shameless commerce

[Lunesse]

the store is open.

We have......*drum roll* only one sort of t shirt so far.

But the rest are not far behind. They have coming soon next to them so you can see what they look like.

Sleep is for the weak, sleep is for the weak....

[MiniCoopGuy]

I've always said you can sleep when you are dead...plenty of time to catch up! Nice work Lunesse!!

[wadcorp]

…only one sort of t shirt so far.

And a dang nice shirt it is!

The Store is open, and growing one shirt at a time. Good going, Lunesse.

Now if you could only swing a Kansas City date for Mr. Dolby.

.

[MiniCoopGuy]

Wadcorp: I know Lunesse tried to get Dolby here to KC, and I also tried. If we could find a promotor with the funds, maybe we can convince him. Do you know any good ones here in KC?

[wadcorp]

Do you know any good ones here in KC?

What's your credit card number?

Actually, the management at the Grand Emporium / Beaumont Club would be a good start:

http://www.kcclubs.com/contact.cfm

Then there is Knuckleheads Saloon, which has tons of live music:

http://www.knuckleheadskc.com/

frank@knuckleheadskc.com

All posibilities.

.

[MiniCoopGuy]

Called the Beaumont guys twice...wouldn't return my calls. Guess they didn't want the business. As for knuckleheads, I've not tried them. Work has me pretty slammed now so I really don't have the time to dedicate to getting this done. I tried several avenues after the tour was announced, but they all were dead ends. Now I just don't have the time since I'm traveling most of May.

[Lunesse]

I've got ACDC in my head, and black t's in the online store.

[white city]

Hi,
I ordered two shirts yesterday and was impressed at how smoothly the UI and e-commerce thang went through. This morning I check my mail and see that the order has already shipped.

Way to go! You have obviously found the right partner for the merchandising. I hope it isn't delivered by the same guys that 'took care' of your poster shipment!

Cheers,
Jon

[madopal]

Here's hoping for the Goggles shirt in black (or some other dark color...I can tell the goggles strap might get lost in black. Maybe charcoal? Gray?)!

[uofm989898]

when the white XXL shirts will be in stock in 'The Store'.

[Elaine]

They're just typical spam. I'm sure Lunesse will take care of those, after she has time to come up for air.

[IndieMom]

I saw an amazing show last night! Very inspirational. I enjoyed every moment of it and was lucky enough to meet him after the show. He is a very nice extremely intelligent and creative genius. He performed everything I wanted to hear except for airwaves. I am so glad I went.

[Mark Gardner]

OK After going on about memorabilia......... Yes I know........ I've found the shop. Right, at least thats over with. Users please note (I missed it!) that shipping costs are shown when you click through, including Europe....... I'm now off to get mine!

[owlchilde]

I really dig the She Blinded Me With Science tee design and so does my husband. Any chance of getting the girls tee in an XL and the same design in a men's shirt?

[R32Paul]

Hi Lunesse....

Don't know if you can help..... but....

I ordered a T-Shirt for my wife through the store........ on the 9th of October....

I got a confirmation e-mail from them - but I haven't heard anything yet.... despite two e-mails through the orders web page....

Any chance you can help?

Thanks,

Paul

[MondoJohnny]

I like the black version of the t shirt quite a bit but why is Thomas Dolby purple? Why he looks more like a Thomas Dol-berry what with his purple skin and all!...Ok that was a bit of a stretch I admit it. I imagine that is how he looked after playing the Colorado show...cold up there from what I hear!

Someone help me decide which shirt to get! I like the goggles and they seem more fitting for me, but there is just so much more to look at on the other shirt featuring bizarro Thomas Dolby....Thats it Im getting both! have to do it when my home computer is back up. Cant order at work...no sir

[ashley]

Maybe I'm out of touch with the times, but I was never asked to pay an extra $10 for an autographed copy of a new album or DVD before. Thomas needs to take a leaf out of Andy Partridge's book (who he's worked with before), as all of his and XTC's releases of the last few years are almost all signed as a matter of course, at no extra cost. In very nice gold ink too. This shameless profiteering actually puts me off buying the album and DVD altogether, despite being a big fan of Thomas's work. And, as the people who will most want an autographed copy will be the real diehard fans, this is an example of trying to rip off your biggest fans. I'm not usually too bothered about autographed items anyway, unless I have them done personally, but when Gomez recently released their new album, the first however many copies it was were autographed. There was no extra expense involved, you just had to order early. I was going to buy it anyway, so I ordered early. Everybody wins, no one makes an extra $10 just for sticking a number and a scribble on the cover, and the real fans are happy. I understand that Thomas has to make a living, but making an additional $10,000 out of this venture is a tad excessive, to say the least.

