after the art-work boost is converting to silver pressed discs??.... And than I suppose natural progression would be distributors and advertising!! The future looks bright!! Wow, than you would be able to put Retorospect Records in the same league as Metal Mayhem, Perris Records, Kivel Records, etc.. now that's something to be proud of!!

 

Kind regards

Dave

 

 

I will never do ALL silver-pressed discs. It's a bad investment for starters , unless it's a killer band like Mariah or Defcon. It's always good to do what I call 'market-testers' , to see the reaction from certain discs.

 

As far as Metal Mayhem , Perris and Kivel goes , I blow them away as far as number of releases and I don't know about Kivel or Perris but Ryan at M.M. doesn't pay his artists. I do so I'm already a notch higher than MM in my not-so-humble opinion. But I don't really like to compare RR with any other label. I just do my thing and they do their thing.

 

As far as distribution goes , I am doing a LOT of business in Europe right now , but you can never have enough I guess.

 

I will NEVER EVER let NEH , Metal Mayhem or any other American distributor carry my products - that is a completely idiotic business move. People who want the discs order from my website.

 

When I heard AOR Heaven was going to send some Mariah discs to NEH I put a stop to it immediately.

 

Why sell a bunch of discs wholesale for $6 to American companies who will turn around and sell it cheaper than my website? That's just stupid.

 

David you should encourage more sales from your site by offering the discs at a reasonable price - it would piss me off to see other companies offering my discs cheaper than me.

 

More and more people know who Retrospect Records is now , and when I see repeat buyers after buyers it definitely makes me feel good knowing that I am releasing some extremely rare product. I have many goals to achieve - my first was to release 100 albums in one year , I have done that and it has put RR on the map - now I will focus on more quality bands & artwork to prove that I am a serious player in the music biz.

My long-term goal is to nab a lot of the bands on labels like Frontiers (pay Tony Harnell his royalties for Starbreaker for gods sake!) , Shrapnel and MTM. A lot of the artists I know on MTM and Frontiers feel totally shafted by receiving ZILCH in royalties and the reason they don't make it public is because they have no other option in getting their music into Europe. Who else is going to release it? The Z Records scandal become public knowledge after a certain amount of time , and it's only a matter of time before the others get implicated.

When bands like Warrant , TNT and Kip Winger hopefully come over to RR , I will have earned the respect from the fans and the bands will KNOW they are getting paid.

 

I wonder how many of you would still buy cd's from MTM , SPV and Frontiers if you knew the real story about the royalty situation?

 

I may have to do a poll on it.

 

Anyhoo , I could talk for hours about this subject, but the people who REALLY KNOW me (like Jim , Brian , Dave) , who have spoke with me on the phone know what I'm all about and know my passion for the music.

 

Tonight I am pitching the song "Okeechobee Whiskey" (by STRANGER) to Sammy Hagar and Toby Keith.....I hope they want to record it......and YES Greg Billings knows.....

 

Regards

Sam

[David]

Sam,

 

After all that preaching about how honest Retrospect Records are to their bands, I still don't understand the Sweet Teaze story??? I know the band very well (obviously) and you blatantly ripped them off. Your story about how good you are to bands doesn't win we over because I know the truth. All I can say is that I hope you have changed your ways and that will be good for everyone.

 

I think it's a laugh that you think you can win Warrant over while making CDR's! LOL!

 

Kind regards

Dave

[Retrospect Records]

Perris released cd-r's of some Pretty Boy Floyd material and they are a 'respected' label aren't they David?

 

In whose eyes?

 

For such cheap CD-r's that you hate so much , you sure want to bid on them don't you David? How many different user names are you going to keep making up trying to bid on my auctions?

 

David it's been six months since announcing signings of bands like Heavens Wish , what's the hold up?

 

And why did you lie to a bunch of bands telling them you sold 8,000 units of Blue Tears?

 

See, this is why you will never get my stuff David , because you're an underhanded backstabbing two-faced idiot who doesn't know when to shut up.

 

The bottom line is this everyone so listen up...

 

in caps...

 

DAVID HAS BEEN TRYING FOR MONTHS TO BID ON MY AUCTIONS ON EBAY SO HE CAN WIN SOME OF THE CD'S THAT HE ALLEGEDLY HATES SO MUCH.

In February I had him suspended for not paying his bill. He has created numerous ebay user names in an effort to keep trying to nab the cd's. I catch him out every time , block him and he begs to allow him to bid.

 

YOU ARE A FRAUD DAVID AND YOU NEED TO GROW UP. MOMMY'S MONEY (the person financing SunCity) CAN ONLY LAST SO LONG.

 

You have been outclassed on every level.

 

Have a nice day

[zacharyamelie]

Perris released cd-r's of some Pretty Boy Floyd material and they are a 'respected' label aren't they David?

