Beatles MFSL CD's - An Explanation?

Well...I don't know if this guy is on the level....but he seems sincere....read the description on this auction (it's long) and tell me what you think...part 3 is the most pertinent...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892337111


Fact or fiction?

Truth or self-serving bullsh*t....?

 

Wild story! Fact or fiction...that whopping $550 'buy-it-now' is the craziest part of the whole thing...

 

The way that I understood it to be is that both the Italian and the Japanese were just vinyl drops, and they sure sound like it on my Japanese version (cd-rs though).

 

As the seller says

"Since I have been 11 years old in 1970 the world of B******s has held a deep facination for me"

Would that be loblocks as we say on the Planet Anagramia ? Gee - should I hold on to my MFSL box sets of the Stones and Sinatra CDs then - are they real too

Anyone out there work for MFSL who could maybe put this to bed for good.

Holding on to his $550 - Andrew

 

100% bull.

There are 6 mass produced cd-rs sets now.

That isn't counting the newest ones.
(the digital vinyl ? ha)

The long winded meaningless explanations (misinformation) are the newest twist. (I have heard 3 differant methods of this long winded untruths. Don't believe a word of them. They'll give you one unrelated truth to 10 related lies.)
Yes there name was The Beatles. Now that's right, he must know what he's talking about. There is not one word they can say about anything that matters to us. Unless we are in the business of ferretting out an occasional truth from a mountain of lies.

One says "made in Italy". so what?? If they can use MoFi's logos, EMI's, etc, and make decent looking fakes. Do yourself a favor, don't try to find some truth in the words of a scam artist. Listening to them is like teasing a snake. You will get bit.
Maybe they were made in Italy, but give me one reason we should think they are. I always appreciate that one honest statement from the most unreliable source, right.

Ebay is to blame 100%, they have decided to knowingly become the National clearing house for Beatles cd-r's and the lies that are sold also.

I have spoke with them at least 100 times about this subject, I have spoke with hundreds and hundreds of bidders. You would be surprised at the percentage of bidders that know what they are bidding on. Shocked maybe. (I've spoke with many sellers of these illegal, fraudulent auctions also.)


You'd never believe the piles of emails from extremely grateful bidders and buyers that I've accumulated.

Feel free to send me an email or private message if you have any questions at all about these mass produced cd-rs.

At this time, the new MoFi, suggests that we educate as many folks as possible.

 

My name is Dennis Cassidy.

These are not licensed product.
They are cd-r's. Fake. Fraudulent, illegal auctions, for fake, fraudulent illegal material. The sellers can't pass on the right for the buyers, to own the product they are selling. So the buyers don't really own anything. They have broken at least 20 laws in manufacturing and distributing these cd-rs.

I have recently asked Ebay to stop all business operations, because they have knowingly decided to ignore this 'cash cow'. Any knowing seller is a liar and a cheat at best, and should be reported to the proper authorities.

You'd think a legitimate seller or manufacturer might not like those statements , and might have their lawyers ask me to desist in that retoric.

I guess they are pretty busy, I haven't heard from a single one in the 2 years I've been waging this campaign. If there was an ounce of legitimacy to these releases, I'd be accessing this forum from a jail cell somewhere. Shoot, I can't even boast a nasty letter from an irate seller! Most of them know exactly what they are doing.

 

This feels like a troll, but...

They're not CDRs. And while they're not genuine MFSL discs, they are (in a certain mindset) collectors items. And I'd be pissed at the sellers a lot more for the "trickery" of this (i.e. they're not REAL mfsls, and they should know that) if a huge number of them didn't seem to *not know* that they were dealing bootlegs.

-D

 

It seems like eBay has stopped policing the CD sections for bootlegs. There are tons of fakes out there, supposedly Japanese or Italian or <insert country here> pressings of highly desirable albums, everything from The Archies to The Beatles!

Just log on and search on your favorite artist. Right now, if you search Elton John, you will see a ton of "import" live soundboard CDs, claiming "NOT CDRs, I DONT SELL CDRs" of his concerts with Billy Joel. You can find Jummy Buffett "imports", "Crosby Stills Nash & Young" concerts, and on and on.

It's really amazing. Hey - some of this stuff is or could be great! I remember buying those white jacketed LP bootlegs in the late '60s and early '70s. (I still have my "Kum Back" - which is great)

Still, while the merit of bootlegs is questionable, the fact that eBay does nothing about it is amazing.

Heck, with a PC, a burner, a printer, and a friend who works at a store with a shrink wrap machine, you can make a fortune on eBay....

H-m-m-m-m. Sounds like an email I get all the time!

:-jon

 

This is from a recent disscussion with Ebay's 'digital vinyl' Beatle's MFSL source.

