4Yannx
Carefull what you say.One time I put up a 5 A.M. rambling post entitled "The end of LP collecting?" lamenting the fact thatn if you got the easiest souce ,Ebay,which drives up prices evrywhere and it was if I were preposing the platform of the Red Brigades and Baider Meinhoff and Bin Lauden gang combined.Now as someone who last ame a lowley salary as a AUDIO SALESMAN which a carppy base salley an noppoints i.e. no profit shring I was vilified by members of th red staes (I presume for attacking capatalism just because I brought up the fact that there had been relative stablity with gradual increase in prices since I joined ebay in '98 but that their has been a tremendous runup in prices in past 3 especially past two years.All of a sudden Miles W 50th LP that went for $80-120 were going for $2000 i same shape and many items had gone up up tp 300% overnight.Man what a reaction from obviously well heeled reasctionary's I got!!!! .Now I have hear of some skilled sales (not people at chains selling mid fi stereo (not Circut City where you get the base salary and few spiff's or ioncentives selling hifi or microwaves but mid fi/with a mix of some quality (read pricey) shops where some folks make up to $100,000.I certainly was not one of them.Though on fixed salary (where I could put people at rest about "Hard Sell" telling them honestly I got screwed if they bought from us or not.Also there I would be honest if someone else had a product we didnt they needed and sell them elsewhere.Butr the shop was very successfull and I was happy to get some bonuses and thus happy to deal with off well heeled Manhatanites (in western Ma 2 and a 1/2 hours from the NYC).I enjoyed seting up systems but my real joy was and running the jazz dept.I got to enjoy spreding te gospel of Ellington to Miles with an an allmost relgous fervor.
But at home I liked LP's. I used to be able to buy 1500 series Blue Notes (with the exception of cetain ones like Morgans "Lee-Way" or Mobley's "Soul Station" which have commmanded higher prices for soem time I coould get a lesser Mobley,Morgan,Shorter for $60-125.Not any more.Anmd if you check the winners or at least one of the bidders many are "newbies" with more money than cash since who have been ebay menmber since "april 05" And it's mpt only folks from areas like Seattle but many folks from Japan,Thailand etc.Why it took so long for them to get into the mix or why iot eploded 3 or 2 years ago I don't know.But I have seen many of them not know what the f@#$ they are doing and run second prices (especially in arcane Blue Note world).I wish they could at leat all get the second issue (not current) "Goldmine prices for jazz LP's 1949-1969" )older smaller brown colred cover not new larger blue colored book).which gives one comprehensive book for IDENYIFYING pressings through Deep Groove,ear's,lable color,and addressses on Lp's and covers.But they don't know what they are doiung.And not only are items just 2 or 4 times what they were some it cosccionally get's rediculous where ar a decent NM copy of an LP that would have comanded $176 3 years ago now goes for silly prices like $600.Now there are some LP's that thos in the know have always bid high on like Clarke and Bollands "Music for the small hours" and this has for years gone for $600-$900 or an original cp[y of Barney Wilens classic "Tilt" on the Frech Swing label that has been worth $2500 for soe time now (how one VG+ went for $400 the other day I don't know (you can till luck out) so thank god Gitanes has released many french lables including Vogue and Swing on CD for $6 or $8 hee onm En\bay (get it it's phenomenal)( but it's the BN's or some Riversidel, Pretige items that had I jnown what I did I would have gotten Mobley's "Roll Call" which now goes for $350 plus and could have beenm gotten for $125 3 or 4 years ago nm- for $125.Again much thanks to certain re-issue labels like Classic Record which are putting out the Blue Notes (and classical works as well as Led Zepplein) if 180-200 gm virgin vinyl under the diurection of Bernie Grundman who wil use tapes,stampers,dies etc and on ocassion make a copy of and LP that sounds as good as the original or even better since he uses multiple source material.Downside of re-issue market id no more LP's from Mosaic Recordss.Going alomost all CD Cuscuna said he does not market like other(i.e. single LP's that can get $30 per.Still he releases Miles stuff which Columbia will only allow hiom to deign both their CD set's and let him sell LP's.Now I understand this for a June Christy.Still he released a Lou Donalson Blue Note set who's Lp's wpi;d hjout in wax d\from in weeks and not languish like some of his sets so I think he needs to compromide on the CD only policy. But yes it's a mighty bummer when looking at current originals.And I know it's not just new member but all of us.Ebay has made it so if you took a dog turd and set into a lucite cube it would sell .Probaly like crazy.Junk one would walk right past at a tag sale is given serious consideration just because it is on ebay.WellI guess it is saving massive landfill space.
Lp's 4 years ago weren't cheap but this run up sucks and I think those that cricizd me sounded like adam Smith whackos who were amazing virulent in attacking my lamment about th situation "that deserve to be and investment" etc.This is muisc not bullion,ust look at the absurd prices for equipemnt (I ran the jazz CD dept.) While i sold B&W,Krell,McIntosh, plus mid fi like Adcom with iot's terible build quality (and krell if you want to talk about what they charge for what is under the top whe you pop it off.Anmd we all here about a great say Tuner brought for $200 and nobody will buy iot.Manufacturer get's marketing advice to raise the price to $450 without changing the equipment at all and it flies of the shelf because who could take a $200 seriously?It wasn't this way at our shop but Hifi I one of thos few commodities that the sales perso- n selling is more trusted the more haughty and arrogant they act.I have definetly visted those shops (er I mean "Salons").Yeah big bummer what has beenm happening and some hack features writter has a buddy who collects records ( and would exploit his own mothers drug addiction for a story if this issue hadn't come up.I've met thm before) and let's this out of the bag we will soon see Prestige LP with a Johnny Hammond on Antiques Road Show along with colnial swords and native American potery an it just sucks.And I think every body who has made it is invrasing strais fied society with any luck will drop a load on LP's amd have nice house fire.Not that all folks of means are of this ilk and I would wish it on them but if you saw the selfish "I got mine and can get more,hope it increases in value indefitely- fuck you attitude" well I hope they have those house fire or that rings of Lp thieves victimize them.LP's should be accesible and be about the groove not a commodityu to sit in a shelf and increase in value"IMHO
Chazzbo
