Label subscriptions

kasra

Active Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2003
Hi all

Im looking into starting a Critical one. I wanted to ask you guys what your thoughts on them are:

Amount of releases vs amount paid
What extras you would want
Wether they are a good idea at all
TPS/Whites or artwork copies

etc etc its quite open ended

If im going to do it I want it to be the best it can possibly be, hence me asking for your input

Cheers

Kasra/Critical
 
Ive never had a subscription before and the reason i have been put off in the past is the white labels. Part of the attraction of buying vinyl is having the full artwork to add to my collection. I think i would be interested in a critical one due to the consistent quality of the releases but ram and shogun are more hit and miss imo.
 
Yeah if I was to subscribe i'd want full-artwork promos, especially as it's from critical. Really like the neat and clean designs you use, simple but effective and makes it easier to find tunes. For extras, it would be good to be emailed the mp3s aswell.

For pricing it would have to be equal or cheaper than buying them separately on redeye etc.
 
Great idea

I would prefer artwork copies but whites/tps would not sway my decision.. if its easier with whites, which i'd imagine it would be, then maybe just a simple sticker on the label or perhaps your recent vinyl jackets with the round stickers on, that could work.

With regards to cost, how many releases a year? 12 or so? as long as its reasonable per release.
Not sure about the maths, if cutting out the middle man lowers costs and you can pass a small saving on to the customer, then thats a real incentive to all.

Maybe even a 6 month subscription, might be more appealing to some, or a monthly direct debit option? that could get messy tho.

Extras? not really sure, what can you provide? getting the tracks early is an extra imo and all I'd actually care about.

Stickers, posters, other merchandise, promo cd's - maybe dj sets from critical nights (can we have these anyway pretty please?)
mp3's with the releases (but then i see surus had some issues with people uploading these not long ago) and if its a vinyl subscription its probably not worth the hassle.
 
Would definately sign up for this, an early release of full artwork would be best but it wouldn't stop me if it was just promos. If free MP3 downloads at release date were chucked in as an extra that would be decent.

Should be kept to a limited number of people and have a waiting list for others to sign up, keep it sort of exclusive.
 
Personally i think for the promo subscription it should be tp's, or maybe you could have the option of a tp sub or full release sub.

RAM charge £70 for 10 releases inc p&p
Shogun charge £75 for 10 inc p&p

Im hoping you choose to do one mate as i will be on there for life!

Just hope metalheadz pull there finger out and do one now!
 
I'd definatly be on a critical one, was thinking about ram/shogun but both of them have had some pretty suspect releases recently, don't really get that on critical.

^ £70 for 10 inc p&p sounds like a decent deal, most vinyl go for between £6-7. Don't really mind about full artwork, tho a decent critical promo sleeve would be appreciated, not just a filmsy white one

As for extras, a few ideas i'd like would be;

free mp3 download for say 2 tunes if they are released as mp3 only so vinyl buyers don't miss out,
a critical poster?
maybe a cheeky 10% discount code for purchase off critial t-shirts (if they exist/are in the works)
 
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If they are full artwork I'll definitely be on this. I don't really like buying promos but I might still sign up if its promos and we get them early.
 
Would be all over it, think critical are the most consistent label right now! maybe have an option of 6monthly/12 months. (maybe for people who sign up to 1 year receive a freebee. As an incentive.) Full artwork I think would be generally more appealing to most.
 
1.Stick to full release artwork promo
2.6-12 months subs
3.Make the 12 month sub a little cheaper than the 6 month
4.Free Critical sticker with first 12" sent,flyers for Critical nights etc
5.Keep the tp's for Surus:respekt:
 
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maybe you could have the option of a tp sub or full release sub

Definitely this. Opens your options to a bigger consumer base.

I wouldn't really worry about extras etc at the moment (I know a few heads were pissd at paying extra for a Ram poster on a 'special edition' release) as 100% of people I know who mix are worried about one thing only....THE MUSIC
 
Definitely this. Opens your options to a bigger consumer base.

I wouldn't really worry about extras etc at the moment (I know a few heads were pissd at paying extra for a Ram poster on a 'special edition' release) as 100% of people I know who mix are worried about one thing only....THE MUSIC

Surely if this was true it wouldn't make a difference if it was tp/white lable/full artwork
 
I would definately jump on acritical subscription..

TP's or whites would not bother me. I would also let the subscription run for around 12 releases, i would really try to get these out to everyone before they go to other shops.

any little goody would suit me! you could do one good goody for subscribing.
 
^ Yeah might be an idea to run it for more than 10, like 12-15. If eps count as 2 and lps count as 3/4 i'd rather pay for 15 and get more releases sent
 
^ Yeah might be an idea to run it for more than 10, like 12-15. If eps count as 2 and lps count as 3/4 i'd rather pay for 15 and get more releases sent

Yeah but at the same time you've gotta keep it affordable, eg RAM do 10 releases £70 so if you want 15 you're probably looking at over £100.
In an ideal world

- 10 releases £70 inc VAT postage etc.
- TP's (If people want promo's its pretty easy to get hold of one nowadays, but TP's would be nice so you have something to play out before it hits the shops)
- Could run something like, if you renew your subscription 3 times in a row you get some kind of gift (maybe guestlist to a critical night or something?) Obv limited to a certain amount so you dont end up letting everyone in for free :D
- MP3's would be wicked, but unfeasable, there's bound to be some cunt that uploads them ruining it for everyone
- Maybe some kind of newsletter that keeps the sublist informed of future releases?

Just some ideas really, would be a great idea though.
 
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