Fan Club 7" (Year 2)

If I buy one of the variants, do you think it'll arrive before the one I already paid for?   

I don't understand why they would sell the fanclub 7inch now in the store. Iit takes away the whole exclusivity of getting one of the packages in the first place!

Can anyone order these or do you have to be a 45RPM club member?

enola wrote:

I don't understand why they would sell the fanclub 7inch now in the store. Iit takes away the whole exclusivity of getting one of the packages in the first place!

Can anyone order these or do you have to be a 45RPM club member?

Only club members have access to the club store. So the only people buying already have a copy, or are saying to themselves "oops, should've done the vinyl version not digital". Or, someone people who didn't want the t-shirt but wish they had the vinyl are saying "yay I saved 12 bucks and still get the vinyl."

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

enola wrote:

I don't understand why they would sell the fanclub 7inch now in the store. Iit takes away the whole exclusivity of getting one of the packages in the first place!

Can anyone order these or do you have to be a 45RPM club member?

Only club members have access to the club store. So the only people buying already have a copy, or are saying to themselves "oops, should've done the vinyl version not digital". Or, someone people who didn't want the t-shirt but wish they had the vinyl are saying "yay I saved 12 bucks and still get the vinyl."

Yeah they kinda made the vinyl package really not worth it. Digital is way better IMO because of this. Especially cause they are offering the left over coke. Vinyl package doesn't even get an exclusive color. You pay less for you membership with digital AND get your choice of vinyl. Which some of the other vinyl I think look nicer than the coke version and if I had my choice I probably would pick differently.

I'll wait for the official email to be sent out (I assume ones coming) and see if they justify it somehow. Maybe we stumbled upon something we kinda shouldn't have yet and there's a catch. But man it doesn't look good.

[quote="Debonair"]Yeah they kinda made the vinyl package really not worth it. [./quote]

Understatement of the year. If digital only members can buy the vinyl for $8, then they should have charged no more than $8 extra for the vinyl membership. I feel very taken advantage of here.

They must be working on something, because I can't log in at the moment. It worked once, but only showed me my "order history". When I tried accessing the club store it went back to the log in screen.

Shrewsbury_Stars wrote:

Debonair wrote:

Yeah they kinda made the vinyl package really not worth it. [./quote]

Understatement of the year. If digital only members can buy the vinyl for $8, then they should have charged no more than $8 extra for the vinyl membership. I feel very taken advantage of here.

We got a shirt too though don't forget. apparently the short was worth $12.

The email went out, but I was able to order the additional vinyls before then.

it wont let me order , club store keeps saying i dont have access ?????? WTF

Yeah, this makes no sense. The vinyl membership fans should have an exclusive color.

At least the 7" in general is still club-members-only. I hope they keep it that way.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Shrewsbury_Stars wrote:

Debonair wrote:

Yeah they kinda made the vinyl package really not worth it.

Understatement of the year. If digital only members can buy the vinyl for $8, then they should have charged no more than $8 extra for the vinyl membership. I feel very taken advantage of here.

We got a shirt too though don't forget. apparently the short was worth $12.

Still they are leading us to believe that the shirt is the main draw to the vinyl package?

It really should be reversed. The shirt at least should be sold and not the vinyl. Or the vinyl people should get their own exclusive color. And yes I know they are only selling the left overs but still a bunch of people could get the vinyl I have for cheaper than I paid for it. At the very least they should charge more for the coke (or any future exclusives) so that if youre a digital member you're paying a lot more for the vinyl than if you signed up for a vinyl package. I can handle it abit better if you argue vinyl package gets it's own exclusive color. But arguably you could say some of the other colors are nicer and they are still paying less!

I was thinking about this. They should change the club to 100% digital only. Then when the time comes they put up preorders for the vinyl version for digital members. Let's say it lasts a month. So before and during that month people can join the club and preorder that vinyl. After the deadline passes/preorder ends- that's it. You can't sign up and get it, current members can't get it, you missed that year. That way they are only ordering the approximate amount they need and you won't really have left overs. Everyone is paying the same for their membership and the people who want the vinyl still get it. Also it would solve the confusion of "when does the cut off happen". If there are any left overs, yes you put it in the club store.  You can sell them to club members. But for more than they were at preorder.

"hey what about the shirt?" You may ask? Just put it in the club store year round for everyone. If you want a shirt cool. If you don't - what ever. You can still have yearly shirts and when stock runs out - gone. Hey even have a bundled shirts preorder option that's a better deal price wise than if you order the shirt and vinyl separate.