"It is not important that we sell the discs (the project was for a small group of people who own the MFSL LPs), only that we stop the sale of the fake MFSL collection on eBay. I know that most--if not all--of the sellers are aware that the counterfeit MFSL discs are fakes, but I'm not so certain that buyers actually understand that the CDs are recordings of LPs.

eBay is not aware of the large volume of conterfeit transactions thus far, but they are now investigating it (at MY request) and, I'm sure, will eventually ban all MFSL Beatles discs. The DVAC discs are prohibited on eBay--partly because they are CD-Rs and partly because it is pirating--but the fake CDs must also be prohibited because they are known counterfeits and because there is an obvious trademark violation. Once eBay understands this, the point of making the DVAC project "public" is done."

 

Dennis you are absolutely 100% correct. I bought one of these things out of curiousty. These are nothing but cheap fakes. The sleeze bags that are selling them should be arrested and fined. I did a needle drop on some of my authentic Beatles mfsl lps. I made a much better sounding cdr than the cheap fake I bought on ebay.

 

Not only is eBay doing nothing about these fake CDs, it seems almost as if they promote it. If you go to the main eBay CD search page, it is littered with so-called "Ultimate Collections" For example..

THE ULTIMATE HIP-HOP COLLECTION ON TEN CD'S!!!!!!!!!!

THE ULTIMATE DISCO COLLECTION ON TEN CD'S !!!!!!!!!!!

THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY COLLECTION ON 8 CD'S !!!!!!!

All of these are dutch auctions, meaning the seller has multiple copies available. Some of the sellers come out and say that you will get the CDs in white envelopes, no jewel case, and THAT'S how they can make these "INCREDIBLE COLLECTIONS" available at such an "AMAZING PRICE".

Mmm hmm......

 

And check this out. This seller is an eBay "Power Seller". Here's how eBay describes a "PS"...

"PowerSellers are recognized eBay sellers who achieve certain sales performance, maintain 98% positive feedback, and embrace the integrity of core eBay community values."

*bold italics mine

 

Hey, gang...

What say we e-mail this page to the seller in question.....?


See what he has to say for himself after reading all these replies....(if he dares!)


Could be interesting, but I don't want to do it unless everybody agrees....


Ben

 

You can use my post.

 

I must preface this by saying I do not use e-bay (either as a buyer or seller), nor do I have any intention of starting. I have several local merchants for collectables that have always given me fair pricing and excellent availability - coupled with the ability for "hands on" inspection of any purchase before money changes hands. That said....

I really can't get a handle why the appearance of these items on e-bay gets so many people in a snit. If you can recognize a fake by simply reading the ad, you will not become a victim. If you think you are protecting other potential customers - let the buyer beware! These same items will end up on a merchants shelf anyway, and they will still be sold. E-bay does not exist as the curator of rare audio collectables; they sponser auctions for sofas, and porcelain figurines, and old lamps and hubcaps. Essentially, thay are a data-base. If they determine these items are not valid, they will probably ban any item for sale that says "MFSL Beatles". Sooner or later, a legitimate seller of "MFSL Beatles Vinyl" (the real deal) will find his auction discontinued (it has happened before).

I CAN understand anger directed toward the sellers - these people are turning a sleezy profit at the expense of others. I am not defending these people, but trying to get in the mindset of someone who feels the need to clean up that which they do not own. Just because it's the right thing to do? Who's holier than thou?

If E-Bay can't (or wont) stop it.
If the song publishers don't bother.
If the artists aren't in an uproar.
If the copyright holders and record companies aren't interested, why are you?

Quite frankly, if I was working for E-Bay and you e-mailed me this page, it probably would be deleted before it was read. If I received a phone call from EMI's attorneys, that auction would be shut down in 5 seconds.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Go ahead brother Ben! You can use my post too!

I tend to agree with Uncle Al though.

 

Hey, Uncle Al...you make some good points...

I really wasn't trying to be "holier than thou" and I could give a **** about this guy and his CD's....I just found it interesting that he would take the time to make such a long, fairly impassioned speech in his auction ad about "counterfeit" Beatles CD's.....especially when he was selling them himself...

These CD's have been around for awhile and they have caused some debate on this forum before...it would be intriguing to have this guy join the debate...

And - you're dead on about one thing - eBay could care less about any of this...nor should they....all the best.


Ben

 

TSmithPage did get an auction cancelled when he tried to sell a copy of the legitimately pressed CD of the Class of '55 collection with Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins when he stated the word copy in the description.

 

I think that this thread should be passed on to eBay and the seller.

