So basically, with the information you have given us discogs just needs to make an app for both iPhone and android as well as build in a barcode scanner. (records with barcodes, ok? What is that 10-15% max over 70 years?)
They already have the users AND they don't allow you to database and sell your collection of just vinyl, fuck they even have CD-r only releases.
Vinyl has a nice resurgence due to record store day, and the hipster/retro/coolness factor, but do you really see it being long term? Of course there will collectors after vinyl for years to come but soon the coolness will wear off and kids will be onto something else. Cutting out any other music media even down to the site's name is just stupid in my opinion.
At the rate the funding is going it will take you about 6+ years to acheive your goal. Hope people enjoy a $72 45 adapter.
I preferred the phoney 'social marketing and media entrepreneur' professionalism where you said a bunch of legit-sounding stuff without actually answering anything.
Respect for the passion. Osandi when you and I spoke about this over a year ago I told you to reach out to Soul Strut early to solicit feedback. Admit it or not, the people who frequent this place are part of your core audience. It's not worth it to have a beef with people on this site. I would take their questions seriously rather than being defensive. Believe it or not this site is one of the strongest collector networks on the internets. It's worth having this community on your side.
Be humble, when you start a business you have to listen to your audience, even if it goes against your assumptions.
Also just realizing I've been posting on this message board for 10 years. Where did the time go?
Refine and condense your pitch... drastically. What are the actual pain points you're trying to solve? Remember, this is generally an audience that doesn't want much "disruption" or "change". If you truly believe you can "improve" the experience, tell us specifically how.
$650K? Wow... that is a lot. For a seed round of $250K you have to at least have a working prototype. Anything more and you have to have a public beta with real community adoption and engagement. All I'm seeing from the video and site is a vague concept... you'll be hard pressed to get any funds from that, let alone that much.
You are presenting this as a lifestyle business, which is great and all if you can bootstrap it, but you're trying to raise money. What is the market size? How are you going to attract the market? What is your business model? I see a very small niche market that is hard to reach, and an unsustainable business model. Let's do the math real quick with round numbers to make it easy??? a 5% transaction fee on a $20 record is $1. You mention a few people's salaries and dev costs, so let's give you a monthly burn rate of $50K. That's 50,000 transactions per month just to sustain. Then what? Where's the value to an investor? The community will likely never be large enough to be valuable to brand advertisers because it's so niche, so where else could the money come from?
Finally, I would be very weary of a mobile first approach. First of all, you seem to be ignoring Discogs greatest benefit to sellers??? spreadsheet import. Volume sellers are not about to use a mobile app to manage inventory. Also, if you silo your user base to mobile only, it will be extremely difficult to build a community. For data driven apps like this, API first is the way to go. It's cheaper to get a prototype built that you can then use as a proof of concept for the vinyl community and investor base.
I applaud your efforts and I'd love to see you prove yourself right. I tried going down a similar path a few years ago, but abandoned it??? for many of the reasons listed above. One final note??? you have to be able to accept criticism and you have to expect doubt when you are asking for money.
Respect for the passion. Osandi when you and I spoke about this over a year ago I told you to reach out to Soul Strut early to solicit feedback. Admit it or not, the people who frequent this place are part of your core audience. It's not worth it to have a beef with people on this site.I would take their questions seriously rather than being defensive. Believe it or not this site is one of the strongest collector networks on the internets. It's worth having this community on your side.
Be humble, when you start a business you have to listen to your audience, even if it goes against your assumptions.
Also just realizing I've been posting on this message board for 10 years. Where did the time go?
NB
"I would take their questions seriously..."
Which doesn't mean they/we are always right in their/are criticism.
What I got from what he said is, he wants something more mainstream, lowest common denominator than discogs.
I was thinking he was doing something where someone could buy the latest club hit, pop sensation.