I would be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on this - especially Thomas's

[MiniCoopGuy]

I honestly think it is fine he is charging for the DVD's and CD's that are signed. When it comes to how much anyone's time is worth, it is up to the individual to decide. Nothing in this world is truly free. If he sits down to sign 1,000 DVDs and 1,000 CDs, that is a lot of his time gone. That is time he may be able to spend other ways making money. I don't know about anyone else, but unless I'm doing charity work (which I do) I'm out to make money for my family. That is why I work. It is an extra perk that Thomas has done for the fans, and I for one don't mind paying for it. Anyone else have any thoughts?

[ashley]

Well, a conservative estimate of 10 seconds to sign each CD/DVD means that it would be less than a day's work, assuming there is 1000 of each to sign. Probably not all done in one sitting, but still nothing too strenuous. (In my previous post I didn't realise till I sent it that it's probably $20,000, not 10,000.) I also do charity work, but I could never hope to raise $20,000 for a day's work - hell, I'll probably not achieve anything near that in my lifetime! Of course, if Thomas is intending to donate the $20,000 to a worthy charity, I'll be only too happy to place an order today :)

[MiniCoopGuy]

I can't imagine anyone sitting down in one place to sign 2,000 items at once...I could be wrong, but I know I'd have some major writer's cramp.

There is a lot more here than just the bottom line $20,000 and his time. It is not up to us to say how much or little he or anyone else can charge for their time except by making a conscious decision not to pony up the money. Thomas can charge as much as he wants, but it is up to the consumer to decide whether or not to buy the signed CD or DVD (you’ve elected no). Sports stars who appear at sports conventions charge for their signatures all of the time. Not only do you usually pay to get into the convention, but you pay each sports star a signing fee for their autograph. I attended a Sci-Fi convention a few years back with my brother-in-law, and each celebrity there was charging a $10-25 fee to sign items. Not only did they get paid an appearance fee to show up at the convention (this drove traffic to the convention), but they made additional money selling their signature.

Time is money, and their time is as valuable as anyone else’s. You have made your decision to not pay the extra money to buy a signed CD/DVD, and that is your choice. Others made the choice to pay the extra amount for Thomas’ time that he spends to sign each item. When it comes down to it I wonder how much of that $10 he actually gets to keep. By the time you add in studio time, transportation costs, editing, copyright fees, and all of the other costs that go into releasing a CD/DVD, I doubt he is truly taking in a net $10. Just my two cents, four cents, or $10.

[MondoJohnny]

"I think not a month ago I said something to the effect of "...I would be happy to pay extra for Thomas Dolby CDs if I knew that the money was going to him and not some record company." Sorry guys I guess I drove the price up for everyone. Sometimes I really lament the fact that Thomas Dolby always reads all my posts and acts on them accordingly... Well Mr. Dolby, at first I thought that the extra ten was too pricey but then I realized I was wrong...because I bought it anyway! The way I look at it is if he signs my CD I will buy him a meal at Carls Jr. Fair trade!

[Wrapped in Grey]

Thanks for raising this, Ashley; it's a valid topic of discussion, for sure.

I must confess to being surprised at the additional charge for the signed copies. I have a lot of the aforementioned XTC re-issues, signed by Andy and Colin, and sold at the standard price.

Having said that, though, I didn't hesitate to select the autographed copy. I was at the Scala which was hugely enjoyable; although not the same performance, this dvd will make a great souvenir, its having passed through Thomas's hands somehow adding to the pleasure I shall get from owning and viewing the concert.

I'm keen to hear some others' thoughts ...

[jrm]

i'm wondering if some of the extra charge isn't also from cdbaby, since they have to ship the discs to TMDR and then accept them back, and then set them aside so that only those thousand go from that specific link.