^i know there's flaws to it. But hey I thought I'd share.

brucesboots wrote:

it wont let me order , club store keeps saying i dont have access ?????? WTF

its working now , but a bit pd off by this , even year 1s single is up for sale.

feeling taken advantage of again...seems to be the regular theme with their merch sales.

with that said, I ordered the variants hoping they'd show up at my door before the regular 7".

like I said in another thread, they seriously need to find someone else to run this club. Infinite Merch can't seem to handle the volume.

Debonair wrote:

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Shrewsbury_Stars wrote:

Debonair wrote:

Yeah they kinda made the vinyl package really not worth it.

Understatement of the year. If digital only members can buy the vinyl for $8, then they should have charged no more than $8 extra for the vinyl membership. I feel very taken advantage of here.

We got a shirt too though don't forget. apparently the short was worth $12.

Still they are leading us to believe that the shirt is the main draw to the vinyl package?

It really should be reversed. The shirt at least should be sold and not the vinyl. Or the vinyl people should get their own exclusive color. And yes I know they are only selling the left overs but still a bunch of people could get the vinyl I have for cheaper than I paid for it. At the very least they should charge more for the coke (or any future exclusives) so that if youre a digital member you're paying a lot more for the vinyl than if you signed up for a vinyl package. I can handle it abit better if you argue vinyl package gets it's own exclusive color. But arguably you could say some of the other colors are nicer and they are still paying less!

I was thinking about this. They should change the club to 100% digital only. Then when the time comes they put up preorders for the vinyl version for digital members. Let's say it lasts a month. So before and during that month people can join the club and preorder that vinyl. After the deadline passes/preorder ends- that's it. You can't sign up and get it, current members can't get it, you missed that year. That way they are only ordering the approximate amount they need and you won't really have left overs. Everyone is paying the same for their membership and the people who want the vinyl still get it. Also it would solve the confusion of "when does the cut off happen". If there are any left overs, yes you put it in the club store.  You can sell them to club members. But for more than they were at preorder.

"hey what about the shirt?" You may ask? Just put it in the club store year round for everyone. If you want a shirt cool. If you don't - what ever. You can still have yearly shirts and when stock runs out - gone. Hey even have a bundled shirts preorder option that's a better deal price wise than if you order the shirt and vinyl separate.

^i know there's flaws to it. But hey I thought I'd share.

Or they could keep the shirt and the vinyl color exclusive, offer at least one more perk that only goes to vinyl members (like that sound check idea they had awhile back), and release the variant options MONTHS after the originals went out for a higher price.

I wonder if a digital member who decides to pick up one of these vinyls, will end up getting it before those of us who originally got that version.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

If I buy one of the variants, do you think it'll arrive before the one I already paid for?   

The way this has all been going so far, I think your variant would arrive first.

I was going to defend the club and say that we also have the added perk of advance ticketing, then remembered we didn't even get that for those few scattered shows. arg.

This fan club seems to be ran very poorly. I loved the idea of Gaslight Anthem having this type of fan club but it is ran so bad that unless I see some awesome perks for the rest of this year, I will not be renewing. I like the idea of getting exclusive vinyl and feel like it should only be giving this vinyl. It is almost a slap in the face for me. Why buy this vinyl package when the vinyl will see be available to all members. arghhhh

Also, digital members essentially get a chance to buy the rare vinyl (at 400 each), whereas vinyl members paid much more for vinyl which must be 2,000 plus. Who would even want another coke one.

I agree that some things could be improved BUT I seem to see it differently, overall. I think Debonair had some great constructive ideas about how the club could evolve and to not cause any more hard feelings.

I missed out on the first year vinyl and have been searching for one to pop up on ebay for months. When they sell they go for ~$35. Now, as a member of the club I was offered a chance to buy extras for $8. So for $10 shipped I'm thrilled that they were generous enough to sell them cheaply, to members only. If you feel like this means you were ripped off somehow for being an early adopter, sell your copy on ebay and get your money back. What about the 45 club poster that you were given an exclusive to? Those are worth much more than you paid to the club also. And they were awesome.

For those feeling ripped off this year, were you not happy to send the money for the record and the tshirt before this came up? Sell your record when it comes and get your money back. You still have the digital copy. They printed bonus colors of vinyl, which is a cool thing for vinyl collectors. Gaslight has done this with many, many releases. Selling them for $8 to club members only is very fair, considering what they will be worth on the secondary market.

