Mary Anthology delayed again ? And still not available in UK

[Boogiedown]

I sort of don't understand this passive response to poor performance, and the notion of, "oh well its always been like that....". I think if my forte were releasing otherwise unavailable and largely forgotten music product, I would go out of my way to make my business run as smoothly as possible to please my little niche of buyers. Unreliability is not a customer building strategy.

The most problematic issue seems to be legalities. I would probably make sure all those Ts were crossed before even soliciting it to my buyers.....because if that falls through, its all for naught, and I'll Ive got is disgruntled clientele who now want their money back and will think twice about shelling out dough in good faith in the future.

If its about difficulties in pressing the product... good grief how many components are involved in making a CD ?? Some plastic... This is not a 5th wheel being assembled with plumbing and lighting and mechanics and comforts, and ......get the picture? [yes we see]
Also if this were my focus as a business I would circumvent the manufacturing issues of farming it out and invest in my own means to do so ... I'd press them in house.

I probably have it wrong somehow, but the accepted current methods, to me aren't acceptable.

I'm trying to imagine Berry Gordy in the middle of The Supremes run of #1 hits , just saying, "Gosh, I sure hope we can get COME SEE ABOUT ME pressed and shipped someday, someway , somehow" .....

[bradsupremes]

I sort of don't understand this passive response to poor performance, and the notion of, "oh well its always been like that....". I think if my forte were releasing otherwise unavailable and largely forgotten music product, I would go out of my way to make my business run as smoothly as possible to please my little niche of buyers. Unreliability is not a customer building strategy.

The most problematic issue seems to be legalities. I would probably make sure all those Ts were crossed before even soliciting it to my buyers.....because if that falls through, its all for naught, and I'll Ive got is disgruntled clientele who now want their money back and will think twice about shelling out dough in good faith in the future.

If its about difficulties in pressing the product... good grief how many components are involved in making a CD ?? Some plastic... This is not a 5th wheel being assembled with plumbing and lighting and mechanics and comforts, and ......get the picture? [yes we see]
Also if this were my focus as a business I would circumvent the manufacturing issues of farming it out and invest in my own means to do so ... I'd press them in house.

I probably have it wrong somehow, but the accepted current methods, to me aren't acceptable.

I'm trying to imagine Berry Gordy in the middle of The Supremes run of #1 hits , just saying, "Gosh, I sure hope we can get COME SEE ABOUT ME pressed and shipped someday, someway , somehow" .....

Real Gone has always been on the ball with their releases - punctual, affordable, and top quality. I highly doubt they are being lazy or careless about this or not having their "i's" dotted and "t's" crossed. They are on the ball. After all, this is their product. Would they do something to hurt their business and products? Their BJ Thomas set was due for release on the same day as Mary's anthology back in December and his set got bumped to February 4th.

As stated earlier, these aren't top priority projects to be pressed. Real Gone may not have the means to press in house and if the manufactures they use are having issues, who's to say that others aren't having the same problems? I believe it was Carlo who may have said when a top product like Adele is announced and has a release date, a product like hers takes top priority and bumps the smaller projects in the manufacturing. If anyone remembers John Perrone's interviews on Nightflight, projects even get bumped on the calendar and studio time all the time. Would CD manufacturing be any different if a big seller has a rush release?

Another huge factor - the supply change is incredibly messed up right now. Has anyone driven by a car dealership lately? Tell me how many cars on the lots you see as compared two years ago. I've driven by a few that look nearly empty. The same with grocery stores - there are a lot of shelves empty due to lack of products.

We really need to cut Real Gone some slack. I really don't understand this negativity toward them when clearly there is something bigger going on.

[thanxal]

We really need to cut Real Gone some slack. I really don't understand this negativity toward them when clearly there is something bigger going on.

