Feel cheated by Hip-o-select

**robbo3333** · 10-09-2012, 10:25 PM

Recieved a reply from Amazon UK, placing the ball in Hip-o's court:

"Please understand that we are just retailer of an item and rely solely on the information provided by supplier. When we contacted the supplier directly to obtain a copy of this item, and they have advised that they will take further time to obtain this item."

**jack020** · 10-10-2012, 01:47 AM

I will wait for IHAS to be sold thru Amazon UK.
I noticed the J5 release was moved back one week also on Amazon UK.

**mwmr** · 10-10-2012, 05:06 AM

Cancelled my order with Amazon UK and now ordered via Amazon.com to ensure I get a copy.

I feel I have been forced into this to ensure I get a copy as its limited.

What an appaling and shabby way to treat fans and run a buisness.

**MrTopCat** · 10-10-2012, 05:18 AM

Honestly, this was my first Hip - O purchase EVER, and if I didn't know about the quality of their releases beforehand, maybe I'd have avoided them in the future.

**nathanj06** · 10-10-2012, 06:00 AM

Make a beeline to amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/I-Hear-Symphon...6/ref=pd_ybh_1

http://www.amazon.com/David-Unreleas...s=david+ruffin

I hope all you guys are able to get what you want.

**jack020** · 10-10-2012, 06:42 AM

Against my beliefs I ordered a copy of IHAS this morning thru an Amazon,com seller which was a little cheaper than Amazon itself.
Still I think it will be sold thru Amazon UK for a much lower price in the coming weeks. We are all getting a bit crazy....

**marybrewster** · 10-10-2012, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by jack020

We are all getting a bit crazy....

I believe you are correct, sir. All this hype is driving the prices up. Sadly, I think it's fans doing it to other fans.

And I don't know why everyone is stuck on this "2000" number. I thought that was for U.S. distribution ONLY; that the UK had it's own magic number.

**calvin** · 10-10-2012, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by marybrewster

I believe you are correct, sir. All this hype is driving the prices up. Sadly, I think it's fans doing it to other fans.

And I don't know why everyone is stuck on this "2000" number. I thought that was for U.S. distribution ONLY; that the UK had it's own magic number.

I expect that in the end, maybe 6 weeks or so from now, we'll see IHAS offered on Amazon UK for about £12 - for whatever reason, they usually seem to be sold later but at a cheaper price here.

Still, in previous cases, I always got emails from Amazon UK stating that the release date was moved back. Amazon UK has handled it differently this time - no email, just suddenly out of stock on the release date - not even giving a new release date.

I purchased my copies at reasonable prices - David Ruffin for about £10 from an Amazon UK marketplace seller, and IHAS for $33 [[$40 including shipping) from Amazon US. I'd probably save £15 by waiting for Amazon UK but it's worth £15 to me to get my copies now and not bother with it any more.

I don't really think it's fans doing it to fans - I think it's Amazon and/or Hip-o. Amazon UK is leaving us in the dark, not making it clear when [[or if) they will get stock. Hip-o states on their website that the quantity is limited to 2000. I believe what was stated her earlier by Glenpwood that this number does not include the UK, but I don't see this stated clearly by Hip-o anywhere. The record labels like to stress limited quantities because it moves the products off the shelf faster.

**calvin** · 10-10-2012, 09:39 AM

And just to add to my previous comment - I'm not saying that I think Amazon and/or Hip-o are doing this deliberately. I guess that they just messed it up.

**robbo3333** · 10-10-2012, 09:54 AM

Hello Calvin, I posted earlier in the thread Amazon UK are saying its not them it's the supplier. With the Supremes at the copa CD it was for the first time, as Im aware, that it recieved a seperate catalogue number 0602527966854 as opposed to the USA number B0016644-02. Has this change something to do with the distribution problems we are now experiencing?

**calvin** · 10-10-2012, 10:04 AM

Hi Robbo, yes I saw your post, thank you. But as you also pointed out earlier, Amazon UK must have known before the release date that they weren't getting their supply on time, so they could have handled this better [[by giving us some information!). Even now, you had to go to them to find this out.

Whatever it is, let's hope that Hip-O and Amazon can work together and get this sorted by the next release. I've already pre-ordered Trouble Man on Amazon UK - maybe I should also pre-order it on Amazon.com! LOL

**Jaap** · 10-10-2012, 11:00 AM

Funny enough, my local Amsterdam record store has 4 copies of the new edition of the David album in store [[no IHAS though)...

