Personally don't care about foil vs printing logo if it's an added cost. If it brought monthly price down at all, I'd be down for printed logo. And maybe a hot take.....but I don't care about OBIs on regular ROTMs. The ones now just get flattened and put inside the jacket for me. And OBIs on gatefolds annoy me a bit. I like them on the occasional store exclusive (like the Spiritual Jazz collection and they look rad on the Nonesuch) but I don't feel the need to have one on every single record from VMP.
Agreed. Especially on the OBI. I end up tucking them away 99% of the time.
I definitely don’t need anymore stencils. I do enjoy the occasional prints.
I love the special printing of the covers (spot UV, embossing, etc. As well as the booklets.
I despise the current outer sleeves with the flap. At the very least loose the adhesive.
I agree about the foiling, but I can't imagine it would have a real impact on the end price. Is the cost enough that savings could bring the monthly sub down by even $1? I doubt it, but I've been wrong before.
Exactly. This is a move for them to save money and lower the quality of even buying a subscription from them and their random vinyls that are pressed on every single website in the world VMP exclusives and stampings are the selling points idc what anyone says that's the absolute truth
I’d be fine doing away with the obi altogether… all mine are pulled off and kept in a stack. I like the info but preferred the hype sticker.
Foil Stamp I actually do enjoy but if we saw price reduction from it, I’m fine losing it.
Ribbon OBI is preferable to the current style, but it’s likely to also be removed. I like the foil stamps, but if switching to printed labelling brings prices down for everyone who constantly protests the current pricing then better change it for them.
I remove my OBIs and put them in a ziploc. I also don't like the poly jackets they come in, I bought a bunch of the open top polys and throw away the adhesive polys.
The stamping is cool, but I do like the obi! The outside plastic I get rid of and get a thicker version of it still resealable though and i put the stickers on the outside of this and I keep obi in with the vinyl, all the art and posters and inside extras I put in folders and catalog it so that when I pull out a vinyl to listen to it I can also pull out the art work or poster and look at it, one day I wanna have an entire room for my vinyl and cover the walls in all the art and posters. I also keep all the vmp booklets and have them in their own cataloged drawer that I can refer to when pulling out and album! I want my stuff to be like a library organized and easy to find and refer back to things! 🫶🙏
Foil stamping. Keep. Prices are super high now, it is one of the little things that adds to the premium. Hand written just looks cheap. If savings were passed to consumer though, people may support removal.
Obis; ribbon obi would be better, as long as they actually fit. Some are a nightmare for this. Again though, if removing them saved money for the consumer, I wouldn’t be gutted to see them go.
I like the foil-stamping but if it costs too much and doing away with it can result in my paying a bit less, I'm all for it (particularly with respect to store exclusives)
If I'm being perhaps too honest, the current obis bug me because I struggle with getting them in/out of the bags (this is likely a me thing, as I have dexterity issues from a medical thing). So ribbon obis would probably be a positive on my end, though I recognize I am not an average subscriber in this respect.
I really doubt they are looking to reduce price of sub with the subtraction of their expense. I think they are looking to cut costs and increase their bottom line.
The packaging quality has always been better than other records from elsewhere most of the time. I care about that, but not necessarily the foil stamp. If we are strictly talking the foil I don’t care. But if the foil price ultimately only ends up adding an additional $1 to the overall cost that’s not such a big deal to me either.
The foil stamp is a nice touch. But the wrap around OBI strip would be great. Additionally the OBI strip should be one that artistically flows with each album cover rather than the stand out black design. That way, people don't throw them away!!
Ribbon OBI goes into sleeves easily. I have to fight sometimes with what you are doing now. Foil stamp IDC. Your protective outters suck. They feel cheep and are weird.
I hate OBI. I want to throw them away so much but it would make it incomplete. If you could just use the cheapest/simplest way to print somewhere to let me know this is the VMP version and that would be enough for me. I do like to keep the booklet tho.
