Tjazz Posted November 12, 2003 Report Posted November 12, 2003 Do they still put those "Manufactured under license" white boxes, or have a disclaimer line elsewhere? Deal or no, I'm kind of an obsessive purist. It might keep me up at night. Some of the CDs don't have the BMG labeling. The new Verve Digi pack releases didn't have the BMG labeling. I've also gotten box sets that didn't have the BMG labeling. Quote
Tjazz Posted November 12, 2003 Report Posted November 12, 2003 Newly available: Buffalo Springfield Box set (4-CD) Culture Club box set (4-CD) Rod Stewart - American Songbook Quote
DrJ Posted November 14, 2003 Report Posted November 14, 2003 I joined (for the first time ever) just to get the 12 "free" CDs for purchase of one at regular price. For people who've never done it before, be advised they do make up some of the "free" CD cost by charging exhorbitant shipping and handling fees. But still, I calculated out that if I'd bought all these CDs at list price at the local Tower it would have run over $200 with tax, and it ended up costing me about $60 total through this BMG sign up deal (and that was only because I decided to buy one additional CD beyond the commitment, which was a bit pricey but no worse than anywhere else...otherwise would have cost only $40 for $180 worth of CDs). I'll be terminating my membership shortly after the order is fully charged/processed because I don't want to hassle with the letting them know I don't want the monthly selection etc. I used this to pick up a bunch of things that I'd been meaning to but hadn't either because I just hadn't gotten to it or they were ridiculously expensive at list: A bunch of the Verve mini-LPs (and a few Digipacks): Alice Coltrane - UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS Count Basie - KING OF SWING Dizzy Gillespie - AFRO Brubeck and Desmond - DUETS 1975 Phil Woods - AT THE MONTREUX FESTIVAL Archie Shepp - ATTICA BLUES Jimmy Giuffre - THE EASY WAY Plus a few other odds and ends: Monk - MONK'S DREAM, STRAIGHT NO CHASER (original album, not soundtrack), and LIVE AT NEWPORT 1963 & 65 Joe Williams - AT NEWPORT 1963 DUKE ELLINGTON AND JOHN COLTRANE To get all that for $60 is pretty amazing. Even at major discounts would run double that. I will plan to sign up annually for a splurge! B) Quote
Aggie87 Posted November 14, 2003 Report Posted November 14, 2003 DrJ - Good haul there! FYI - you no longer have to received/send back those monthly notices, and they won't automatically send you the "featured selection". I get the monthly mailing, but have it set (through the BMG website) so that I don't have to respond or else receive the unwanted cd. And I pretty much ignore the mailings, and focus on their website. They offer different deals all the time - some of the best are the "Buy 1, Get Unlimited for $1.99" deals (plus s/h of course), which can work out to <$6 per disc, delivered to your door. Just food for thought, before you cancel your membership... -Erik Quote
Joe G Posted November 14, 2003 Report Posted November 14, 2003 (edited) Not to give you a hard sell or anything, but you can set up your membership so that you don't have to reply to the monthy selection. It's easy to do at their website. Last night I ordered a 2 CD James Brown set using my "music points". It cost me only shipping. Edit: Aggie beat me to it. Edited November 14, 2003 by Joe G Quote
DrJ Posted November 14, 2003 Report Posted November 14, 2003 Well, I actually appreciate the feedback, not a hard sell at all! I find their web site a little confusing and hard to mine info from, and as a result I somehow missed that you could set the account up so you don't have to mess with the monthly selections...I'll consider cancellation more carefully before deciding for sure, because the periodic deals they offer sound great. My only other concern is the rather limited number of titles...I have the majority of what they listed already. But again if there's no penalty for hanging around and waiting for a good deal, so what? Thanks for the input folks! Quote