**luke** · 10-10-2012, 11:25 AM

Hippo should be thanking God it has such dedicated and supportive fans!

**robbo3333** · 10-10-2012, 11:51 AM

With the J5 set being released next week [[UK), more stress on the way? Here's hoping for a trouble free release.

**MrTopCat** · 10-10-2012, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

With the J5 set being released next week [[UK), more stress on the way? Here's hoping for a trouble free release.

I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you... But hey, maybe the whole David Ruffin and Supremes fiasco was just one big misunderstanding.

**calvin** · 10-10-2012, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

With the J5 set being released next week [[UK), more stress on the way? Here's hoping for a trouble free release.

Robbo, thanks for reminding me - I forgot about that one, though I also have it pre-ordered on Amazon UK. I guess I'll wait and see what happens around the release date before I give up and order it from amazon.com or a marketplace seller.

**robbo3333** · 10-10-2012, 01:49 PM

Hello Calvin, it will all go smoothly, or a race between me, you & MrTC for the best deal Monday morning. LOL.

**jack020** · 10-10-2012, 02:23 PM

Amazon uk has it again at 37 UK pounds:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Hear-Symph...9893244&sr=1-1

honest man · 10-10-2012, 04:18 PM

I really could not shell out more tha 15 quid[ at a push] for this cd, gone are the panic days of buying from market sellers etc,i used to get an aunt in USA to purchase MOTOWN SINGLES [Hipo stopped shipping to uk. after vol 4 or so] it cost me a smal fortune and stress ,to get them sent.if i get it great if not so what, the ony song woud like to hear ALT Lovers Concerto,sure it will turn up somewhere else. no problem . Hipo shipping is crap and yes i am voicing my opinion on SDF as aready have done to hipo, so no smug comments,thank you.

**roger** · 10-10-2012, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by 144man

Who made the decision a few years ago that Hip-O could no longer supply directly to Europe, and why?

I THINK WE SHOULD BE TOLD.

My understanding is that it was Universal in London/Britain/Europe that decided that they wanted to "release" the Hip-O material in Britain/Europe and so Hip-O [[for "political" reasons within the Universal group) were told they could no longer supply anything directly to "European" addresses [[in reality those countries within the "European Union").

Hence,whenever there is a Hip-O release, we folks in Britain/Europe have a few weeks before we are allowed to buy it .. if the folks at Universal in London/Britain/Europe decide to "release" it here there is some minimal promotion campaign[[and generally we get it at a lower price than in the U.S.) .. if they decide not to "release" it we have to try to get it through other channels .. Amazon/Soulmusic.com/Dustygroove etc.

I don't think any of the blame for this fiasco can be put on Hip-O .. it is all to do with "egos" in London/Britain/Europe.

Roger

**luke** · 10-10-2012, 06:31 PM

Dont get it-why would Britain honchos not want to release it with so many huge fans there??

**copley** · 10-10-2012, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by roger

My understanding is that it was Universal in London/Britain/Europe that decided that they wanted to "release" the Hip-O material in Britain/Europe and so Hip-O [[for "political" reasons within the Universal group) were told they could no longer supply anything directly to "European" addresses [[in reality those countries within the "European Union").
Hence,whenever there is a Hip-O release, we folks in Britain/Europe have a few weeks before we are allowed to buy it .. if the folks at Universal in London/Britain/Europe decide to "release" it here there is some minimal promotion campaign[[and generally we get it at a lower price than in the U.S.) .. if they decide not to "release" it we have to try to get it through other channels .. Amazon/Soulmusic.com/Dustygroove etc.

I don't think any of the blame for this fiasco can be put on Hip-O .. it is all to do with "egos" in London/Britain/Europe.

Roger

Roger, you are 100% correct. The fault does not lie with UMe US who initially shipped Hip-O product to the UK but with UMe UK who threw a political spanner into the works! So don't go blaming Hip-O folks, blame the London office for this mess. On the up side Hip-O releases are always much cheaper in the UK so I don't mind waiting and have never had a problem with them selling out.

smark21 · 10-10-2012, 08:00 PM

The I Hear a Symphony Deluxe is now available on itunes, at least here in the US. And the booklet comes with it as a pdf download. Costs $24.99 to purchase. As I’m not a big audiophile, if I decide to purchase it at some point, I’ll go with itunes and just burn it to blank CDs to play when I rent a car. No need to worry about getting one of the 2000 CDs being issued and I’ll be able to read the booklet and view pics on my computer, or I can just print on paper, if it comes to that.