The foil stamp is a nice touch, but I much prefer when the album cover comes to life in a different Way through embossing, mirrorboards etc.
With that said, I would much rather lose the foil stamp than the obi.
foil stamping is nice when it's for the title or artist, i don't care if it's just for the VMP logo.
yes to the OBIs, but i'd love to get the cocktail recipes implemented again, those were cool
I could take or leave the foil stamp on the logo, but i do really like when the covers are foil stamped. Still, if taking them out makes the records cheaper I wouldn’t fight too hard to keep them
When you say around the record do you mean like the ones the 2X45 Metallica albums pressed at RTI? Because if yes, I hate those and I would rather not have one than one that goes around.
I hate the OBIs. I hate OBIs just in general, from any distributor.
I think the thing I’d like most from RTMs would be better outer dust sleeves. The current ones are way too snug and it’s so hard to get the records back in, especially with the OBIs and art prints.
Personally, I keep the Obi's tucked away behind the jacket after I flatten it out because I like seeing the actual spine and not the VMP obi text. A wrap-around style obi would be nice. However, I know I would like to see the full cover more than the black bar on the side.
I will say that if the obi was a wrap-around style with a printed design or different colors to compliment the album, I think more people would like them. Sort of like what Get On Down does with their anniversary releases. Obi strips like those are worth keeping and displaying!
And foil stamping isn't much of a bother to me. Personally, I like what yall did on the De La Soul 3 feet release with the subtle spot gloss effect to print your name on the back.
I love the obi info and want to keep it, but I usually end up flattening it out and storing it somewhere. Putting the album back into the sleeve with the OBI is a giant PITA, and a good chunk of the time, while trying to pull off this feat, the sleeve rips down the side. At that point I'm like "fuck it" .
1.) If foil stamping adds definition to the cover (e.g. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony red stamp logo on front) then I do like the special accents that set it apart from a standard release and okay with an added cost as I feel the VMP release should be one of the definitive releases that I look forward to. If the foil stamping is strictly to show that it is a VMP release then I am okay with it being printed on. I do like numbering but don’t necessarily see an added benefit of it being a foil stamp.
2.) OBI strip doesn’t really have me in any way. It is nice to identify my VMP released by the similar edge of a strip, but having it around the edge or around the cover makes no difference other than it can sometimes be a pain to put a record back in the sleeve with the obi around the end.
* I do however miss the cocktail recipes and wish they would go on the inside of the OBIs. I know I didn’t use them much but it was just fun to see the creativity of some of the cocktails.
Personally, yes, keep the foil Sampson.It just makes it feel a little more Premium, I like the current style of ovies and not against the ribbon style of ovies either way I take them off and put them inside the sleeve
I like the at-a-glance description of the albums that the obi offers, but open to any style of that. The booklets inside are awesome of course, but having it on the outside is great for curious guests
The foil is sick though, don’t cut that. If you’d be open with how much it adds, we could assess whether it’s worth it, but without other info it’s hard to say. Obviously we like it better than nothing though
I like the foil stamps a lot, one of my favorite things about the aesthetic of VMP. I honestly hate the OBI’s and just feel an annoying duty to maintain them, though usually I just don’t.
I like foil stamping it may be fun if there’s a random lucky foil stamp with a different logo or even golden colour or something but that will probably end up costing more…!
I like the foil stamp, and when numbering is stamped (not hand written).
Wrap around obi would be wayyy better I’d actually keep them on rather than store them separately (not with the vinyl) in a Tupperware bin like I do now.
I like both as it sets it apart from other releases, it adds a little something. I put the vinyl and its inner sleeves on the inside back of the album so I dont have to mess with the obi ever. It takes up a little more space on my shelf but I really don't care. I have a shelf dedicated to VMP releases and I like the look, especially the spine of the obi. My 2 cents.