 

In whose eyes?

 

For such cheap CD-r's that you hate so much , you sure want to bid on them don't you David? How many different user names are you going to keep making up trying to bid on my auctions?

 

David it's been six months since announcing signings of bands like Heavens Wish , what's the hold up?

 

And why did you lie to a bunch of bands telling them you sold 8,000 units of Blue Tears?

 

See, this is why you will never get my stuff David , because you're an underhanded backstabbing two-faced idiot who doesn't know when to shut up.

 

The bottom line is this everyone so listen up...

 

in caps...

 

DAVID HAS BEEN TRYING FOR MONTHS TO BID ON MY AUCTIONS ON EBAY SO HE CAN WIN SOME OF THE CD'S THAT HE ALLEGEDLY HATES SO MUCH.

In February I had him suspended for not paying his bill. He has created numerous ebay user names in an effort to keep trying to nab the cd's. I catch him out every time , block him and he begs to allow him to bid.

 

YOU ARE A FRAUD DAVID AND YOU NEED TO GROW UP. MOMMY'S MONEY (the person financing SunCity) CAN ONLY LAST SO LONG.

 

You have been outclassed on every level.

 

Have a nice day

 

 

At least 3 user names, in the past few years. Leaving me high and dry twice with cd's he won and never paid for because he got NARUed. When it comes to shaky and unstable bidders, you hit this one on the nail, Sam.

[Retrospect Records]

Lol - shall we start a new thread titled "DATABASE OF DAVID'S EBAY NAMES"

 

David Arwine perhaps!?!!?

[David]

Once again Sam, you have been faced with the Sweet Teaze question and you reply with some old dirt about Ebay. Every time you are backed into a corner, you come out firing on all cylinders with issues that have nothing to do with the topic at hand.

 

P.S. I like how you say Suncity Records is financed by Mommy!! LOL!! She has been kicking up daisies for over a decade now!! It really shows how switched on you are if you believe anything Lynn Edward Glezen says after everything he has done to everyone.

 

Kind regards

Dave

[JustJason]

I thought this thread was about sound clips.

[Retrospect Records]

It was about sound clips until David shot his mouth off (as usual).

 

What is it David , a jealousy thing?

 

Sweet Teaze was put to bed a long time ago.

 

All I will say is that I was under the impression that I had permission to release the cd. That turned out not to be the case so I stopped selling it. I fucked up by not researching the situation.

 

Simple really isn't it.

 

That's all you need to know.

 

Now answer my question David....

 

WHY DO YOU KEEP CREATING EBAY NAMES TO BID ON MY STUFF WHEN YOU PUT IT DOWN SO MUCH?

 

One person at this forum knows that I have the power to NARU / VERO anyone at any time. Why push your luck?

 

This feud is getting old David.

 

Do your thing and I'll do mine.

[Bubbasmama]

Most definitely "I always try to listen to sound clips before purchasing..."

 

A friend of mine and I used to go to CDBaby and just pick random bands to listen to.......that was fun......and we found some really cool stuff that way.....

[metalmaniac777]

Sound clips (that include the chorus) are the only way to go. It's been years since I bought a CD without hearing a sample first. While I personally haven't purchased anything from Retrospect, I have listened to most of their samples and jotted down Roxy Lane and Shake City as bands I want to pick up at some point in time (building a new house has left my disposable income somewhere south of zero).

 

So, to sum things up, gotta have the clips.

[Chris]

I always try to listen first. It's the only way to go. Like MJ said I have found many new bands that way.

[Geoff]

Yeah, unless it's a trusted band, IMO sound clips are a must. With all the dud comparisons and hype that gets thrown around these days (mostly on ebay) I think it's a huge bonus to have a sample (chorus included) to listen to. When I was a huge CD buyer I used to get so pissed off by letdowns due to false info. If I ever get money again I'd not buy without hearing samples first.

[koogles]

I'm a big fan of putting soundbytes on my auctions. If there aren't MP3s embedded in my auctions, they're always an email request away... I give every buyer the opportunity to hear first, bid/buy later.

 

I would love to put Mp3 samples on all my auctions, but it's a pretty labor-intensive procedure. Rip track to Mp3, load the Mp3 to my website, then link the Mp3 to the auction. My auction listings take long enough without Mp3s!!

 

As for buying CDs, I love to test drive the disc first. If the band is one of my "core" artists, I will usually buy with blind faith and await the surprise when the CD comes in the mail. Sometimes the surprise is pleasant (Wetton/Downes for example), other times not so (Zion). I try to keep to the "old school" music buying experience whenever possible. By buying Mp3s off iTunes, you just don't get the feeling of running your fingers along the shrink wrap, tearing away the cellophane, opening up the jewel case and exploring the booklet as you rock out to fresh melodies!!