street singer Posted November 14, 2003 Report Posted November 14, 2003 (edited) I'll be terminating my membership shortly after the order is fully charged/processed because I don't want to hassle with the letting them know I don't want the monthly selection etc. Hey DrJ, Actually, you might do yourself a favor by keeping your membership open. I've been a member of BMG (and Columbia House) for over 2 years. In that time, I've purchased over 200 CDs from them and have kept a running list of them, along w/ their costs, which allows me to keep track of my average cost paid for CDs. Since joining, it has been between the $5-$6 range. How can you beat that?! You can't...even buying used, you wouldn't usually be able to get the prices that low. Membership in these clubs DEFINITELY has its benefits. However, to get your average price this low, you should only buy a CD at full price when they're offering one of their "Buy 1, Get 3 Free" sales. Otherwise, wait until they have their "60% off with No Shipping" sales. They run both of these sales on a very regular basis, 3 to 4 times a year at least, and they usually last for a couple of weeks. The important thing is to look at the bottom line. When they say "free", ofcourse they're not free - you still have to pay a shipping charge of $2.79 per CD. But just look at the bottom line to see what you're really saving. Also, don't forget to take advantage of their Outlet Store. I've gotten some ridiculously good deals here over the years, especially from Columbia House. Verve Master Editions, RVG's, double CDs for around $7 a piece...loads of good stuff. Also, check their box sets. My best deals have been the Miles '65-68 Quintet' box set for around $38 (from BMG) and, most recently, the Miles 'Complete Plugged Nickel' box for $33 (from Columbia House). Keep your membership open - don't cancel. You can always "sign up a friend" (IE: yourself). That way you'll get 5 for yourself plus the 12 for 1 deal for your "friend" (IE: yourself). Your "friend" can cancel after getting his free stuff and buying one at full price. The deals are there to be had... Edited November 14, 2003 by street singer Quote
street singer Posted November 14, 2003 Report Posted November 14, 2003 you can set up your membership so that you don't have to reply to the monthy selection. It's easy to do at their website. How does one go about doing this on their website? I've looked and looked but still have been unable to find this option... Quote
Tjazz Posted November 15, 2003 Report Posted November 15, 2003 Keep your membership open - don't cancel. You can always "sign up a friend" (IE: yourself). That way you'll get 5 for yourself plus the 12 for 1 deal for your "friend" (IE: yourself). Your "friend" can cancel after getting his free stuff and buying one at full price. The deals are there to be had... Right on! Quote
Aggie87 Posted November 17, 2003 Report Posted November 17, 2003 you can set up your membership so that you don't have to reply to the monthy selection. It's easy to do at their website. How does one go about doing this on their website? I've looked and looked but still have been unable to find this option... I just did a quick check, and couldn't find where to do this either. I think your best bet is to send them an e-mail (through the customer service area of their website) asking that your account be changed so that you don't have to reply about the featured selection, and that it not be automatically shipped to you. I'm sure there used to be an option on their website to change this yourself, but I can't find it at the moment... Quote
Joe G Posted November 17, 2003 Report Posted November 17, 2003 err...At least I thought it was easy. It's been a couple of years, so I don't remember exactly how I did that. I'll look when I get a minute. Quote
DrJ Posted November 17, 2003 Report Posted November 17, 2003 I just did a pretty extensive look at the site and couldn't see a way to do this. Oh well, not a big deal...now that I can quit at any time, I will hang around for a bit and see how I like it. It sounds like a pretty great deal as long as the monthly selection thing turns out to not be a big hassle. Quote
Joe G Posted November 17, 2003 Report Posted November 17, 2003 Couldn't find it either. I'd go with Erik's suggestion of emailing the customer service people. Quote
street singer Posted November 17, 2003 Report Posted November 17, 2003 It sounds like a pretty great deal as long as the monthly selection thing turns out to not be a big hassle. It's really not that big a deal. You can decline your Selection Of The Month through their website, which is much easier than having to remember to drop that card back in the mail. Quote
