Vinyl Me, Please. Review

About a month ago I caved and bought a 3 month membership to the vinyl subscription service, Vinyl Me, Please. They were running a promotion where you got a month free. I had been curious in the service, but found the subscription prices to be a little steep. The promotion enticed me, and I found myself engulfed, obsessed, and carried away.

The subscription is a little weird. You can subscribe to "tracks" such as Classics (Pre-1980 Blues, Soul, Jazz), Essentials (Albums of all genres everyone should own), and Rap & Hip-Hop. The way it works is you choose a "track" to subscribe to, and you get the record that corresponds with that track. Last month, for example. they had Otis Redding for Classics, Stooges for Essentials, and Rick Ross for R&HH. Now, you can change the record you start your subscription with, so I started my Essentials subscription with The Roots "Phrenology" which had been an Essential record earlier this year. There are also swaps available if you don't like the record of the month, and yada yada yada. It gets more complicated than necessary and is very intimidating as a newcomer. I found myself on the r/vinylmeplease subreddit frequently to stay updated on relevant info and for help.

You may be asking yourself, why should I subscribe to this? What makes it so special? Well, the records they release are often limited, on colored wax, been out of print for a long time, or may even be albums pressed on vinyl for the first time ever. They add in a lot of goodies and put together a quality package that is a thrill to receive. They are of very high quality, both the record sleeve and record itself. Some include art prints, some include listening notes, and some include art stencils. They take it beyond just listening to the album; you will get submersed in the artist, genre, album history, and will become a critical listener. For me, their history of Soul, Blues, and Jazz releases amazes me. The majority are remastered using the AAA method, which means the recording is sourced purely from analog resources, no compressed digital crap. It's also a more authentic experience for these albums to be on black vinyl, which is what they use. Furthermore, they have found the perfect balance between deep cuts and essential albums.

After I became a member, they announced a members only flash sale, where a large majority of their previous records were up to 50% off. This is where I got in trouble.

Most importantly, it is an AMAZING way to discover new music. Just from browsing the site for a few hours, I had accumulated a playlist of at least 10 albums I was interested in. Because they specialize in recovering long-lost recordings and cover a multitude of genres, It is easy to come across an album you've never heard of before. Not only is it easy, but it's exhilarating. I perused their sale and got carried away.

All in all, I would recommend this service. Even if you don't want to sign up for a subscription, I'd at least encourage you to look through their past records. You never know what you may find.

Here is what I've grabbed so far:

The Roots, "Phrenology"

Little Milton, "Waiting for Little Milton"

Jim Sullivan, "U.F.O."

The Silvertones, "Silver Bullets"

Experience Unlimited, "Free Yourself"

James Booker, "The Lost Paramount Tapes"

Erroll Garner, "Magician"