Just got in my new CD, and they all SKIP!
Delay
4,530 Posts
I just got in Medium: Rare III and naturally i was super excited. I threw one in while i was eating, and half way through, this word repeats like 4 times. i checked a couple other copies and they all do as well. I ran over to check the master to make sure it wasnt my fault, and it didn't have the skip. now, i have all these orders to fill, but have to send back the stock ARRRRGGHHHH!what should i do with this manufacturer? 
Comments
worst case, just play it off as if you were doing back-to-backs for like 5 mins straight.
who was the manufaturer?....so we can avoid them.
Now that some funny sh!t.
If you're getting the CD professionally done, then the pressing plant will usually check for errors before it is shipped to you.
If you did do a short-run job, insist that the CD's get burned at 8x or less. It may not be convenient for them, but if they don't like it, request a proper refund and take your business elsewhere. Trust me from experience, that can cause a (ahem) delay in how you are promoting and how you want to sell your CD. On my last album, I had come out with a number of mixes, had planned on releasing a 45 with a British label, had a few interviews lined up, all of that. I paid for my CD to be pressed up, in the hopes it would be in my hands in two weeks or less. That would've lead to me sending out promo CD's to various writers. Two months came, nothing. Three, four, five, and I kept on writing to them and had no luck whatsoever. I reported them to the Better Business Bureau and amazingly, I got a reply. They had my money but did not do anything because the guy who owned the company couldn't afford some of the things that were needed to make my CD's (i.e. toner/ink). Eventually I received my CD's, but it had been six months later, I did not receive a pertial refund or extra copies, my own promotional means was ruined. Of course, I should have been smart and released another CD and had it pressed with someone else, but I didn't.
I run a CD/vinyl manufacturing shop, and based on my experience with the plants, I'd say this is the best suggestion so far but might not work 100%. I doubt they'll re-run the inserts/traycards for you, give you new jewelboxes and shrink new copies for free, along with replacing the CDs they screwed up (which really should never happen...I don't know what kind of quality control these guys are running). If it works, that's awesome - I'm just thinking the broker or plant will probably resist that very much because they'll be out too much money.
A realistic scneario is probably keeping 50 or a 100 for promo like LordRadio suggested, getting the rest sent back on their dime, having them fix up the error immediately, and getting the CDs shipped back to you on their dime ASAP, AND they should give you a good discount. They will probably be flexible on the discount if you are dissatisfied (and if they aren't jerks).
Lastly, it shouldn't matter if your master had the skip or not. Any worthwhile plant will have an Eclipse test checking the data on the CD before they press it. You should always get a red flag and an opportunity to re-submit - going straight to press is not a safe way to proceed. They should know that.
is now telling me to send back the flawed copies. FUCK THAT! I'm fighting these assholes to the death. any Minneapolis people want to go pay them a visit for me?
I don't get it, why would you want to keep flawed copies? What kind of promotion can be good with faulty cds? Like, "Hey check me out, my shit is flawed! Enjoy!"
Send em back, ask for a discount because of timing issues, and have them prioritize getting your remakes done so you can have them asap, but still at a proper recording speed, with quality control this time around.
Sometimes mistakes happen, we all make them, but it doesn't mean people are assholes. Trust me, don't take this "fight them to the death" approach. You can still be friendly, but firm about shit and you will get the best results. Somtimes using the right language will get you a lot farther than fighting them to the death attitude.
i hear what you're saying...but they were fighting me tooth and nail UNTIL I got nasty. Once I broke out the big guns, they folded. mission accomplished.
I hear you, sometimes at some point you have to flip the script.