What ever the final product is, it has to be easier to understand than the current explanation.
can someone break down wtf this thing is (for us laymen who don't follow the jargon) in less than 100 words? the fact that we are 2 pages deep and folks like me (who actually buy records and speak the english language) have no clue what this is about and that the owner is at a loss to explain exactly why he requires so much cash does not bode well. why would folks not be skeptical?
passion and good intentions, on their own, are highly overrated.
Now I'm having a headache. All that empty talk created a vacuum inside my head and the nauseating color combinations on that website didn't make it any better.
The only interesting looking products are those wooden crates but dividing the 45 boxes into 3 sections renders them impractical for flipping through and wastes a lot of space. Most of all, all of this stuff is just way too expensive.
The 650K goal is completely bizarre. Even with a halfway plausible description of what exactly it is that this app will do, you'd would be lucky to raise 10% of that. 5% would be more realistic.
The only thing I can so far understand about all of this is why you created your own crowdsourcing platform. At least this way you'll get to keep the money that was raised once the project gets shelved. "...Any contribution made by you is irrevocable and you shall have no right to a return of your contribution in whole or in part."
Really nothing wrong with the self-hosted crowdraising. Lots of folks are doing that these days, I wouldn't read any malicious intent into it. I think Kickstarter banned creating your own social network as a category anyhow. The lack of a project close date gives me no immediate reason to donate though, makes it more of a bookmark and forget it.
Mobile first is rough, even if you get all the donations and dev you need you could get into all the app stores and no one would know you are there. Check out the Vinyl District app, I think they pretty much ate it after a lightly publicized launch. Research the chicken and the egg problem and don't expect your sales acumen to instantly solve the long work of two sided market-making and community seeding..
The other issue with mobile first is you lose out on SEO. Discogs and Collectorsfrenzy inadvertently built their audiences through millions upon millions of records getting indexed. No long tail in the app store(s).
Otherwise, yeah you're not just a lifestyle business but a retro niche lifestyle business. That is rough and you're better off crowdraising than pitching real investors who want to see a 3% chance of a x100 pop. So you are doing that right. Frankly, if you can't win over Soulstrut you might want to bail on the whole project. Maybe give your pitch another go on a more downmarket audience like reddit/vinyl. If they can't understand your project then it's unlikely it would ever have any momentum.
"Now I'm having a headache. All that empty talk created a vacuum inside my head and the nauseating color combinations on that website didn't make it any better."
What makes it empty? The fact that it's not said the way you would have? I'm not here to make anyone like me (or us), but rather to constructively reply where there are questions that address what people have seen. If I may suggest any remedies, feel free to PM me.
I did pitch investors and if you can imagine, none were interested in the problem we're solving suggesting we're too niche. Kickstarter's rules changed right as we were about to give it a go. With that being said, we felt that by building our own site that we could be more transparent than Kickstarter or Indiegogo site allows for. We also wanted to share that we do enjoy desirable user experiences (aside from our nauseated companion, who prefers less color apparently) by ACTUALLY building something that solves a problem. Of those, capital has been a huge constraint and I applaud my guys for putting in the time to make something that works.
I'm not a politician or the like, so save the comparison. However, I do believe in what we're doing and I am passionate (as pointed out) about this vision.
I will also say that people shouldn't assume I mean every record store when I speak of record store owners (in terms of finding use from Discogs). I think I prefaced my comments accordingly.
Whether or not you want the stickers, buttons or slipmats, it's great you found something you dig.
And I mentioned to the point of the $650K ask: it doesn't require that amount to fund the LAUNCH of the app. However, let's be clear that launching an app and supporting customers are two different things. That goes for our physical products (all made here), covering shipping and fees that come with developing a business.
I could've done a better job articulating this, but we rolled out what we had as a way of gauging interest and instead of making excuses as to why we couldn't; that's what a "beta" is for. And I won't go as far as saying that we've made a "mistake", however, we can and will get better.
Best regards,
Osandi
Founder | CEO | Product Developer | UX
Vnylst, Inc.