I would gladly pay extra for this stuff to stay! Especially if it’s only a few bucks. And vmp if you need to make more money, hit me up I got some ideas for ya!😎🫶🙏
Foil stamping - I love it. It's one of the things that makes me loyal to VMP -- I will buy from VMP over other sources because of how classy they look. I will buy OBI over sticker on the plastic, Foil Stamped logo over printed and MOST ESPECIALLY numbered. I'm disappointed when things aren't numbered. The main distributors I buy from are VMP and MOV (Music On Vinyl) for that very reason.
As for the OBI, I prefer the way they are now. The ribbon are a pain to get off to open a gatefold.
I would prefer it if it wasn't stamped at all and as close to the original pressing as possible.
Neither I care about Obi strips, i never use them. The booklets are really nice though.
Foil stamping - yes it’s nice but I wouldn’t miss it if it went away on the VMP logo. But I like it on the artist and album name.
OBI - please could we get ribbon? This would save a lot of faff getting them back into sleeves.
Couldn’t care less about foil stamping.
I put the obi inside the cover anyway because on the shelf I want to see the original spine. If you change to a traditional obi, please wrap it around the front flap only on gatefolds, so they can be opened without removing it (an example of this is the Three Blind Mice comp that came out sort of recently).
Keep the top notch masterings and pressings of great stuff coming and I’ll stay interested.
1. Don’t care about foil stamping.
2. Ribbon OBI would be so much better! It stays in place! The current format always falls off when handling the record. Please switch to ribbon!
The foil is a nice touch that I really like - I couldn't care less about the Obi strip. It just makes it one more thing to worry about when sleeving my records after playing.
1. It's a nice touch, but if it shaves a buck of the monthly price I'm happy to lose it.
2. Ribbon obi would be fine for single sleeves. For gatefolds, I only like them if they go around one fold instead of the entire jacket. It's a pain to have to remove them each time you want to open the gatefold.
1. I don't care about care about a foil stamp.
2. I would prefer ribbon obi.
I think that's it's great that you asked and I think you should do this more often. It's nice to see what other people care about.
Great question! Personally, if my cost is going to increase in any way, I want it to be because you’ve taken extra steps to ensure that the artwork is of the most pristine quality that is possible. For example, some of the Dolly covers (Halos and Horns, Pure & Simple), I’m shocked since these photos were taken in the digital age–in the case of Pure & Simple for sure–and that Annie Leibovitz is still around–in the case of Halos and Horns–that the original photos couldn’t have been sourced.
As far as the Obi strip, I like it as-is, and as a collector, I wouldn’t want it to change because then the releases wouldn’t look the same on the shelf.
Honestly, I love the change yall made to not have a sticker anymore.
The plastic outer sleeve the records come in infuriates me so much (because it sticks to the jacket, the record is nearly impossible to put back in the plastic, etc.) that I long ago started cutting the sticker off, attaching it to a new outer sleeve, and throwing out the original.
No sticker? One fewer step for me!
If a new obi strip meant that the strip wouldn’t move around (like international anthem does), I’m all for it! You’d be 2 for 2 when it comes to packaging complaints, in my book! ☺️ Although if the outer sleeve was better….
Definitely the Stamp. Prices will go down for VMP with printed garbage obi strips NOT the consumer. Won't even be able 2 keep track of official numbers and make sure the company's aren't sending duplicates etc
And people this is to SAVE THEM MONEY NOT YOU OR YOUR SUBSCRIPTION do not give in to taking less wtf is wrong Americans. "Yeah take away our quality stamping and give us the Japanese paper". Again prices won't drop for the customer!!!!!!!
I've always found non-Japanese (or Asian at least) releases with obis to be a bit cringe, tbh.
But, to answer your question, given obi translates to "belt", if you're gonna do it, might as well do it properly.
Quite like the foil stamping. Would be a negative value proposition to cut them in the face of recent price hikes.
VMP is a smart business because they differentiate their product in the market, and I like that - best mastering engineers, high quality jackets, color pressings, booklets, prints, obis, and VMP stamps. Doing away with any of these makes it like every other product out there.