**robbo3333** · 10-11-2012, 04:01 AM

The DR CD has now been dispatched by the Marketplace seller. Decided to hold fire on IHAS, to see if it does recieve a release here, but monitoring Amazon USA for stock levels if low will buy from them.

**MrTopCat** · 10-11-2012, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

The DR CD has now been dispatched by the Marketplace seller. Decided to hold fire on IHAS, to see if it does recieve a release here, but monitoring Amazon USA for stock levels if low will buy from them.

Same.... My CD should be here in less than 2 weeks... Woot! I am so happy! Can't wait!

**calvin** · 10-11-2012, 05:35 AM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

Hello Calvin, it will all go smoothly, or a race between me, you & MrTC for the best deal Monday morning. LOL.

Hi Robbo, my DR was also just dispatched by the marketplace seller [[Marvelio UK or something like that). IHAS was dispatched yesterday by amazon.com.

With the J5 release, I'm going to give Amazon UK some time, even if the same thing happens. I expect they will eventually get all of these titles and sell them at a better price than in the US, as they have in the past. And for me, the J5 release is a "would like to have", not a "must have" - I will buy it if available at a reasonable price, but if I miss out - which I doubt - I would not lose any sleep over it.

**robbo3333** · 10-11-2012, 05:44 AM

Another strange one on quantity J5 - 4000 & Supremes - 2000. I thought the Supremes were Hip-o's biggest selling artist [[maybe Diana Ross), and certainly more than J5. Strange new policy.

**calvin** · 10-11-2012, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by roger

My understanding is that it was Universal in London/Britain/Europe that decided that they wanted to "release" the Hip-O material in Britain/Europe and so Hip-O [[for "political" reasons within the Universal group) were told they could no longer supply anything directly to "European" addresses [[in reality those countries within the "European Union").

Hence,whenever there is a Hip-O release, we folks in Britain/Europe have a few weeks before we are allowed to buy it .. if the folks at Universal in London/Britain/Europe decide to "release" it here there is some minimal promotion campaign[[and generally we get it at a lower price than in the U.S.) .. if they decide not to "release" it we have to try to get it through other channels .. Amazon/Soulmusic.com/Dustygroove etc.

I don't think any of the blame for this fiasco can be put on Hip-O .. it is all to do with "egos" in London/Britain/Europe.

Roger

Does anyone know who I can contact at Universal in the UK regarding this? I'd like to get some clarification from them. Can we know before the US release date which titles they decide to release in the UK, and whether they will supply Amazon UK?

I'd also like some confirmation that the numbers given on the Hip-o website do not include the UK release. Some of the limited editions have been numbered. I recall that I bought the Syreeta disk from Amazon.com, and the Edwin Starr & Blinky, Temptations In Japan, Supremes In Japan from marketplace sellers on Amazon UK. Maybe these were not "released" in the UK? [[Though aside from Syreeta's, these were not hot sellers and were available for a long time, I think a couple of them still are.)

**robbo3333** · 10-11-2012, 05:54 AM

I have written to Universal UK and currently waiting for a reply. As soon as I hear anything I'll post it here.

smark21 · 10-11-2012, 07:53 AM

This is one of the most unintentionally hilarious threads I’ve ever read here. Guys, CDs are becoming obsolete. Time for you all to get itunes accounts or download from Amazon.

Or start stealing.

In a few years, I suspect there will be hardly any physical media for music in a few years. You need to get with the times.

And all the calls to customer service reps who work in call centers in India will not make your CDs arrive any sooner. And why are you providing transcripts of phone calls with these service reps who have to work with a script? And copying and pasting automatically generated emails responding to consumer requests as if they have something unique or profound to say. The days of Mom/Pop shop one on one personal and unique customer interaction are also over. You may not like it, and it may not be a good thing, but these are the times.