If you can understand, it took a lot of effort to bring about this beta, so though we don't have a project end date (we have to take a lot of things into account, such as potential site down time if any errors present themselves, the schedule of everyone's day to day gigs, plus time for their families, and unforeseen circumstances), the site will be getting a lot of attention that addresses your review. Thank you for the thoughtful feedback.
We are obviously not just a tech company. My hope is that we can keep creating furnishings and accessories that make storing and playing records as beautiful as the music itself.
If you're speaking of user acquisition from the onset, our first milestone is for iOS so to solve what we feel is a void in this space. We decided on mobile first for a few reasons. Welcome to exchange via PM or email (osandi@vnylst.com) should you like to continue the dialogue.
You're an excellent salesman, your passion comes through in your words, and you sound like a polished pro with all the industry jargon used. I do wish discogs had an app, or was mobile-friendly, but I can't see vynlst adding much value to the landscape of the used record sales world based on what you've said above. At least not enough for this to be a successful venture--but maybe I'm missing something?
Also, with no ads, and a no cost to consumer app--how do you intend to monetize?
Do you see any value in a subscription vs. fee base rate?
We do.
You're an excellent salesman, your passion comes through in your words, and you sound like a polished pro with all the industry jargon used. I do wish discogs had an app, or was mobile-friendly, but I can't see vynlst adding much value to the landscape of the used record sales world based on what you've said above. At least not enough for this to be a successful venture--but maybe I'm missing something?
Also, with no ads, and a no cost to consumer app--how do you intend to monetize?
Do you see any value in a subscription vs. fee base rate?
We do.
Really nothing wrong with the self-hosted crowdraising. Lots of folks are doing that these days, I wouldn't read any malicious intent into it. I think Kickstarter banned creating your own social network as a category anyhow. The lack of a project close date gives me no immediate reason to donate though, makes it more of a bookmark and forget it.
Mobile first is rough, even if you get all the donations and dev you need you could get into all the app stores and no one would know you are there. Check out the Vinyl District app, I think they pretty much ate it after a lightly publicized launch. Research the chicken and the egg problem and don't expect your sales acumen to instantly solve the long work of two sided market-making and community seeding..
The other issue with mobile first is you lose out on SEO. Discogs and Collectorsfrenzy inadvertently built their audiences through millions upon millions of records getting indexed. No long tail in the app store(s).
Otherwise, yeah you're not just a lifestyle business but a retro niche lifestyle business. That is rough and you're better off crowdraising than pitching real investors who want to see a 3% chance of a x100 pop. So you are doing that right. Frankly, if you can't win over Soulstrut you might want to bail on the whole project. Maybe give your pitch another go on a more downmarket audience like reddit/vinyl. If they can't understand your project then it's unlikely it would ever have any momentum.
Thank you. I meant to reply to this message, but replied in a recent post. Thank you for the constructive review.
Seriously, you bailed halfway through this thread, seemingly as no-one was picking up on your vision, then come back to attack any comparison. As it's not exactly clear what you are creating that also seems to be a problem.
I started the thread, as I'm genuinely interested. Fair play for making yourself available, but not much use if you don't take the criticism so well.
You're an excellent salesman, your passion comes through in your words, and you sound like a polished pro with all the industry jargon used. I do wish discogs had an app, or was mobile-friendly, but I can't see vynlst adding much value to the landscape of the used record sales world based on what you've said above. At least not enough for this to be a successful venture--but maybe I'm missing something?
Also, with no ads, and a no cost to consumer app--how do you intend to monetize?
Do you see any value in a subscription vs. fee base rate?
We do.
Your business is predicated on a subscriber-backed model? And what do subscribers get..a mobile version of discogs by the sounds of it.
Look, Osandi, I honestly admire your passion, and you genuinely appear to be tech/marketing/sales/design savvy. You know this better than me: as an entrepreneur, not every idea is a homerun. Learn from this project and come up with something ground-breaking that a larger Tech will want to buy from you, and then go do things like vynlyst as a hobby from your yacht.