[SiliconTi]

OK with me. I did not even consider the unsigned copy (and did not even look at the prices of any copy before I ordered, for that matter - I wanted one, period). I am assuming 1) Thomas is getting most of the money, 2) there is extra shipping costs to/from Thomas to sign them, and 3) it will only go up in value (I am hoping to trade a copy for a signed Forty).

[Mark Gardner]

It's hard to post here as there are a lot of conflicting viewpoints and most are valid.

IMHO if there was some "oficial" fan recognition system then there could be a mecanism to "reward" the fans with cheaper kit / unique material. Other musicians have gone done this route - in my experience, Bill Nelson did a fine job way back until I lost patience with some issues.

But thereby hangs a tale again - paying money to subscribe doesn't make you a fan, anyone can do it. Anyone can join the forum. Anyone can go to a concert. Anyone can buy material. Thats the real world.

I just wanted a unique piece of Thomas, if it arrives, I'll have something no one else has, it doesn't matter if its 0001 or 1000, they're all different! Except they've been through a unique process, etched in time, as it were.

I don't hink this has contributed much, but I felt I should post. End!

[wadcorp]

Bill Nelson does not (as of yet) offer signed copies of his CDs for sale on line.

Though I did bring it up yesterday on his web site.

He does sign CDs and other items at his annual Nelsonica convention in York, UK.

No extra charge for signing.

.

[ashley]

This is a long reply but...

I don't want to come across as some tight-arsed whinger here. I AM willing to pay extra for things when they are worth it, I just think that in this case it's unjustified - certainly by the amount extra that's being asked.

I can't imagine anyone sitting down in one place to sign 2,000 items at once...I could be wrong, but I know I'd have some major writer's cramp.

As I said, it probably wouldn't all be in one sitting, but it IS possible to sign a lot in one go. Anyone who has ever seen the queues which form when a celebrity has a book/album signing session will know that. Said celebrity will also leave a big pile of signed books or whatever to sell after they have left. It's all good and easy publicity for the artist, and usually ensures that they will sell more of their product. Maybe the shops themselves pay for the privilage of the artist turning up, but unless it's a megastar I doubt we're talking amounts in the thousands. And besides which, did you never have the experience of sitting two 3-hour exams per day, for several days in succession? I did this in school year after year, and came out unscathed. This involves writing furiously for hours on end, producing thousands of words (and often getting crappy marks, but that's another story...). Signing 2000 CD covers should be a doddle in comparison.

Which brings me to the point of charging for autographs. This must be a peculiarly American thing, as I've never heard of it happening here. Any time I've been to, or seen, book signings, film premieres, conventions, etc., the artists have always been happy to chat, sign things, pose for photos, all for free. To directly charge a fan in this way is, to me, biting the hand that feeds you. That this practice is widely accepted saddens me - to receive an autograph from one of your idols, when you've gone to see them at a place they're getting paid to be, should be priceless, but cost nothing. The same as a smile - or will they be charging for those next?

I think not a month ago I said something to the effect of "...I would be happy to pay extra for Thomas Dolby CDs if I knew that the money was going to him and not some record company."

I agree entirely that it always better for money to go direct to the artist. I would rather buy direct from Thomas Dolby's website than via a third party. My point, in this instance, is that these CDs and DVDs will most likely cost exactly the same to produce. Perhaps to have a run of 1000 of each with numbers printed on them will cost a few cents more per item, but the discs themselves are identical. Any more than a few cents for that and Thomas is being ripped off! It appears to be his decision to provide these signed and numbered copies, judging by the text in his newsletter, so he shouldn't actually need to demand much to actually cover the costs of producing them.

It's nice to have something unique, something that has passed through the hands of an artist you admire, but again, I think these are things which should be priceless, not priced. If someone wants to get something signed then sell it on at a profit, then fine, it's up to the individual buyer to decide whether it's worth it. I've paid above the odds for rare items myself. But I stand by my viewpoint that for the artist themselves to do this from the outset is simple profiteering - making the true fans pay more for something simply because you know they will. I'm a great believer in giving something back to your fans. This is just taking from them for the privilage.

paying money to subscribe doesn't make you a fan

I agree with this too, but conversely fans shouldn't be forced to pay extra. How many times have you religiously bought an album by an artist you love on the day of release, only for there to be a 'special edition' released a few weeks later. How many times is a single released in several versions, all with different 'extras' or remixes on them? Will you buy them? Of course you will, because you're a fan - but why didn't they release this 'special edition' first, to the fans who they KNOW will want it? Why didn't they just release one version of the single? Again, it's all a cynical attempt at squeezing more out of the fans. Most of the time such practices are down to the record companies, but most artists seem happy to go along with it.