 

EXACTLY. Let's face it, folks, eBay is based on a simple premise; people will pay for convinience. If I'm selling, say, an early-London Hot Rocks 1 (and I've sold about eleven on eBay), you can bet that I got it for *much* cheaper than the final bidding price. And you know what? I've had conceited, holier-than-thou, "ethical" bastards swoop down and tell people "No! Don't pay $75 for Traveling Wilburys volume 1! You COULD FIND IT CHEAPER ELSEWHERE." That does not make me happy.

Besides, a more legitimate reason would be Jeff Ly...ahh, let's not go there.

But you get my point. This guy (meaning the guy who's running the auction in question) is actually reasonably straightforward in proclaiming that these sets are *NOT REAL MFSL CDs*. He calls them bootlegs, for god's sake. This is more "ethical" than most sellers out there...a general rule of eBay is that anything you don't see explicitly stated in an auction description is being withheld for a reason.

I've sold quite a few bootlegs on eBay in my day. Am I supposed to believe that because I didn't emphatically state that the superb-condition box of The Making of All Things Must Pass was *NOT AUTHORIZED* (visions of those ridiculous-looking Australian bootlegs come to mind) that I cheated someone? Hardly. If someone doesn't do research before plunking down that cash, I can't really feel sympathy for them.

They are, unfortunately, but narcing is never a good idea. There was a point when eBay was approaching an RIAA level of fervor--stopping the sale of promos because they're marked "Not for Sale," for example, which is spurious logic at best--but they've slackened off, and usually only target heinous violations of policy now (like, for example, CDR copies of official CDs). That said, I enjoy their new outlook; I've bought several rare items off of eBay (Lennon's "After the Remember," for example), and giving them a reason to start policing actively is the last thing the selling community needs.

Believe it or not, that tends to be the exact opposite of the way eBay tends to work. When it does suspect a violation, its reaction tends to be to immediately shut down the page, junking it and the auction in progress.

True story: A few months ago, I was selling that Merry Go Round CD on eBay. In the auction description, I mentioned that I would charge a surcharge for Paypal payments to cover expenses. I had done this multiple times on previous auctions, and had never had a problem. But an self-appointed eBay guardian apparently started to make it his business to search for "PAYPAL SURCHARGE" in auction descriptions, and got my auction yanked a day before it closed. Safe to say, I couldn't equal the bids the second time around.

Some things are better left alone. Ebay is definately one of 'em.

(rant OFF)

-D
Just my 2 cents.

 

To what? Guilt him into suicide, or something? I don't see what it would accomplish, as he clearly knows what he's selling (although, frankly, he's a bit deluded about the price, but who knows...he might get lucky).

-D

 

I read it further and you are right David, people just forward this thread to eBay.

 

Anybody, did the guy selling Buffalo Springfield "Sell Out" get his auctions pulled because that item was a bootleg?

 

David, this guy said these cds are from a MFSL source. Oh really! What source, lets be specific. This guy and others that sell cd copies of copyrighted music are breaking the law of the USA not just the rules of ebay. I have some very nice sounding MFSL vinyl. I could make a cd master from the vinyl and make copies from that and then sell them on ebay. Unfortunately it is illegal to copy copyrighted music and sell it for a profit. Let me know what your ebay ID is so that I can avoid being duped. I know, I could make a real nice cd copy of Mad Man Across the Water from the DCC vinyl and put it one ebay. I could say the cd came from a DCC source and blows away MFSL cd.

 

But I don't think he's *doing* that. He has a bootleg set, which seems to be on actual CDs, in those cute little mini-LP covers. He states that they're bootlegs, and actually seems to be trying to be pretty honest, stating (for example) that the set was never "sealed," and thus he isn't selling them like that. I appreciate that sort of information.

You could. And that would be pretty shifty. But that isn't what this guy is doing; from all indications, he's selling (for a ridiculous price, I realize...) a collector's item, and he's actually representing it as something unauthorized. He gets props from me just for that, as most sellers of this sort of thing aren't nice enough to jeopardize their money-making ability in such a way.

I always do the full-disclosure thing on my auctions; if you were one of the three people who bought, say, the Pegboy slip-case release of John Lennon's "The Dream is Over," I doubt I would have led you to believe that it was an official archive release!

I apologize for angering you, but the self-righteous attitude often projected by the "Protectors of the Helpless eBay Sheep" touches a nerve. I like eBay in its generally-unregulated state, and while I wish that people wouldn't buy some of the more obvious rip-offs (search for Radiohead and you'll see what I mean...tons of cheap, home-made CDRs, trying to pretend that they aren't), I think education over regulation is really the solution. Let the buyer beware. If someone lists something suspicious and does not emphatically state that it isn't a CDR, or that it is official, or something, be suspicious.

It's the same for standalone stores and ANYTHING of the sort. ABC, for example, has apparently begun targetting people selling its radio show CDs. Is it legal to resell these? Probably not. But I'm glad people do.

-D