You're an excellent salesman, your passion comes through in your words, and you sound like a polished pro with all the industry jargon used. I do wish discogs had an app, or was mobile-friendly, but I can't see vynlst adding much value to the landscape of the used record sales world based on what you've said above. At least not enough for this to be a successful venture--but maybe I'm missing something?
Also, with no ads, and a no cost to consumer app--how do you intend to monetize?
Do you see any value in a subscription vs. fee base rate?
We do.
Your business is predicated on a subscriber-backed model? And what do subscribers get..a mobile version of discogs by the sounds of it.
Look, Osandi, I honestly admire your passion, and you genuinely appear to be tech/marketing/sales/design savvy. You know this better than me: as an entrepreneur, not every idea is a homerun. Learn from this project and come up with something ground-breaking that a larger Tech will want to buy from you, and then go do things like vynlyst as a hobby from your yacht.
Thank you, but I'm currently advised. The current options aren't the only options there will ever be. Nor should my reply by taken to a spreadsheet and summed into a success or failure scenario. Twenty years ago, people thought Apple could never top Microsoft, and we now how that played out.
That I mention subscription model doesn't exclude a fee based model. Nor does a fee base model exclude a product model (we also design and produce products for record collectors). Nor does a product model exclude an event series (e.g. record swaps and hacker events). That I mention a free mobile app doesn't exclude add-ons that differentiate our product from those currently adopted.
I appreciate the respectful argument, sincerely.
Welcome further discussions by way of a direct message: vrse.vnylst.com/contact.
Seriously, you bailed halfway through this thread, seemingly as no-one was picking up on your vision, then come back to attack any comparison. As it's not exactly clear what you are creating that also seems to be a problem.
I started the thread, as I'm genuinely interested. Fair play for making yourself available, but not much use if you don't take the criticism so well.
Actually, that's contrary to the truth. No one "bailed", it's just that I like others have other things to do, though I am curious about what's on the minds of the folk here; positive or negative (especially). (Also, I wasn't sure how to reply to specific messages only to find out that selecting "quote" allows you to in-line.)
There is not "problem" as you suggest, neither am I attacking comparisons. What I would ask is that people (some have been, some haven't) actually think before replying, be respectful and constructive, or else it serves no point to even be engaged.
And I appreciate you starting the discussion based on what you know of us (what we've shared), for it's been a great way for me to learn what interest people have in what we propose; to take the next steps in clarifying what problems we are interested in solving (not much feedback on the ones I brought up as it relates to record stores and artists actually being able to thrive in the ever-so cheapening access to music).
Also, I don't mind criticism as long as it's not single-minded, misinformed and frankly thoughtless jabs that assert I'm not to be respected. You've been following our work (or at least our social media pages) to know that we come from a place of well intentions.
My email is within this thread. Feel free to verse with me directly if you like.
Hell, pledge and I'll see that you receive your perk before the holidays: vnylst.com.
Really nothing wrong with the self-hosted crowdraising. Lots of folks are doing that these days, I wouldn't read any malicious intent into it. I think Kickstarter banned creating your own social network as a category anyhow. The lack of a project close date gives me no immediate reason to donate though, makes it more of a bookmark and forget it.
Mobile first is rough, even if you get all the donations and dev you need you could get into all the app stores and no one would know you are there. Check out the Vinyl District app, I think they pretty much ate it after a lightly publicized launch. Research the chicken and the egg problem and don't expect your sales acumen to instantly solve the long work of two sided market-making and community seeding..
The other issue with mobile first is you lose out on SEO. Discogs and Collectorsfrenzy inadvertently built their audiences through millions upon millions of records getting indexed. No long tail in the app store(s).
