Question About Cutouts

[srigby]

Why do record companies and/or distributors take perfectly good LP' and CD's and drill a hole through them and sell them as cut outs?

Scott

[BradOlson]

Cutouts are usually overstocks, promos or out of print titles. mostly out of print titles

[Sckott]

Yep. It becomes a write-off. They do saw-marks or drill holes to mark the stuff so retailers and customers can't mistake it for full priced titles. They become non-returnable "sale is final", so the retailer can't send it back to the label or distributor.

So, it's marked for "death" if you will..... Doesn't mean you can't find gold in them thar cutouts!

So, let's say you're Atlantic and you're full of "Nu Shooz" records up to your nose. You sell them to retailers with cut-out marks at either below or at-cost prices. If 3-4 pieces come back from the retailer (even as damaged or defective) TOO BAD. ;)

[Jeffrey]

Hi,

The Music Gods gave us cutouts as a rebate on our previous purchases. :D

Long Live Cutouts,
Jeffrey

[Dave B]

Some of my favorite purchases have been from cutout bins. When I was a teenager (this is a while ago) you could often find cutouts for .59 to $1.99. I brought many albums on the strength of the cover art alone at those prices. Even better, if you looked long and hard you could find excellent mainstream stuff too. It got so I knew what was in almost every cutout bin in a 20 mile radius of my home and every time I scrapped $2.00 together I hit one. There was also a record store in town that sold DJ promo copies cheap (you know the ones that say Not For Sale). One of my best purchases there was Leon Russell on the original Shelter label. I think it was $1.69. I still have it although now I'm more likely to listen to the DCC gold version.

[Ronald]

Cut outs are wonderful. I picked up a few Zappa cutouts (Sleep Dirt etc.) at Camelot Music when I was a dirt poor undergrad. It was good to pay around $2.00 for a new record and save the other $6.00 for spending on food or a box of new socks.

[Beagle]

Yeah, I loved buying "deletes" in the mid 70's to early 80's. We would get American deleted copies for like $1.99 or $2.99, and these would be original TML or MASTERDISK mastered copies, not the second rate crap they mastered/pressed in Canada.

[RetroSmith]

Cutouts are BIG business.

There are many record/Cd dealers who deal ONLY in cutouts.

Some of them buy cutouts Directly from the major labels, by the Truckload, MILLIONS of pieces. If they can turn a .25 profit per pieces, that adds up to aot of money.

Read the book "Stiffed" for a great story about Cutouts, MCa, Morris Levy and The Mafia. The book explains alot about cutouts and how that business works...also what can go wrong, and what DID go wrong for MCA.

[Sckott]

Took a quick look into a Musicland one day. Girlfriend at the time said "oh, no - not again". I first attacked the LP cutout bin. Score! A sealed MFSL Rolling Stones "Sticky Fingers" LP for $2.99 (Stan Ricker). Right next to it (just for perspective) I found a 12" UK single of "Futures So Bright" by Timbuck 3. THAT piece as a cutout was $3.99. You mean, a 12" single is worth MORE than an MFSL? Pinch me.

Yes folks. It only LOOKS like a dump in the cutout bin.

[joachim.ritter]

Originally posted by Sckott
You mean, a 12" single is worth MORE than an MFSL? Pinch me.

Well, I once paid US$ 150 for a CD single (Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea). Only very few audiophile CDs I bought were more expensive ...

Joachim

[Mike]

Originally posted by joachim.ritter
Well, I once paid US$ 150 for a CD single (Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea). Only very few audiophile CDs I bought were more expensive ...

Those have been bootlegged like crazy - hope you got the real thing.

Sckott - Nu Shooz! lol! :D

[joachim.ritter]

Originally posted by Mike

Those have been bootlegged like crazy - hope you got the real thing.

Yes, it is the real thing! :)

Joachim

[Sckott]

joachim.ritter is a nice guy, everyone. I bought a bunch of London Stones from him on eBay. He was nice enough to track down things for me, almost without asking. Nice to have you on the forum! How's it in Germany? ;)

Originally posted by Mike

Sckott - Nu Shooz! lol! :D

Yah. To be honest, that song "I Can't Wait", while I was a mobile DJ in the 80's - finding that as a cutout 12" was a FIND! The girl in that duo actually had a great voice, but the 24k digital sampler they used in that song - Ugh! I'm sure the Casio keyboards that came out 5 years later could KILL it ;)

[Humorem]

Originally posted by Sckott
[BScore! A sealed MFSL Rolling Stones "Sticky Fingers" LP for $2.99 (Stan Ricker).[/B]

Hope you left that one sealed. Had you opened it you would have heard the Stones emasculated as they never have been before, or maybe even since, for that matter.

Talk about compression! They took the 10db of dynamic range on that album and smashed it to five. Then Stan took out the bass for good measure, or maybe his half-speed mastering rig does that automatically, what with changing the 50 cycle notes to 25 cycles.

What's left? Moonlight Mile sounds good I suppose. It's the "prettified" version, the kind that maybe they thought audiophiles would like. Not the ones I know, that's for sure. It makes your stereo sound like you have Martin Logans. Except I don't.

Hope you sold it to some poor shmuck that thinks Stan Ricker can do no wrong.

We know better, right?;)

[indy mike]

Mr. Humorem - so, are there any MoFi's ya do like??? I'm REALLY fond of Atlanta Rhythm Section's Champagne Jam lp - tons of bass (look at the picture of the bassplayer on the back cover - he looks like he oughta swing a hefty axe, and the MoFi delivers the throb that blows away the Polydor presses I've heard) - wish I could score another one, or perhaps Steve would be kind enough to gold disc/SACD that one up...

[Humorem]

Originally posted by indy mike
Mr. Humorem - so, are there any MoFi's ya do like??? I'm REALLY fond of Atlanta Rhythm Section's Champagne Jam lp... and the MoFi delivers the throb that blows away the Polydor presses I've heard)

Haven't played that record in a long long time, but I remember the MOFI being rich and round. Might be the best version. I would say if you have at least ten clean copies on LP, and none of them are better, you have a winner.

Look for TML stampers if there are any. Nice tubey sound, not normally leaned out.

I have a MOFI if you want a second copy, mint for $25.

[Metralla]

I'll have to agree with Humorem re "Sticky Fingers" on MFSL vinyl.

I bought this when it came out, and although it was far better than the Australian vinyl version, it was a big let-down when compared to other MoFi's

I don't know how they managed to get that one so wrong. I have many MoFis from that era and this is the worst. Superb cover, very quiet surfaces and all - but very sad. Such great music.

Regards,
Metralla

[Humorem]

I wouldn't say it's the worst: there are so many to choose from!

I was once going to list the 10 worst MOFI's of all time in my catalog, and I ended up giving up. Ten doesn't scratch the surface. And fifty is too much work.

But I was surprised not long ago to play The Jazz Singer and Steeleye Span, not by choice mind you, and to hear that they both sounded quite good. It seems like it's the most famous albums that are the worst. The ones no one cares about can be good, but then again, who cares?

[jligon]

Originally posted by joachim.ritter


Well, I once paid US$ 150 for a CD single (Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea). Only very few audiophile CDs I bought were more expensive ...

Joachim

Why? I'm not trying to be a smartass but what is the attraction for this disc?

[joachim.ritter]

Originally posted by jligon


Why? I'm not trying to be a smartass but what is the attraction for this disc?

This CD single was released a couple of days before Kurt Cobain committed suicide and was recalled because the song "I Hate Myself And Want To Die" was one of the B-sides. Only a couple of thousands copies exist.

Joachim