HW VOiceprint

[Paul Mather]

On Wed, 16 May 2001, Doug Pearson wrote:

=> >It can only be assumed that from the outset you had a CD in mind to press
=> >and send out to us fans.
=>
=> Why would anyone assume this?  None of Voiceprint's literature ever said
=> free UNRELEASED or EXCLUSIVE CD, did it?  Sounds like (very) wishful
=> thinking to me.  (Actually, my suspicion all along was that the free CD was
=> going to be 'Hawkwind 97', since that's a Voiceprint release.  I can
=> certainly understand that if that was indeed the case, that Voiceprint
=> would have changed their mind once they got stuck with a run of "un-
=> sellable" copies of 'Spacebrock'.)

Let's remember that word, "unsellable," for later...

=> >[snip]
=> >Under normal circumstances you would have had to have written this expense
=> >off, but you have been very opportunistic in ripping off your customers.
=>
=> Waitaminit?!?  The label is ripping of its customers by sending them a FREE
=> CD?  THAT I just don't get.

You make it sound like all you had to do to get this "free" CD was to
send in your name and address and they'd send it back gratis.  I'm not
too familiar with the actual mechanics (not having been able to buy any
of the Voiceprint CDs other than "Dawn of Hawkwind"), but I believe you
could only get the "free" CD by collecting a number (was it 10?) of
tokens only available on Voiceprint "Collector" releases.  (Did you
still have to ruin your purchase by cutting them out from the booklet,
or did they cave in and accept photocopies?)

Voiceprint may have lived up to the letter of the agreement, but
certainly not to the spirit.  It is entirely reasonable for a collector
to assume something "special" would return in the mail in response to
sending in some "collector tokens."  And I mean something special in a
nice way; not something of unmerchantable quality, as the author of the
original complaint felt.

It would not even make sense to offer back any old Voiceprint title in
response to a "Collector's Series" offer because Kollectors are likely
to have bought them all already.  It only really makes sense (unless you
don't mind stuffing it to your customers) to offer something otherwise
unobtainable by other means.  Obviously Voiceprint feel that a broken
release like a mispress fits that bill.  I guess others would feel that
something of merchantable quality that was otherwise unobtainable by
other means would be a more fitting reward to collectors who have
loyally accrued the hallowed tokens.

I can't recall anyone expressing joy at the broken _Spacebrock_ being
the "free" collectable CD.  Voiceprint may not be ripping anyone off
legally, but I think their choice of reward is a public relations
nightmare for them, and devalues confidence in Hawkwind labels and
releases all around.

=> Sorry, but this kind of whining strikes me as completely unfounded.

I don't see it as "completely unfounded" (with the emphasis on
completely).  Some of the author's criticisms were overly harsh, but I
can see why he felt ripped off.  A "reward programme" like that always
builds up a certain level of expectation.  Obviously Voiceprint
seriously dropped the ball, and at least some are not happy in the
least.  Of course, being serious Hawkwind fans, they will suffer this
abuse and diligently continue to kollect future Voiceprint releases.

BTW, I loved your suggestions for the Weird repackages.  I hope
Voiceprint take note.

Cheers,

Paul.

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
 deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
        --- Frank Vincent Zappa