Otherwise, yeah you're not just a lifestyle business but a retro niche lifestyle business. That is rough and you're better off crowdraising than pitching real investors who want to see a 3% chance of a x100 pop. So you are doing that right. Frankly, if you can't win over Soulstrut you might want to bail on the whole project. Maybe give your pitch another go on a more downmarket audience like reddit/vinyl. If they can't understand your project then it's unlikely it would ever have any momentum.
Not to be a negative nelly, but the big al thing threw me for a loop. I spent a lot of time there and can't understand how an app could save that place. He's had going out of business sales for at least a decade. And I don't imagine vnylst specializes in things like $20 rinked copies of Thriller.
Are you saying that he may have had more success if people were aware of everything he had, like the good stuff was cataloged and able to reach the right people?
Actually, that's what you're saying.
Some of the record stores (in SF, actually) do just that: purchase in bulk and use several online sites to keep the rent paid.
Big Al (and some of the other record store owners of this era) has never been into keeping a solid catalog (or POS linked to a database) on record.
If the product is adopted and used over time, then perhaps it can replace a custom designed site that would otherwise cost a record store owner a few thousand dollars to integrated within their current POS systems if they even have one in place.
Comments
They already have the users AND they don't allow you to database and sell your collection of just vinyl, fuck they even have CD-r only releases.
Vinyl has a nice resurgence due to record store day, and the hipster/retro/coolness factor, but do you really see it being long term? Of course there will collectors after vinyl for years to come but soon the coolness will wear off and kids will be onto something else. Cutting out any other music media even down to the site's name is just stupid in my opinion.
At the rate the funding is going it will take you about 6+ years to acheive your goal. Hope people enjoy a $72 45 adapter.
Wha happen, Osandi?!
I preferred the phoney 'social marketing and media entrepreneur' professionalism where you said a bunch of legit-sounding stuff without actually answering anything.
Be humble, when you start a business you have to listen to your audience, even if it goes against your assumptions.
Also just realizing I've been posting on this message board for 10 years. Where did the time go?
NB
Refine and condense your pitch... drastically. What are the actual pain points you're trying to solve? Remember, this is generally an audience that doesn't want much "disruption" or "change". If you truly believe you can "improve" the experience, tell us specifically how.
$650K? Wow... that is a lot. For a seed round of $250K you have to at least have a working prototype. Anything more and you have to have a public beta with real community adoption and engagement. All I'm seeing from the video and site is a vague concept... you'll be hard pressed to get any funds from that, let alone that much.
You are presenting this as a lifestyle business, which is great and all if you can bootstrap it, but you're trying to raise money. What is the market size? How are you going to attract the market? What is your business model? I see a very small niche market that is hard to reach, and an unsustainable business model. Let's do the math real quick with round numbers to make it easy??? a 5% transaction fee on a $20 record is $1. You mention a few people's salaries and dev costs, so let's give you a monthly burn rate of $50K. That's 50,000 transactions per month just to sustain. Then what? Where's the value to an investor? The community will likely never be large enough to be valuable to brand advertisers because it's so niche, so where else could the money come from?
Finally, I would be very weary of a mobile first approach. First of all, you seem to be ignoring Discogs greatest benefit to sellers??? spreadsheet import. Volume sellers are not about to use a mobile app to manage inventory. Also, if you silo your user base to mobile only, it will be extremely difficult to build a community. For data driven apps like this, API first is the way to go. It's cheaper to get a prototype built that you can then use as a proof of concept for the vinyl community and investor base.
I applaud your efforts and I'd love to see you prove yourself right. I tried going down a similar path a few years ago, but abandoned it??? for many of the reasons listed above. One final note??? you have to be able to accept criticism and you have to expect doubt when you are asking for money.
Best of luck.
"I would take their questions seriously..."
Which doesn't mean they/we are always right in their/are criticism.
What I got from what he said is, he wants something more mainstream, lowest common denominator than discogs.
I was thinking he was doing something where someone could buy the latest club hit, pop sensation.