Unhappy people gotta bitch and complain. It makes no sense to me. We're in a pandemic that has absolutely everything screwed up, as you noted. I can't even get a COVID test in the US right now and people are moaning like its the end of the world that a a CD reissue of an album that sold squat when it was originally released got delayed. Not cancelled, delayed. Are the songs soft cheese? Will they spoil or change flavor if not released in December? No. It's called over-privileged consumers who demand everything NOW! NOW! NOW! or I'll stomp my feet and refuse to buy it when it does come out. Wow! just wow.

Like it or not, Mary Wilson was not a household name. Ever. I love her and her work, but people must realize we're now talking about a niche of a niche market. Motown ain't flying off the shelf these days, vinyl outsold CDs last year, and its a fu*king pandemic.

Chill peeps, chill.

[mwmr]

Unhappy people gotta bitch and complain. It makes no sense to me. We're in a pandemic that has absolutely everything screwed up, as you noted. I can't even get a COVID test in the US right now and people are moaning like its the end of the world that a a CD reissue of an album that sold squat when it was originally released got delayed. Not cancelled, delayed. Are the songs soft cheese? Will they spoil or change flavor if not released in December? No. It's called over-privileged consumers who demand everything NOW! NOW! NOW! or I'll stomp my feet and refuse to buy it when it does come out. Wow! just wow.

Like it or not, Mary Wilson was not a household name. Ever. I love her and her work, but people must realize we're now talking about a niche of a niche market. Motown ain't flying off the shelf these days, vinyl outsold CDs last year, and its a fu*king pandemic.

Chill peeps, chill.

Bigotry alive & well I see…


you may wish to revisit your facts … vinyl did NOT outsell cd’s last year , in fact sales of cd’s actually increased… just one of many articles online confirming it …

although probably not for Real Gone

https://nowspinning.co.uk/cd-sales-s...mb-in-the-usa/

[DWSheffer]

you may wish to revisit your facts … vinyl did NOT outsell cd’s last year , in fact sales of cd’s actually increased… just one of many articles online confirming it....

All the stories I had read so far this year and watched on Youtube say vinyl outsold CD's, although both saw sales increases. I guess it depends on where you read your news?

https://americansongwriter.com/the-v...nce-the-1980s/

[thanxal]

Bigotry alive & well I see…


you may wish to revisit your facts … vinyl did NOT outsell cd’s last year , in fact sales of cd’s actually increased… just one of many articles online confirming it …

although probably not for Real Gone

https://nowspinning.co.uk/cd-sales-s...mb-in-the-usa/

Stating facts is not bigotry. Sorry that it hurts your feelings, but Mary's solo album sold very few copies [[relative to the industry) and vinyl outsold CDs, at least in the US. I've long been a vocal supporter and admirer of Mary so just because you threw a temper tantrum over a delayed product doesn't mean those of us defending the company are bigots.

Seeing Kenneth's post below, I am excited to get my three copies soon.

[mwmr]

Stating facts is not bigotry. Sorry that it hurts your feelings, but Mary's solo album sold very few copies [[relative to the industry) and vinyl outsold CDs, at least in the US. I've long been a vocal supporter and admirer of Mary so just because you threw a temper tantrum over a delayed product doesn't mean those of us defending the company are bigots.

Seeing Kenneth's post below, I am excited to get my three copies soon.

I didn’t throw a temper tantrum I expressed an opinion of dissatisfaction as a consumer.
to be intolerant of another’s opinion is indeed bigotry…. And you haven’t hurt my feelings - you , with the greatest of respect , aren’t anything in my life.

I haven’t stated anywhere Mary’s solo album sold very well anywhere .. I’m aware it sold poorly .

as another poster on here posted various sources tell different stories about cd sales and it was reported in uk press this week re cd sales increasing and still outselling vinyls….

I sincerely hope you enjoy your 3 copies.

[mwmr]

Real Gone has always been on the ball with their releases - punctual, affordable, and top quality. I highly doubt they are being lazy or careless about this or not having their "i's" dotted and "t's" crossed. They are on the ball. After all, this is their product. Would they do something to hurt their business and products? Their BJ Thomas set was due for release on the same day as Mary's anthology back in December and his set got bumped to February 4th.