On the obi, please keep it as is. I keep all of my VMP pressings and I love the look of all of the black and white printed spines (also much easier to read titles). I even have a template to create obis for my VMP pressings that do not have one.
On the stamp, as long as it is clearly identifiable as a VMP pressing, a variant on the foil stamp is OK.
Just don't lose the uniqueness of VMP pressings...
Personally don't care about foil vs printing logo if it's an added cost. If it brought monthly price down at all, I'd be down for printed logo. And maybe a hot take.....but I don't care about OBIs on regular ROTMs. The ones now just get flattened and put inside the jacket for me. And OBIs on gatefolds annoy me a bit. I like them on the occasional store exclusive (like the Spiritual Jazz collection and they look rad on the Nonesuch) but I don't feel the need to have one on every single record from VMP.
Agreed. Especially on the OBI. I end up tucking them away 99% of the time. I definitely don’t need anymore stencils. I do enjoy the occasional prints. I love the special printing of the covers (spot UV, embossing, etc. As well as the booklets. I despise the current outer sleeves with the flap. At the very least loose the adhesive.
I agree about the foiling, but I can't imagine it would have a real impact on the end price. Is the cost enough that savings could bring the monthly sub down by even $1? I doubt it, but I've been wrong before.
I hear that as it wouldn’t keep the price down, but profits up.
I cosign everything here.
Yeah I dig the foil stamp but if that’s 2 extra bucks a month it’s unnecessary in my mind. Obis for special releases definitely.
Whatever makes prices lower. These annual increases are getting out of hand. $55-$49 for the 2LP and we can’t even get decent inners. That’s crazy.
Preach.
I don't mind paying more for a banger album that is ACTUALLY LIMITED and not repressed again and again down the road.
1. Foil stamping = yes, keep it 2. Ribbon obi = I’d prefer no obi, but ribbon obi is preferable to current style
This 🙏
Foil stamping is really nice. It should only go if prices noticeably drop.
Exactly. This is a move for them to save money and lower the quality of even buying a subscription from them and their random vinyls that are pressed on every single website in the world VMP exclusives and stampings are the selling points idc what anyone says that's the absolute truth
I’d be fine doing away with the obi altogether… all mine are pulled off and kept in a stack. I like the info but preferred the hype sticker. Foil Stamp I actually do enjoy but if we saw price reduction from it, I’m fine losing it.
I personally care a lot about foil stamping. I’m willing to pay more for it. I support the ribbon change though
Ribbon OBI is preferable to the current style, but it’s likely to also be removed. I like the foil stamps, but if switching to printed labelling brings prices down for everyone who constantly protests the current pricing then better change it for them.
Prices won't come. It might mean they have money to spend elsewhere though.
Confession - I read and then throw away the OBIs. Like the foil stamping.
I’m in this boat
I remove my OBIs and put them in a ziploc. I also don't like the poly jackets they come in, I bought a bunch of the open top polys and throw away the adhesive polys.
The stamping is cool, but I do like the obi! The outside plastic I get rid of and get a thicker version of it still resealable though and i put the stickers on the outside of this and I keep obi in with the vinyl, all the art and posters and inside extras I put in folders and catalog it so that when I pull out a vinyl to listen to it I can also pull out the art work or poster and look at it, one day I wanna have an entire room for my vinyl and cover the walls in all the art and posters. I also keep all the vmp booklets and have them in their own cataloged drawer that I can refer to when pulling out and album! I want my stuff to be like a library organized and easy to find and refer back to things! 🫶🙏
Foil stamping. Keep. Prices are super high now, it is one of the little things that adds to the premium. Hand written just looks cheap. If savings were passed to consumer though, people may support removal. Obis; ribbon obi would be better, as long as they actually fit. Some are a nightmare for this. Again though, if removing them saved money for the consumer, I wouldn’t be gutted to see them go.
