VMP’s mission has always been about exploring music together. It’s about how we, as humans are meant to experience life with one another, and a belief in music’s ability to unite us.
As I reflect on the gravity of our current state, I’m amazed at how the world has come together in this season of crisis. At the same time, I can’t help but think that we -- the VMP community -- have always been together, no matter the circumstances.
43 countries wide. More than 100,000 people deep.
We’re together—despite being on different continents, from different backgrounds, speaking different languages--under a shared understanding and belief in the power of music.
We’re together, through music.
I’ve been watching stories come in from members in places like Italy, France, China, and the United States. People saddened and deeply affected by the circumstances in different ways, but leaning on music and each other as a way to inoculate themselves against isolation. All of a sudden, the power of a box of records goes well beyond what’s inside.
This is how we see our mission come to life. It’s how we determine success as a team.
We originally planned for this to be the first of a quarterly update series, and we’re excited to share those updates, but they feel so insignificant in comparison. We’re going to keep spinning -- literally and figuratively. We’re going to continue to advance your experience as a member of this community. And we’re doing this with more conviction than ever before, because the world needs music. The world needs connection.
However this crisis has affected you, we hope that you can keep spinning as well.
Matt Fiedler Vinyl Me, Please CEO, Co-Founder
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COVID-19
We’ve stayed in constant contact with our partners across the globe to ensure everyone’s health and safety, and to keep up to date on the latest developments as it would affect VMP members. Here are some high level updates as they may affect you:
Our warehouse is still operational, and every precaution is being taken to ensure the health of those employees. We are still fulfilling orders on a daily basis but things are moving slower than they would be in normal circumstances. Our normal monthly fulfillment timelines have been delayed by up to 10 business days. Please be patient as we work to get shipments out as quickly as possible, with everyone’s safety in mind.
We are currently unable to ship to China, and there have been delays in shipping to many other countries around the world. We’re working with our warehouse and shipping partners to keep this article up to date with updates and known delays.
The primary pressing plant we work with is still operating at full capacity. Some smaller and many U.S.-based plants have had to suspend operations, and many labels are pushing release dates. The result has been product delays, specifically for new releases, and some store exclusives. Our ROTMs remain on track, and we’re developing contingency plans where needed.
Lost Sounds Radio
Life is better when we're exploring music together. Even more so in times of social hardship, fear or confusion, music has the power to soothe, calm and quiet. In an effort to preserve our common humanity, create tangible experiences with music, and support our community, we’re excited to share with you Lost Sounds Radio: a human-curated streaming series created for the love of music.
We’re collaborating with Artists, DJs, curators from our community, and VMP Staff to kick off our first-ever public streaming series to connect through stripped acoustic sets, DJ sets, AMAs, storytelling, dance lessons ...You name it. Some sessions will be scheduled, others will be pop-up sessions, so be sure to "follow" to our Lost Sounds Radio Crowdcast page to stay up-to-date!
Text us, yo!
Need help with something? Need something new to listen to? Drop us a line at (720) 707-2146. Our CS team is standing by and ready to help!
Did you say, “Swap Exclusives?!”
You may have seen a few surprises releases in the Swap selections the last few months. Maybe you were one of the ones who scored a Woodstock Box Set. Regardless, keep an eye out on exciting things in Swaps over the coming months :-)
Welcome to the club Mexico, Brazil, and more!
We added shipping options for Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia Slovakia, and Slovenia, UAE! A full list of ship-to countries available here.
PayPal
PayPal is officially back. You can now use PayPal again as your default payment method for subscription payments, as well as in the store. Learn more here.
Cancellation Policy
We have updated our cancelation policy to provide more transparency. More details here.
Shipping & Order Bundling
You may have noticed some changes with how shipments are bundled. If you’ve placed an order from the store since November, in addition to being an active member, you’ve likely gotten multiple shipments from us (vs one).
Our goal has been (and continues to be) to get shipments out as efficiently as possible. Sometimes this means we are bundling orders together, while other times we are sending orders individually. We apologize if this has caused any confusion or inconvenience. We are continuing to tweak and refine this process to ensure the best possible experience.
We want your feedback (for real)
Every once in a while, you may get an email that asks you how likely you are to recommend VMP to your friends. While we strive to earn a 10/10 every time, we know things will come up that affect your experience, and we don't always deserve a 10. We hope you’ll complete these surveys based on your recent experience. In addition to providing a rating, you can leave open ended feedback to tell us what’s working and what’s not.
Please know that we do read these (in fact, they populate directly into a company-wide Slack channel) and appreciate honest and constructive feedback. We also love hearing your stories about albums that touched your soul. We can’t guarantee we’ll be able to act on everything, but we can commit to taking the feedback into consideration as we continue to evolve VMP.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Paul Bass (Ya Boi, PaulyB): Also known as “The Provider of Dank Solutions” and the “Michael Jordan of Customer Support,” Paul has been an integral part of the VMP team since 2015. Five questions to help you get to know Paul:
What does your day-to-day life at VMP look like?
My day to day life at VMP looks pretty similar to any other customer support role at any other company. I arrive at the office, get settled, and start answering tickets. Besides a couple meetings, and sometimes bigger projects that need my help, I am in the queue, answering tickets until I leave at the end of the day. Honestly, when I don’t get a lot of queue time, that is when I feel off balance, and weird.
What’s your all-time favorite VMP release?
Wells Fargo. Easy. Okay wait….actually it might be one of the Young Thug records we have done… But also, that Rage Against the Machine pressing we put out is probably my favorite exclusive (followed closely by our Thou exclusive that we had of their album Magus). Favorite ROTM has to be Wells Fargo.
Any favorite VMP releases that totally came out of left field for you (ie. not a genre you typically like)?
Probably The Books Lemon of Pink. I still remember first hearing that record and being blown away by how bold of a pick it was. That album was sooo out there. Like not even left field. Compared to other VMP releases, that title felt like it was actually in the parking lot of the ballpark.
What are the last 10 songs played in your Spotify history?
LOL oh god…
Square Hammer - Ghost
Roll Right - Rage Against the Machine
It’s On - Korn
Get Busy - The Roots
Raspberry Beret - Prince
When Things go Wrong - Power Trip
Take_it_Back_v2 - Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats
Supernova Goes Pop - Powerman 5000
Young and Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version) - Lana Del Rey
Manifesto II - Nahko and Medicine for the People
VMP Hi-Fives featuring PaulyB
What is your favorite record to…
Listen to on a road trip…
*Seed of Memory *- Terry Reid
Put on during a dinner party…
*The Universe Smiles Upon You *- Khruangbin
Gift a friend for their birthday…
There Will Be Blood - Jonny Greenwood
Listen to while working in the CS queue…
Iowa - Slipknot or *Great Southern Trendkill *- Pantera
See performed live…
The Sciences- Sleep (Literally the loudest show I have ever seen. If you can’t feel the Bass at the very core of your being, its not loud enough for Sleep).
HI-FIVES is the video series from Vinyl Me, Please where we ride along with our favorite artists and dig through the crates at a local record store. From makeout bops to morning rituals, we get to know these artists intimately through their vinyl selects and the stories behind them. Watch Season 3 here.
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