As stated earlier, these aren't top priority projects to be pressed. Real Gone may not have the means to press in house and if the manufactures they use are having issues, who's to say that others aren't having the same problems? I believe it was Carlo who may have said when a top product like Adele is announced and has a release date, a product like hers takes top priority and bumps the smaller projects in the manufacturing. If anyone remembers John Perrone's interviews on Nightflight, projects even get bumped on the calendar and studio time all the time. Would CD manufacturing be any different if a big seller has a rush release?

Another huge factor - the supply change is incredibly messed up right now. Has anyone driven by a car dealership lately? Tell me how many cars on the lots you see as compared two years ago. I've driven by a few that look nearly empty. The same with grocery stores - there are a lot of shelves empty due to lack of products.

We really need to cut Real Gone some slack. I really don't understand this negativity toward them when clearly there is something bigger going on.

the i’s & t’s aren’t dotted & crossed though . They failed to sort out distribution to one of Motown’s biggest markets - the UK.

why should they be cut some slack. They announced a product that wasn’t ready , clearly hasn’t been pressed, failed to deliver , not kept their website up to date….

atrocious business practice .. not how to keep a niche market interested

[bradsupremes]

the i’s & t’s aren’t dotted & crossed though . They failed to sort out distribution to one of Motown’s biggest markets - the UK.

why should they be cut some slack. They announced a product that wasn’t ready , clearly hasn’t been pressed, failed to deliver , not kept their website up to date….

atrocious business practice .. not how to keep a niche market interested

That’s not how the business works. Nothing is ever done fully complete when they make announcements for presale. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes before a product is ever ready. That’s with everything. When Mary and I were working on her Supreme Glamour book, it was announced when the book was still going through heavy edits and changes. Did Thames & Hudson have the book printed and ready to go when they announced it? Nope. Companies announce these release dates ahead of time to allow any last minutes changes, submitting the final product to manufacturers, the amount of time to print and press the product and getting an estimate on delivery, etc. Sometimes things pop up along the assembly line that may cause delays. Is that Real Gone’s fault? Nope. It may be out of their hands and control. And from what I’ve heard, they have been prompt in responding to customers questions in email.

You seem to disregard the whole pandemic/supply issues as having any effect on this. I work for a museum. We have a big exhibit planned to open the first of March and contracted an outside exhibit builder to construct display cases, etc. for the show. We and the contractor had everything in line and checked, but then we got word that due to the supply chain issues, materials used for the cases were on back order. We had to push the exhibit opening date back further as a result. Were we negligent on our end? Nope. We’re living in a different world right now. Things are not operating the way they did three years ago.

As for the UK, a deal must have been made to sort out distribution because, as posted above, it’s available for presale at a reasonable price.

Besides, you said you weren’t buying this CD and didn’t care about any future releases from Real Gone. So why does this even matter to you now?

[mwmr]

That’s not how the business works. Nothing is ever done fully complete when they make announcements for presale. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes before a product is ever ready. That’s with everything. When Mary and I were working on her Supreme Glamour book, it was announced when the book was still going through heavy edits and changes. Did Thames & Hudson have the book printed and ready to go when they announced it? Nope. Companies announce these release dates ahead of time to allow any last minutes changes, submitting the final product to manufacturers, the amount of time to print and press the product and getting an estimate on delivery, etc. Sometimes things pop up along the assembly line that may cause delays. Is that Real Gone’s fault? Nope. It may be out of their hands and control. And from what I’ve heard, they have been prompt in responding to customers questions in email.

You seem to disregard the whole pandemic/supply issues as having any effect on this. I work for a museum. We have a big exhibit planned to open the first of March and contracted an outside exhibit builder to construct display cases, etc. for the show. We and the contractor had everything in line and checked, but then we got word that due to the supply chain issues, materials used for the cases were on back order. We had to push the exhibit opening date back further as a result. Were we negligent on our end? Nope. We’re living in a different world right now. Things are not operating the way they did three years ago.

As for the UK, a deal must have been made to sort out distribution because, as posted above, it’s available for presale at a reasonable price.