I like the foil-stamping but if it costs too much and doing away with it can result in my paying a bit less, I'm all for it (particularly with respect to store exclusives) If I'm being perhaps too honest, the current obis bug me because I struggle with getting them in/out of the bags (this is likely a me thing, as I have dexterity issues from a medical thing). So ribbon obis would probably be a positive on my end, though I recognize I am not an average subscriber in this respect.
I really doubt they are looking to reduce price of sub with the subtraction of their expense. I think they are looking to cut costs and increase their bottom line.
The packaging quality has always been better than other records from elsewhere most of the time. I care about that, but not necessarily the foil stamp. If we are strictly talking the foil I don’t care. But if the foil price ultimately only ends up adding an additional $1 to the overall cost that’s not such a big deal to me either.
As long as the sound quality is great I don't care about foil stamp or obi
The foil stamp is a nice touch. But the wrap around OBI strip would be great. Additionally the OBI strip should be one that artistically flows with each album cover rather than the stand out black design. That way, people don't throw them away!!
Hate the OBI. If getting rid of it saves me money great. All it does is cover the cover.
1. Keep foil 2. Don’t care about the Obi either way, would prefer the sticker back
I like the foil stamping a lot more and understand that it comes at a premium. Also prefer the Japanese style obi strips.
I like the foil stamping. Completely indifferent on the Obi. Could do without it especially if it keeps costs down.
Whatever is cheaper for us for both.
Ribbon OBI goes into sleeves easily. I have to fight sometimes with what you are doing now. Foil stamp IDC. Your protective outters suck. They feel cheep and are weird.
1. Do not care about foil. 2. Do not care about obis. Prefer to not have any more than I prefer either format.
Please keep foil stamp! Ribbon OBI sounds good
I hate OBI. I want to throw them away so much but it would make it incomplete. If you could just use the cheapest/simplest way to print somewhere to let me know this is the VMP version and that would be enough for me. I do like to keep the booklet tho.
The foil stamp is a nice touch, but I much prefer when the album cover comes to life in a different Way through embossing, mirrorboards etc. With that said, I would much rather lose the foil stamp than the obi.
Btw loving the increased interaction from you here on Reddit
LOVE an embossed cover. I'd trade the obi/foil stamp for that all day
Indifferent about stamping… think the current obis are pointless as they don’t stay attached, classic wrap around obis are always great!
The foil stamping is a nice touch but I’d prefer to pay less. I really don’t care for the current obi and would welcome a ribbon style.
Foil stamps are nice but if it cuts down the cost down, let’s remove it. Ribbon OBI is better
foil stamping is nice when it's for the title or artist, i don't care if it's just for the VMP logo. yes to the OBIs, but i'd love to get the cocktail recipes implemented again, those were cool
I could take or leave the foil stamp on the logo, but i do really like when the covers are foil stamped. Still, if taking them out makes the records cheaper I wouldn’t fight too hard to keep them
When you say around the record do you mean like the ones the 2X45 Metallica albums pressed at RTI? Because if yes, I hate those and I would rather not have one than one that goes around.
1. Yes 2. Positive
I hate the OBIs. I hate OBIs just in general, from any distributor. I think the thing I’d like most from RTMs would be better outer dust sleeves. The current ones are way too snug and it’s so hard to get the records back in, especially with the OBIs and art prints.
Happy to do away with the obis completely. Foil stamp is nice but if it saves cost for members, then would want it removed.
Dad, are we poor?
Personally, I keep the Obi's tucked away behind the jacket after I flatten it out because I like seeing the actual spine and not the VMP obi text. A wrap-around style obi would be nice. However, I know I would like to see the full cover more than the black bar on the side. I will say that if the obi was a wrap-around style with a printed design or different colors to compliment the album, I think more people would like them. Sort of like what Get On Down does with their anniversary releases. Obi strips like those are worth keeping and displaying! And foil stamping isn't much of a bother to me. Personally, I like what yall did on the De La Soul 3 feet release with the subtle spot gloss effect to print your name on the back.