**robbo3333** · 10-11-2012, 08:10 AM

Hello Smark, there is still a market for CD and indeed vinyl, or companies would totally stop manufacturing them. I am a record [[superceeded by CD) from the early 1980's, going to record fairs, collectors shops, etc. Whilst I understand that digital downloading is here to stay, it's just not for me, I'll go on collecting the physical media until it no longer exists.

**MrTopCat** · 10-11-2012, 09:47 AM

Smark, who are YOU to tell US what we should be or shouldn't be doing?!? Are you the one that's giving us the money to buy the CD's?!

Just FYI Vinyl sales have actually grown in the past few years and CD sales are still way bigger than digital album sales. Also, many CD compilations are not available digitally [[ most of the Kent/Ace re - issues are not)... How about that??!

RossHolloway · 10-11-2012, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by smark21

The I Hear a Symphony Deluxe is now available on itunes, at least here in the US. And the booklet comes with it as a pdf download. Costs $24.99 to purchase. As I’m not a big audiophile, if I decide to purchase it at some point, I’ll go with itunes and just burn it to blank CDs to play when I rent a car. No need to worry about getting one of the 2000 CDs being issued and I’ll be able to read the booklet and view pics on my computer, or I can just print on paper, if it comes to that.

Someone's been reading and taking suggestions at Universal! I've been talking about a pdf download with music downloads for a few years now! This is quite the development. Hopefully more good things will come from going down this road.

**luke** · 10-11-2012, 11:48 AM

Adele's cd saved the record industry. It continues to sell about 20,000 a week. Hmmm- whose buying it?

**robbo3333** · 10-11-2012, 01:02 PM

Message from Universal UK "sorry we are only the sales team, and cannot help with this issue".

**MrTopCat** · 10-11-2012, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

Message from Universal UK "sorry we are only the sales team, and cannot help with this issue".

LOL.. The sales team couldn't help you with a SALES ISSUE?!? That's hilarious.

**144man** · 10-11-2012, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

Message from Universal UK "sorry we are only the sales team, and cannot help with this issue".

If they were doing their job properly, they would refer you to someone who could help you.

smark21 · 10-11-2012, 08:27 PM

I know there’s a market for Vinyl…I think that format will always have a devoted cult following and there will be young people who will become Vinyl fans with each generation due to the warmth of the sound of vinyl.

But physical media for music will continue to fade. I do feel bad for those of you not in the US who have to wait for your deliveries and have to pay the shipment fees. Really I do. But I’m not one for endless bitching and moaning. When faced with a problem, I try to resolve it as quickly as possible. Frankly if I were in your shoes, I would cancel my order [[if I haven’t been charged) and just download [[if available in my territory). Of course if I’ve been charged and/or I can’t download, I’d register my complaint, then sit back and wait, not obsess and record phone conversations with customer service reps in India and then take the time to transcribe the fruitless exchange to post on the internet. I hope you get your orders soon, and if they run out of merchandise, you get full refunds and you pursue other avenues to get these albums [[if you still want them).

**masterblaster** · 10-12-2012, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by 144man

Who made the decision a few years ago that Hip-O could no longer supply directly to Europe, and why?

I THINK WE SHOULD BE TOLD.

I ordered the first "Motown Singles Collection" when it was first released and received it in Britain. A few days after receipt, Hip-O informed me that it had not been dispatched due to a decision made by UMG to restrict all sales to USA only. I bought all subsequent volumes from UK distributers without any problem

**marybrewster** · 10-12-2012, 08:52 AM

Panic at the Disco!

I tried logging into Amazon today and it looks like portions of the site have crashed. Too many people ordering "IHAS"? I wonder, with it being #1 for several days, how many copies are actually left?

So glad mine arrived in the mail yesterday! Now I won't have to pay a premium price, which I already see several editions are listed at.

Good luck on getting his *hot* release! Don't wait too long, honey!

**calvin** · 10-12-2012, 09:20 AM

@smark21

This isn't really about whether digital downloads are better than physical cds. For some people they are, for others not.

I agree that digital downloads *could* replace physical cds for most customers, but the record labels don't seem too interested in making this happen, for whatever reason. Why do I say that?

For one thing, although it would be very easy to offer digital downloads in a lossless format [[such as FLAC), this is only rarely done. Compression saves space for portable devices, but memory is cheap for the home system, so compression isn't necessary. So some will prefer the physical cds for better sound quality. [[The original 128 kbps Itunes downloads sounded like cr*p, though there has been big improvement in this regard in the past few years.)