To be fair, I paid my money with expectation of the tshirt and vinyl and nothing else. I live between Minneapolis and Milwaukee and those shows don't sell out instantly, nor are they seated. Early ticket sales don't really benefit me. I would like to see the store expanded further, hopefully to include things like the poster sold previously, in the same vein that the Third Man Records has the Vault subscription and Vault Store where they sell exclusives (I'm also a member of this club.) I hope that with the alternate color vinyls the store is just getting started.

What I'm really trying to point out is, it is awesome that they are even attempting something like this. I realize that everything is taking a long time to ship, but just be happy that it exists and the final product is awesome. To those that are worried about not getting their records already, stop complaining, I haven't either. But we have the songs now digitally to enjoy and getting the record in the mail will be that much better!

dlbia wrote:

...What about the 45 club poster that you were given an exclusive to? Those are worth much more than you paid to the club also. And they were awesome.

To be fair, I paid my money with expectation of the tshirt and vinyl and nothing else....

...I hope that with the alternate color vinyls the store is just getting started.

What I'm really trying to point out is, it is awesome that they are even attempting something like this. I realize that everything is taking a long time to ship, but just be happy that it exists and the final product is awesome. To those that are worried about not getting their records already, stop complaining, I haven't either. But we have the songs now digitally to enjoy and getting the record in the mail will be that much better!

I agree with everything you said except a couple points. We were given exclusive access to a poster, this is true. But I disagree about it being worth much more than what we paid. It cost $40, which is typical of an el Jefe poster.

I also paid for the vinyl membership as opposed to the digital one with the same expectation. Meaning, the shirt and vinyl combined were worth an extra 20. However, if the vinyl is only worth $8, and I assume this t-shirt didn't cost $32 to make, then there needs to be something else to make the $40 worth it. Such as, the store that has been basically non-existent up till this point. Hopefully the variants are a sign of things to come.

I agree, it's important to be happy the club exists, but it's not a charity given to fans either. We are paying for it. And when you pay for a product and it feels like you're paying more than what it's worth, it's okay to feel like you got a bad deal. Personally, I learned that the digital version is, at this time, the better deal. Now I know for next time.

Regarding the stop complaining thing. I can't speak for others but I personally am not complaining about accessing the songs. My record player isn't even working right now. My issue is the way it's being handled and having the assurance that I will, sometime before the renewal date, get what I paid for.

IM is a tiny company, I get that, and it probably would cost the band more to get a bigger company to do this (one that can ship every member's vinyl so that they all arrive on approx, the same day), so I'm okay with things not being perfect. It's mostly the lack of communication. If they sent out messages like "Okay, member numbers 1-200, your vinyls are shipping this week!" or "Okay, everyone in NY, CT, NJ and PA, your vinyls are shipping over the next two weeks"  ANYTHING that tells me if I'm getting it tomorrow or in June.  

So I guess I'm saying, I agree, it's not THAT bad, but there are things worth criticizing in a manner that is constructive and hopefully allows the club to continue improving year to year. It seems like IM is paying attention to feedback and they're getting better. Hopefully come June, we'll all feel better about this club. Even with the shipping issues, I already feel better than I did a month ago.

steady now steady now wrote:

Also, digital members essentially get a chance to buy the rare vinyl (at 400 each), whereas vinyl members paid much more for vinyl which must be 2,000 plus.  Who would even want another coke one.

True, but when there's a bunch of options at 400 each I feel like that diminishes the value a little too.

It'd be cooler if like the first 400 members got color A, the next 600 got color B, and then the remaining 1000+ got another color and the leftovers of that color went into the story. Or whatever breakdown would make sense based on the current number of members.

Did everyone get the clear vinyl? I signed up for the vinyl and shirt and received the green vinyl? Am I just lucky or something?

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

steady now steady now wrote:

Also, digital members essentially get a chance to buy the rare vinyl (at 400 each), whereas vinyl members paid much more for vinyl which must be 2,000 plus.  Who would even want another coke one.

True, but when there's a bunch of options at 400 each I feel like that diminishes the value a little too.

It'd be cooler if like the first 400 members got color A, the next 600 got color B, and then the remaining 1000+ got another color and the leftovers of that color went into the story. Or whatever breakdown would make sense based on the current number of members.