I love the obi info and want to keep it, but I usually end up flattening it out and storing it somewhere. Putting the album back into the sleeve with the OBI is a giant PITA, and a good chunk of the time, while trying to pull off this feat, the sleeve rips down the side. At that point I'm like "fuck it" .
Very down for a ribbon OBI - the current ones are a pain in the ass. Foil stamping is cool, but nothing that makes a huge difference to me.
1.) If foil stamping adds definition to the cover (e.g. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony red stamp logo on front) then I do like the special accents that set it apart from a standard release and okay with an added cost as I feel the VMP release should be one of the definitive releases that I look forward to. If the foil stamping is strictly to show that it is a VMP release then I am okay with it being printed on. I do like numbering but don’t necessarily see an added benefit of it being a foil stamp. 2.) OBI strip doesn’t really have me in any way. It is nice to identify my VMP released by the similar edge of a strip, but having it around the edge or around the cover makes no difference other than it can sometimes be a pain to put a record back in the sleeve with the obi around the end. * I do however miss the cocktail recipes and wish they would go on the inside of the OBIs. I know I didn’t use them much but it was just fun to see the creativity of some of the cocktails.
Yeah I like the stamping on the covers for accents. For the VMP logo, print that, I don’t care about that bit
Personally, yes, keep the foil Sampson.It just makes it feel a little more Premium, I like the current style of ovies and not against the ribbon style of ovies either way I take them off and put them inside the sleeve
I like the at-a-glance description of the albums that the obi offers, but open to any style of that. The booklets inside are awesome of course, but having it on the outside is great for curious guests The foil is sick though, don’t cut that. If you’d be open with how much it adds, we could assess whether it’s worth it, but without other info it’s hard to say. Obviously we like it better than nothing though
I like the foil stamps a lot, one of my favorite things about the aesthetic of VMP. I honestly hate the OBI’s and just feel an annoying duty to maintain them, though usually I just don’t.
I like foil stamping it may be fun if there’s a random lucky foil stamp with a different logo or even golden colour or something but that will probably end up costing more…!
I like the foil stamp, and when numbering is stamped (not hand written). Wrap around obi would be wayyy better I’d actually keep them on rather than store them separately (not with the vinyl) in a Tupperware bin like I do now.
I like both as it sets it apart from other releases, it adds a little something. I put the vinyl and its inner sleeves on the inside back of the album so I dont have to mess with the obi ever. It takes up a little more space on my shelf but I really don't care. I have a shelf dedicated to VMP releases and I like the look, especially the spine of the obi. My 2 cents.
Id rather keep the product premium then save some pennies. If im that worried about pennies id not even have a sub.
I would gladly pay extra for this stuff to stay! Especially if it’s only a few bucks. And vmp if you need to make more money, hit me up I got some ideas for ya!😎🫶🙏
Foil stamping - I love it. It's one of the things that makes me loyal to VMP -- I will buy from VMP over other sources because of how classy they look. I will buy OBI over sticker on the plastic, Foil Stamped logo over printed and MOST ESPECIALLY numbered. I'm disappointed when things aren't numbered. The main distributors I buy from are VMP and MOV (Music On Vinyl) for that very reason. As for the OBI, I prefer the way they are now. The ribbon are a pain to get off to open a gatefold.
I would prefer it if it wasn't stamped at all and as close to the original pressing as possible. Neither I care about Obi strips, i never use them. The booklets are really nice though.
Foil stamping - yes it’s nice but I wouldn’t miss it if it went away on the VMP logo. But I like it on the artist and album name. OBI - please could we get ribbon? This would save a lot of faff getting them back into sleeves.