The marginal cost of "producing" one extra copy of a digital download to sell is practically zero. This is not true with the physical copies, plus you have shipping costs. So theoretically it would be easy for the labels to offer digital downloads at better prices than physical cds. Yet for whatever reason, this is often not the case. For example, on another thread there is currently a discussion of The Originals "California Sunset." On Amazon UK, the physical cd is offered at £4.99 for a new copy [[with free shipping) while the mp3 download costs £7.99. Why? And this is true even more when you include the choice of buying used copies of physical cds, which you can simply rip yourself [[and using EAC or something comparable, you can rip to a better quality than you could buy as a download).

I can't compare the prices of The Supremes IHAS as a physical cd or digital download, since neither is currently available here. And while one can buy a physical cd from the US and have it shipped over, you can't buy digitial downloads from the US when you're in the UK - it seems they recognize that you're coming from another country and they block the sale.

Also, as MrTopCat mentioned, *many* titles which are available on cd are simply not available as a digital download. It should be so easy to offer them, but this often isn't done.

This is also true for some Hip-o titles. For example, I would have been happy to buy Teena Marie's Wild and Peaceful as a digital download, but for whatever reason it doesn't seem to be available in that format in the UK - at least not on Amazon UK or Itunes UK, and also not on Amazon.de [[Germany). So I bought a used copy at a good price.

Additionally, some people prefer physical cds for the liner notes and recording information. This is also easily solvable for the downloads, by including other files [[pdfs or whatever). They've apparently done this for IHAS, which certainly makes the digital download more attractive, but unfortunately this is still an exception.

And hey, I'm not moaning. I canceled my orders on Amazon UK and bought one from a marketplace seller, the other from Amazon.com, and both have been dispatched.

**MrTopCat** · 10-12-2012, 04:48 PM

I prefer the physical CD's because I like the feeling that I get when ever I receive/open a new CD. Holding the CD with my hands and reading the linear notes from the actual booklet. But I am a collector and a music fan. I also sing and try to study music all the time, and I value the CD's a lot more than the digital downloads.

@calvin - A few months ago I asked Ace Records why their releases are not available on Spotify/iTunes, etc and they told me that they simply do not have the digital rights for many [[ if not most ) of their releases. That's why the CD's are so important, because otherwise we'd not have gotten any of Ace's releases.

**calvin** · 10-12-2012, 05:12 PM

@MrTopCat

Yes, I also thought of that but then it slipped my mind as I wrote the post. It's a different feeling buying a physical product, holding it in your hands and then having it on your shelf, similarly with physical books as opposed to digital downloads. And this is especially true for some of the Hip-o releases, which have better liner notes than the average cd.

I think the music industry could push most buyers to go for digital downloads by doing some of the things I mentioned above [[especially by making the downloads much cheaper than the physical cds), but there would still be some - including myself - who would prefer the physical item for many titles.

And in terms of needing "to get with the times"... Well, this is a forum where people are talking about music that is roughly *50 years old*. ;-)

**robbo3333** · 10-13-2012, 02:30 PM

Now showing as in stock by Amazon UK at £28.60, no sign of shipping to pre-orders yet.

**calvin** · 10-13-2012, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by robbo3333

Now showing as in stock by Amazon UK at £28.60, no sign of shipping to pre-orders yet.

That's high compared to past releases - Supremes at the Copa was less than £12 when my pre-order was filled. Mine's on its way from amazon.com.

On another thread I saw that amazon uk has dispatched the new J5 cd to some, my order says expected dispatch is Monday.

**robbo3333** · 10-13-2012, 03:28 PM

Hello Calvin, my J5 is showing Monday as dispatch as well. Out of curiosity how much did IHAS cost in total?
Best wishes, Robbo

**calvin** · 10-13-2012, 03:45 PM

Hi Robbo, $31.72 + $6.48 shipping, so $38.20 which is about £24. Theoretically there could be an added import VAT on that, though in the past I've had items of similar value shipped here from the US and I never got hit with that.

**robbo3333** · 10-13-2012, 03:55 PM

I got my order in at £24 as well, so unless there's a dramatic drop in price when they eventually ship to me, it's about the same. I wonder if the higher prices are here to stay, as we were paying less than the USA?