New Web Site!

[Jim]

green and white
my favourite colour scheme

[Staffan]

The PR machinery for the new website has been working for some time now. I've eagerly awaited , day after day, for it to be launched so I can order my copy of "Sense of Occasion". We poor so..uls who live far away from The Winter Tour gig locations can't do much but to wait for this green site  
Staffan
Senseless of occasion or Sense of Occasionless???

[Anna]

Only a week to go (for the album anyway) Staffan!

Personally, I quite like white on green.  Especially that fairly dark green.  Perhaps my eyes are funny?

Do you remember when computer screens were text only and green-on-black...?

[Chris]

Staffan - If you require it as quickly as possible, I'd be inclined to order it from Amazon UK. You ought to get it in your ghands by the end of next week, as they usually post on or before day of release.

[Amethyst (Jenny)]

THE NEW WEBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING..

 .... off for a browse.......

[Staffan]

Just back from the shop. CD and cap ordered- Iamafter all planning to come to Croppers this year!
Site looks great.  There could have been a few more items in the shop, but since it's just opened, I guess they will be filling stock a s a p.
Look forward to all the goodies they will continue to fill the site with.
Off to a good start and long may it function!
Staffan

[davidmjs]

I think the website looks good - not nearly as terrifyingly green as was imagined....I like the feel of it...looks friendly, welcoming and informative.

My main gripe is with the shop.  I'm all in favour of artists taking control over their own product, but why (except out of charity) would I possibly buy the CDs for 13 quid when I can get them delivered to my door for under 9.00 inc p&p.  I'm sorry.  They are making it impossible for me to buy from them.  If they were 10 quid I'd (a little reluctantly, but I would) do it and they'd earn at least 1.50 more from me than they would from the copy I'll buy from Foxy or HMV or whoever is cheapest.  But I'm not forking out 4 quid extra an album.  I just can't.  Sorry.

[Shane (Skirky)]

There is a school of thought which suggests that buying from The Artist helps the band rather than The Man (in this case, say, HMV) is a morally better position to be in, in that more of your money goes to sustaining the band rather than a multinational conglomerate who are using their market position to bully suppliers ("gis' it for a fiver or not at all") into giving away their product (for such it is) just in order to get it into the larger market (I'm sure there'll be a small brewer along in a minute to explain the actual dynamics). Given that, if one felt so strongly in the first place, and given some of the criticism that comes the band's way upon each new release, one could surely just make a donation if one were worried about their livlihoods? For myself, I find the new website interesting, in that it takes time to find all the familar stuff (those are the old biogs with a quick update, aren't they?) , more 'conventional'* in terms of what casual browsers expect from a website - it looks alot more 'pro' - and am pleased to see that the traditional pecking order has been maintained, with the FC List at the top of the 'links' list, and Talkawhile buried way down at the bottom. I wouldn't expect it any other way.  



*my sides! my sides!    

[Jim]

i am now officially on the fairport diet, and since i started about 10 minutes ago i have lost 27 pounds with the purchase of "a sense of occasion" and "gallileo's apoogy"
 thanks chaps
 now lets see if i can fit into them drainpipes

[davidmjs]

There is a school of thought which suggests that buying from The Artist helps the band rather than The Man (in this case, say, HMV) is a morally better position to be in, in that more of your money goes to sustaining the band rather than a multinational conglomerate who are using their market position to bully suppliers

I absolutely agree - and I WOULD be willing to pay more to support the Artist.  But just not 45% more....  Sorry (again).

[Jim]

There is a school of thought which suggests that buying from The Artist helps the band rather than The Man (in this case, say, HMV) is a morally better position to be in, in that more of your money goes to sustaining the band rather than a multinational conglomerate who are using their market position to bully suppliers

I absolutely agree - and I WOULD be willing to pay more to support the Artist.  But just not 45% more....  Sorry (again).

its only money, you cant take it with you

[davidmjs]

There is a school of thought which suggests that buying from The Artist helps the band rather than The Man (in this case, say, HMV) is a morally better position to be in, in that more of your money goes to sustaining the band rather than a multinational conglomerate who are using their market position to bully suppliers

I absolutely agree - and I WOULD be willing to pay more to support the Artist.  But just not 45% more....  Sorry (again).

its only money, you cant take it with you

A great philosophy and one I wholeheartedly agree with.  Trouble is, I haven't got enough to take with me into next week...let alone worry about what I'm (not) leaving behind....!

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

The economics of releasing a CD these days are not good. It's recovering the recording costs that is difficult. The actual CD will be costing about £1 and postage another £1.
So if they sell you a copy directly at £13, there is a profit of £11 (reduced by VAT, but that's complicated)
However with the costs of recording, mastering, artwork, publicity, advertising, newsletter, plates and a glass master, that's lot of copies (thousands) before they break even. If they sold it for £10 that's a chunk out of the profit.
The price that CDs sell for these days, makes professional recording increasingly difficult. So support your local folk artist.

Having said that, selling at the price they must be getting from HMV looks mad.
What happened to selling it at gigs and on-line first. Then releasing it in the shops later?

[AdrianW]

Having said that, selling at the price they must be getting from HMV looks mad.
What happened to selling it at gigs and on-line first. Then releasing it in the shops later?

I'd imagine the prospect of missing any "boom" caused by the Folk Awards meant that having the CD available via major distributors such as HMV and their fellow squeeze merchants was a major priority, put ahead of profit. "Not dead yet" so to speak.

I think the intention to sell to fans via gigs and the web was there. The CD is (yes?) being sold at gigs. The web site launch appeared to be delayed by weeks.

I'm underwhelmed by the new web site. The new facilities are handy, but the style, or lack of it, grates. Flashy, hard to read, ... ... ... . I preferred its predecessor and expect that I will be visiting this one less. Sometimes less really is more. [FX: muffled noises as I choke back abstruse technical jokes.]
 

[PaulT]

I quite like it - and I'm sure I'll get used to it as I visit more.

[Andy]

Not to my taste either, Adrian, with fonts and spacing rather oddly conceived, in my opinion.

But then, I'm just the carping old git at the back. Good luck to 'em I say.

And yes, I'll be buying the album at the cheaper price (£8.99) from Amazon, I don't have extra money to fling at people either.  The official release date is still down as the 12th.

[mikec]

If the CD isn't released until the 12th is it being sold on the tour? And what about orders placed on the new website. Nowhere does it say there that it isn't available until the 12th so any punter will naturally assume it will be shipped as soon as they place their order. (or as soon as they process it really).

Minor gripe if its not available until the 12th from the website but if it is being shipped now then great.

MikeC who is looking forward to PJ & Peggy's new one hitting his mat soon

[Andy]

Sorry if I was unclear, that date was for Amazon.

[mikec]

No Andy you were clear as far as I am concerned.

Just done some wandering around the new site and it does say its available now from the online shop and from record shops from the 12, so thats great.

However, is there an email address on the site for queries? I couldn't see one. All they offer is a snail mail address for writing into. However they do mention above that, that they would like to have our email addresses.
It would be nice to have one for them as well.  

[davidmjs]

Not to my taste either, Adrian, with fonts and spacing rather oddly conceived, in my opinion.

But then, I'm just the carping old git at the back. Good luck to 'em I say.

And yes, I'll be buying the album at the cheaper price (£8.99) from Amazon, I don't have extra money to fling at people either.  The official release date is still down as the 12th.

Well - don't throw your money away to Amazon either...you can get it cheaper still (postage paid)
 
http://www.find-cd.co.uk/cds/B000MCHEBO-fairport-convention-sense-of-occasion.htm