What ever the final product is, it has to be easier to understand than the current explanation.
Being pretty much the exact person this site is aimed at...
- I'm pretty skeptical that this will provide anything of value.
- Also pretty skeptical why it would cost anything resembling 650K unless you think you deserve a real fat paycheck for thinking this up.
- The corporate mumbo jumbo speak used to 'explain' this makes my brain glaze over.
passion and good intentions, on their own, are highly overrated.
The only interesting looking products are those wooden crates but dividing the 45 boxes into 3 sections renders them impractical for flipping through and wastes a lot of space. Most of all, all of this stuff is just way too expensive.
The 650K goal is completely bizarre. Even with a halfway plausible description of what exactly it is that this app will do, you'd would be lucky to raise 10% of that. 5% would be more realistic.
The only thing I can so far understand about all of this is why you created your own crowdsourcing platform. At least this way you'll get to keep the money that was raised once the project gets shelved. "...Any contribution made by you is irrevocable and you shall have no right to a return of your contribution in whole or in part."
Really nothing wrong with the self-hosted crowdraising. Lots of folks are doing that these days, I wouldn't read any malicious intent into it. I think Kickstarter banned creating your own social network as a category anyhow. The lack of a project close date gives me no immediate reason to donate though, makes it more of a bookmark and forget it.
Mobile first is rough, even if you get all the donations and dev you need you could get into all the app stores and no one would know you are there. Check out the Vinyl District app, I think they pretty much ate it after a lightly publicized launch. Research the chicken and the egg problem and don't expect your sales acumen to instantly solve the long work of two sided market-making and community seeding..
The other issue with mobile first is you lose out on SEO. Discogs and Collectorsfrenzy inadvertently built their audiences through millions upon millions of records getting indexed. No long tail in the app store(s).
Otherwise, yeah you're not just a lifestyle business but a retro niche lifestyle business. That is rough and you're better off crowdraising than pitching real investors who want to see a 3% chance of a x100 pop. So you are doing that right. Frankly, if you can't win over Soulstrut you might want to bail on the whole project. Maybe give your pitch another go on a more downmarket audience like reddit/vinyl. If they can't understand your project then it's unlikely it would ever have any momentum.
http://vinylfy.com/home
Aside from the purple, that's a good looking site. Simple and to the point.
@Frank:
What makes it empty? The fact that it's not said the way you would have? I'm not here to make anyone like me (or us), but rather to constructively reply where there are questions that address what people have seen. If I may suggest any remedies, feel free to PM me.
@herbacios tweed
I did pitch investors and if you can imagine, none were interested in the problem we're solving suggesting we're too niche. Kickstarter's rules changed right as we were about to give it a go. With that being said, we felt that by building our own site that we could be more transparent than Kickstarter or Indiegogo site allows for. We also wanted to share that we do enjoy desirable user experiences (aside from our nauseated companion, who prefers less color apparently) by ACTUALLY building something that solves a problem. Of those, capital has been a huge constraint and I applaud my guys for putting in the time to make something that works.
I'm not a politician or the like, so save the comparison. However, I do believe in what we're doing and I am passionate (as pointed out) about this vision.
I will also say that people shouldn't assume I mean every record store when I speak of record store owners (in terms of finding use from Discogs). I think I prefaced my comments accordingly.
Whether or not you want the stickers, buttons or slipmats, it's great you found something you dig.
And I mentioned to the point of the $650K ask: it doesn't require that amount to fund the LAUNCH of the app. However, let's be clear that launching an app and supporting customers are two different things. That goes for our physical products (all made here), covering shipping and fees that come with developing a business.
I could've done a better job articulating this, but we rolled out what we had as a way of gauging interest and instead of making excuses as to why we couldn't; that's what a "beta" is for. And I won't go as far as saying that we've made a "mistake", however, we can and will get better.
Best regards,
Osandi
Founder | CEO | Product Developer | UX
Vnylst, Inc.