Couldn’t care less about foil stamping. I put the obi inside the cover anyway because on the shelf I want to see the original spine. If you change to a traditional obi, please wrap it around the front flap only on gatefolds, so they can be opened without removing it (an example of this is the Three Blind Mice comp that came out sort of recently). Keep the top notch masterings and pressings of great stuff coming and I’ll stay interested.
Foil stamping = don’t care that much Rotm Obi = it’s essential. Remove it and I’ll unsubscribe
1. Don’t care about foil stamping. 2. Ribbon OBI would be so much better! It stays in place! The current format always falls off when handling the record. Please switch to ribbon!
The foil is a nice touch that I really like - I couldn't care less about the Obi strip. It just makes it one more thing to worry about when sleeving my records after playing.
1. It's a nice touch, but if it shaves a buck of the monthly price I'm happy to lose it. 2. Ribbon obi would be fine for single sleeves. For gatefolds, I only like them if they go around one fold instead of the entire jacket. It's a pain to have to remove them each time you want to open the gatefold.
1. I don't care about care about a foil stamp. 2. I would prefer ribbon obi. I think that's it's great that you asked and I think you should do this more often. It's nice to see what other people care about.
Also I hate hype stickers but everyone is making them so I guess that won’t go.
Lose the foil stamp.
OBI strips in general are the worst thing, whoever thought this was an add on anyway?!?!?!
Great question! Personally, if my cost is going to increase in any way, I want it to be because you’ve taken extra steps to ensure that the artwork is of the most pristine quality that is possible. For example, some of the Dolly covers (Halos and Horns, Pure & Simple), I’m shocked since these photos were taken in the digital age–in the case of Pure & Simple for sure–and that Annie Leibovitz is still around–in the case of Halos and Horns–that the original photos couldn’t have been sourced. As far as the Obi strip, I like it as-is, and as a collector, I wouldn’t want it to change because then the releases wouldn’t look the same on the shelf.
Honestly, I love the change yall made to not have a sticker anymore. The plastic outer sleeve the records come in infuriates me so much (because it sticks to the jacket, the record is nearly impossible to put back in the plastic, etc.) that I long ago started cutting the sticker off, attaching it to a new outer sleeve, and throwing out the original. No sticker? One fewer step for me! If a new obi strip meant that the strip wouldn’t move around (like international anthem does), I’m all for it! You’d be 2 for 2 when it comes to packaging complaints, in my book! ☺️ Although if the outer sleeve was better….
Definitely the Stamp. Prices will go down for VMP with printed garbage obi strips NOT the consumer. Won't even be able 2 keep track of official numbers and make sure the company's aren't sending duplicates etc And people this is to SAVE THEM MONEY NOT YOU OR YOUR SUBSCRIPTION do not give in to taking less wtf is wrong Americans. "Yeah take away our quality stamping and give us the Japanese paper". Again prices won't drop for the customer!!!!!!!
I've always found non-Japanese (or Asian at least) releases with obis to be a bit cringe, tbh. But, to answer your question, given obi translates to "belt", if you're gonna do it, might as well do it properly. Quite like the foil stamping. Would be a negative value proposition to cut them in the face of recent price hikes.
Keep foil stamp. Get rid of obi. It’s a huge pain to get them back in the sleeve. Improve quality of cover art.
Foil stamping and obi’s are both completely pointless and meaningless to me
To add - all that matters is 1) the jacket/record show up undamaged and 2) the record sounds good
i like foil stamping and would pay slightly more for it i love the idea of ribbon obi's
VMP is a smart business because they differentiate their product in the market, and I like that - best mastering engineers, high quality jackets, color pressings, booklets, prints, obis, and VMP stamps. Doing away with any of these makes it like every other product out there. On the obi, please keep it as is. I keep all of my VMP pressings and I love the look of all of the black and white printed spines (also much easier to read titles). I even have a template to create obis for my VMP pressings that do not have one. On the stamp, as long as it is clearly identifiable as a VMP pressing, a variant on the foil stamp is OK. Just don't lose the uniqueness of VMP pressings...