Besides, you said you weren’t buying this CD and didn’t care about any future releases from Real Gone. So why does this even matter to you now?

hey Brad you’re quite correct I’m still not buying it , neither do I care about any more Real Gone releases ….

you wrongly state I’m disregarding the pandemic supply chain issues - please don’t assume , you don’t know me .the pandemic is the default excuse for everything these days

why does it matter to me ?

a/ big Mary fan for decades who think she deserved better than this
b/ my thread …started by me…. Freedom of speech

[bradsupremes]

hey Brad you’re quite correct I’m still not buying it , neither do I care about any more Real Gone releases ….

you wrongly state I’m disregarding the pandemic supply chain issues - please don’t assume , you don’t know me .the pandemic is the default excuse for everything these days

why does it matter to me ?

a/ big Mary fan for decades who think she deserved better than this
b/ my thread …started by me…. Freedom of speech

Well, you are disregarding the pandemic and supply chain issues because instead of saying "You're right, guys, maybe this isn't Real Gone's fault. This does sound like there are problems with manufacturing," you keep blaming Real Gone for why its being delayed. You blame them for "atrocious business practices," that the CDs weren't pressed, printed and ready to be delivered when it was announced and put up for presale on their website or that they had everything figured out beforehand distribution wise. As I stated earlier, that's not how any business works from Real Gone to Apple.

I love Mary too, but I don't see what's going on as being disrespectful to her or that she deserves better. Is it unfortunate this keeps getting delayed? Yes, but that's part of a bigger picture and not in Real Gone's control. It's not like Real Gone is making statements about how terrible Mary was or sending emails to customers "We have the Mary collection sitting in our warehouses for months, but instead of shipping them to you we're going to destroy every single copy in a fire, urinate on them just to spite the fans, and then not give customers refunds." That's not what's happening here.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, but you said yourself this was all irrelevant to you. So why continue complaining if you aren't getting it? I found a nice sweater at Eddie Bauer's a few weeks back, but found it to be too expensive for me so I didn't buy it. I'm not emailing the store daily grumbling about it. I move on. I think some people just enjoy to complain.

[mwmr]

Well, you are disregarding the pandemic and supply chain issues because instead of saying "You're right, guys, maybe this isn't Real Gone's fault. This does sound like there are problems with manufacturing," you keep blaming Real Gone for why its being delayed. You blame them for "atrocious business practices," that the CDs weren't pressed, printed and ready to be delivered when it was announced and put up for presale on their website or that they had everything figured out beforehand distribution wise. As I stated earlier, that's not how any business works from Real Gone to Apple.

I love Mary too, but I don't see what's going on as being disrespectful to her or that she deserves better. Is it unfortunate this keeps getting delayed? Yes, but that's part of a bigger picture and not in Real Gone's control. It's not like Real Gone is making statements about how terrible Mary was or sending emails to customers "We have the Mary collection sitting in our warehouses for months, but instead of shipping them to you we're going to destroy every single copy in a fire, urinate on them just to spite the fans, and then not give customers refunds." That's not what's happening here.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, but you said yourself this was all irrelevant to you. So why continue complaining if you aren't getting it? I found a nice sweater at Eddie Bauer's a few weeks back, but found it to be too expensive for me so I didn't buy it. I'm not emailing the store daily grumbling about it. I move on. I think some people just enjoy to complain.

I think some people just enjoy to complain - yet another assumption

why keep coming back & posting yourself , picking at the scab ?

[carlo]

Another huge factor - the supply change is incredibly messed up right now. Has anyone driven by a car dealership lately? Tell me how many cars on the lots you see as compared two years ago. I've driven by a few that look nearly empty. The same with grocery stores - there are a lot of shelves empty due to lack of products.

This is 100% accurate. We ordered a new vehicle in August. Due to all of the supply chain delays, it took almost six months to arrive at the dealership. Like you said, same can be said of grocery stores. There is a shortage of transport truck drivers at the moment.

Anyone who can't understand these very real issues is failing to see the bigger picture.