And what problem does this solve?
We're not here to create an explicit social media site for people who love vinyl.
The comparisons is, well, pointless.
However, I can see why some would consider this a worthy reply for the sake of getting the chance to say "Oooof".
Not everyday is that opportunity allotted, so congrats on getting ahead in life.
We are obviously not just a tech company. My hope is that we can keep creating furnishings and accessories that make storing and playing records as beautiful as the music itself.
If you're speaking of user acquisition from the onset, our first milestone is for iOS so to solve what we feel is a void in this space. We decided on mobile first for a few reasons. Welcome to exchange via PM or email (osandi@vnylst.com) should you like to continue the dialogue.
Thank you for the constructive commentary.
Peace,
Osandi
Vnylst Inc.
Do you see any value in a subscription vs. fee base rate?
We do.
(This is an accidental duplicate reply.)
Do you see any value in a subscription vs. fee base rate?
We do.
Thank you. I meant to reply to this message, but replied in a recent post. Thank you for the constructive review.
Peace,
Osandi
Oooof.
I started the thread, as I'm genuinely interested. Fair play for making yourself available, but not much use if you don't take the criticism so well.
Your business is predicated on a subscriber-backed model? And what do subscribers get..a mobile version of discogs by the sounds of it.
Look, Osandi, I honestly admire your passion, and you genuinely appear to be tech/marketing/sales/design savvy. You know this better than me: as an entrepreneur, not every idea is a homerun. Learn from this project and come up with something ground-breaking that a larger Tech will want to buy from you, and then go do things like vynlyst as a hobby from your yacht.
Thank you, but I'm currently advised. The current options aren't the only options there will ever be. Nor should my reply by taken to a spreadsheet and summed into a success or failure scenario. Twenty years ago, people thought Apple could never top Microsoft, and we now how that played out.
That I mention subscription model doesn't exclude a fee based model. Nor does a fee base model exclude a product model (we also design and produce products for record collectors). Nor does a product model exclude an event series (e.g. record swaps and hacker events). That I mention a free mobile app doesn't exclude add-ons that differentiate our product from those currently adopted.
I appreciate the respectful argument, sincerely.
Welcome further discussions by way of a direct message: vrse.vnylst.com/contact.
Peace,
Osandi
Vnylst, Inc.
Actually, that's contrary to the truth. No one "bailed", it's just that I like others have other things to do, though I am curious about what's on the minds of the folk here; positive or negative (especially). (Also, I wasn't sure how to reply to specific messages only to find out that selecting "quote" allows you to in-line.)
There is not "problem" as you suggest, neither am I attacking comparisons. What I would ask is that people (some have been, some haven't) actually think before replying, be respectful and constructive, or else it serves no point to even be engaged.
And I appreciate you starting the discussion based on what you know of us (what we've shared), for it's been a great way for me to learn what interest people have in what we propose; to take the next steps in clarifying what problems we are interested in solving (not much feedback on the ones I brought up as it relates to record stores and artists actually being able to thrive in the ever-so cheapening access to music).
Also, I don't mind criticism as long as it's not single-minded, misinformed and frankly thoughtless jabs that assert I'm not to be respected. You've been following our work (or at least our social media pages) to know that we come from a place of well intentions.
My email is within this thread. Feel free to verse with me directly if you like.
Hell, pledge and I'll see that you receive your perk before the holidays: vnylst.com.
Osandi
Vnylst, Inc.
Thank you.
Actually, that's what you're saying.
Some of the record stores (in SF, actually) do just that: purchase in bulk and use several online sites to keep the rent paid.
Big Al (and some of the other record store owners of this era) has never been into keeping a solid catalog (or POS linked to a database) on record.
If the product is adopted and used over time, then perhaps it can replace a custom designed site that would otherwise cost a record store owner a few thousand dollars to integrated within their current POS systems if they even have one in place.
Osandi
Vnylst Inc.