Lots of thoughtful discussion here.

For me, the reason for being upset is very simple: If the fan club had disclosed that the vinyl would be available for purchase by ALL club members, I (and I assume many others) would never have opted for the more expensive fan club package. That's it, plain and simple. This is about having the ability to make an informed decision. After-the-fact justifications of the "value" of the vinyl package are irrelevant in this respect.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

...I disagree about it being worth much more than what we paid. It cost $40, which is typical of an el Jefe poster.

To this point, I was somewhat mistaken. I thought the poster would have been $30. I still paid $60 the other day for one in the El Jefe store closing.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

I also paid for the vinyl membership as opposed to the digital one with the same expectation. Meaning, the shirt and vinyl combined were worth an extra 20. However, if the vinyl is only worth $8, and I assume this t-shirt didn't cost $32 to make, then there needs to be something else to make the $40 worth it. Such as, the store that has been basically non-existent up till this point. Hopefully the variants are a sign of things to come.

The base club entry is $20. The way I look at it is this money isn't part of the equation. We (vinyl members) paid an extra $20 for an exclusive vinyl and tshirt. I feel like that's worth it. I understand that had people known ahead of time they would have spent $28 and not gotten the tshirt. This is one of the points Debonair brought up earlier that I really liked. Offer the tshirt as an exclusive in the store, not as part of the vinyl package.
I give them the benefit of the doubt to say that the extra colored vinyls were made as a cool bonus for those who paid for the vinyl package. It could possibly be assumed that those who didn't pay the extra $20 just weren't interested in the vinyl in the first place and most likely wouldn't be interested in the other colors. That could be why they made less of each of those, because only a smaller percentage of the larger group would be interested in buying 3 more copies of the same record. Personally I think the coke bottle green is the coolest and am happy with that.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

It'd be cooler if like the first 400 members got color A, the next 600 got color B, and then the remaining 1000+ got another color and the leftovers of that color went into the story. Or whatever breakdown would make sense based on the current number of members.  

I also really like this idea.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

My issue is the way it's being handled and having the assurance that I will, sometime before the renewal date, get what I paid for...If they sent out messages like "Okay, member numbers 1-200, your vinyls are shipping this week!" or "Okay, everyone in NY, CT, NJ and PA, your vinyls are shipping over the next two weeks"  ANYTHING that tells me if I'm getting it tomorrow or in June.  

I agree that better communication should have been given earlier. I wish they would have sent out the recent email a bit sooner. It was through my searches for info on the Year 2 vinyl that I found this forum. I guess I've just been satisfied reading that other people have been getting their records and that I, too, would soon receive mine.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

So I guess I'm saying, I agree, it's not THAT bad, but there are things worth criticizing in a manner that is constructive and hopefully allows the club to continue improving year to year. It seems like IM is paying attention to feedback and they're getting better. Hopefully come June, we'll all feel better about this club. Even with the shipping issues, I already feel better than I did a month ago.

Lets hope that our feedback is heard and things do continue to improve. I'm new to the forum and there just seemed to be a lot of negative energy flowing about the club, so I just wanted to remind people that the club is an awesome thing for us to have and will hopefully continue to improve.

@dbia

Yeah I see what you mean with the the shirt and vinyl not being part of the original $20 that it costs to enter the club, and I agree there, but there has to be more then in value to that original $20 because otherwise you're literally just paying $20 to be like "well I'm in a club". I suppose you could say getting the exclusive tracks digitally was part of that $20 that's true, but that's two very expensive mp3's if again, there's nothing else involved.

Haha, I noticed you were new, Welcome! We're mostly nice people here but we do tend to complain a lot. But it's human nature to be the most critical of the things you care about the most, right?

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Yeah I see what you mean with the the shirt and vinyl not being part of the original $20 that it costs to enter the club, and I agree there, but there has to be more then in value to that original $20 because otherwise you're literally just paying $20 to be like "well I'm in a club". I suppose you could say getting the exclusive tracks digitally was part of that $20 that's true, but that's two very expensive mp3's if again, there's nothing else involved.

Absolutely! That's where things can improve. Improve the store and the sales, as promised when we sign up.

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Haha, I noticed you were new, Welcome! We're mostly nice people here but we do tend to complain a lot. But it's human nature to be the most critical of the things you care about the most, right?

Thanks for my first welcome! Yes we love TGA, we just need to be sure not to love them so much they get squeezed to death