I'm sorry if this has turned into a rant, but it's something I do feel strongly about. I'm well aware of the amount of time, money, and effort an artist has to pour into any creative endeavour. I know how soul-destroying it is to have all that work be turned down, compromised, destroyed, hijacked, time and time again. And when you do finally get it all together, and actually achieve something, I know it can be irritating to say the least when someone doesn't seem to appreciate any of that, any just complains about the small details. Being any kind of creative artist can seem almost masochistic at times, and you have to be able to take a lot of knocks. But it's still a two-way thing between the artist and his audience, and it has to be fair. In this instance I feel it's not being fair to the fans, which is why I feel it's worth stressing the point as much as I have.

Anyway, I've not posted on here before, despite being signed up for months. I have to make my few posts count, don't I? ;)

[FredTheCat]

Which brings me to the point of charging for autographs. This must be a peculiarly American thing, as I've never heard of it happening here. Any time I've been to, or seen, book signings, film premieres, conventions, etc., the artists have always been happy to chat, sign things, pose for photos, all for free. To directly charge a fan in this way is, to me, biting the hand that feeds you. That this practice is widely accepted saddens me - to receive an autograph from one of your idols, when you've gone to see them at a place they're getting paid to be, should be priceless, but cost nothing. The same as a smile - or will they be charging for those next?

Actually, Thomas does all of those things for free when you go to see HIM, too. In April he autographed a number of CD booklets for me and just last week he autographed a few 12" singles, all at no cost to me. But this isn't that. Can I get an autographed Sting CD at no extra cost without going to a place he appears and then managing to see him? If I mailed him a CD do you think he'd sign it and send it back to me for free? It's not a realistic expectation for a remote fan to have the same advatages as an up-close fan. There's no obligation to buy the autographed version...buy the virgin version and meet up with him after a show, an act which is refreshingly easy to manage. It's all a matter of perspective. I've yet to meet Sting despite having seen him 6 or 7 times in concert...

This is extra expense in shipping the product to Thomas instead of straight to CDBaby, his time invested in dealing with them, and shipping on to CDBaby for order fulfillment. It's not just a matter of Thomas whipping out a pen and scribbling away. $10 may be a bit much to some but it's no more than the price of a couple beers and I think we'd all be happy to buy the man a couple beers for his contribution to our lives, no?

-FredTheCat

[Retrocanary]

Let's not forget the amount Thomas had to pay to buy all the expensive kit that is his stage setup. As it's the fans like us that benefit from these items the most, it seems like perfect sense that we should pay extra. That stage setup can no way have come cheap, so to say he's making $20,000 out of the whole thing is probably false.

[Lunesse]

Ashley,

You are not being "forced" to pay extra for anything. You can buy whatever you want. Just because an autographed version is there for an extra $10, the price of a movie in some places these days, doesn't mean you have to purchase it. Consumers have so much power in the world, if everyone voted with their dollars for what they wanted in the world, or didn't want, the world could be a very different place than it is.

Incidentally, Thomas has patiently signed as many items were put in front of him at meet n greets, on the way to the hotel, on the way into soundcheck, etc. Tickets, giant cassette tapes, records, pieces of papers...Moogs all for free. Just like all the other celebrities you mention who pose, sign and talk, Thomas does it as well and goes out of his way, actually, to do the meet n' greets in a way to make them especially intimate and enjoyable.

Some folks brought tons of things, every lp, every cd booklet, and he signed them ALL.

Sometimes the next day they all showed up on ebay. Who profits then? This was not always the case of course, but it happens.

Buy what you want! The majority of large-name artists in the world don't provide hand numbered, signed copies of any album they put out. If you don't want to pay for that, you don't have to! Just buy the regular version! =)

Have a great day!