street singer Posted November 18, 2003 Report Posted November 18, 2003 (edited) Alright, folks... This looks to be the sale of the year from BMG. "2/3" Off w/ No Shipping & Handling (w/ a purchase over $30)". This sale allows for some absolute steals on box sets! Take advantage while it lasts... Edited November 19, 2003 by street singer Quote
Aggie87 Posted November 18, 2003 Report Posted November 18, 2003 Do you have a code, or is this your regular offer on the website? Mine still says Buy 1 Get 3 Free. Quote
street singer Posted November 18, 2003 Report Posted November 18, 2003 Do you have a code, or is this your regular offer on the website? Mine still says Buy 1 Get 3 Free. No, this is my current offer on the website. How long have you been a member? That appears to be a factor with some of these sales... Quote
street singer Posted November 18, 2003 Report Posted November 18, 2003 Here's what I picked up in the Big Sale... Grant Green 'Retrospective' (4CD) $25.59 Clifford Brown 'Complete Blue Note & Pacific Jazz Recordings' (4CD) $15.99 Billie Holiday 'Complete Decca Recordings' (2CD) $9.99 Miles Davis 'Friday Night At The Blackhawk' (2CD) $8.33 Total, including tax, was just over $60. Today is a gooooooood day... Quote
ghost of miles Posted November 18, 2003 Report Posted November 18, 2003 I didn't see that sale on the website either. I recently cancelled my membership and signed back on with the return invitation offer--it really is a great deal if you work it right (waiting to buy your obligation until it's a "Buy 1, get 3 free" month, etc.). Holiday jazz fans take note: Joe Williams' THAT HOLIDAY FEELIN' is currently in the bargain bin for $1.99 plus shipping. Quote
Aggie87 Posted November 19, 2003 Report Posted November 19, 2003 Do you have a code, or is this your regular offer on the website? Mine still says Buy 1 Get 3 Free. No, this is my current offer on the website. How long have you been a member? That appears to be a factor with some of these sales. I've been a member for almost 4 years, this go around. I'm not sure how they decide which offers to give to which members. My offer just changed yesterday to "Buy 1, Get 2 FREE, Then Take Unlimited $2.99 CDs", so I didn't get the same one you got. Yours is a good deal, if it includes boxes, with no S/H. Though I will note that the box set prices (for boxes with more than 2 discs) don't appear to be 2/3 off. They look like they're the regular BMG sale prices that they've always been. That Clifford Brown set has been $15.99 for a while now. Where you're coming out ahead on these is the no shipping/handling charges... Quote
street singer Posted November 19, 2003 Report Posted November 19, 2003 Though I will note that the box set prices (for boxes with more than 2 discs) don't appear to be 2/3 off. They look like they're the regular BMG sale prices that they've always been. That Clifford Brown set has been $15.99 for a while now. Where you're coming out ahead on these is the no shipping/handling charges... Exactly. The box sets that have been on sale for a while (ie: Clifford Brown, Grant Green, etc) haven't been reduced further. However, the shipping charges on both of those boxes would be just over $11 each. So, I saved $22 on these two boxes alone. Not too bad... I have no idea how they determine which sales to give to which members, either. Have often wondered about that... The sale that you currently are getting is the one I got before the "2/3 Off, No Shipping" one. So, who knows... It might be worth an email asking about it. Quote
jazzhound Posted November 19, 2003 Report Posted November 19, 2003 (edited) I bought 3 cds at the special sale for non members. They sound lousy. I don't think there product is as good as the regular issues. Anyone else notice the inferior sound quality of BMG manufactured disks? Edited November 19, 2003 by jazzhound Quote
Tjazz Posted November 19, 2003 Report Posted November 19, 2003 I just got a 2/3 off and no shipping charges for totals over $30. Phil Woods came without BMG labeling. The Herbie CLEAR box doesn't have BMG labeling. Quote
Joe G Posted November 19, 2003 Report Posted November 19, 2003 I've never been aware of a BMG disc sounding worse than one you'd buy elsewhere, but I admit I've never done a side by side comparison. Quote
street singer Posted November 19, 2003 Report Posted November 19, 2003 I bought 3 cds at the special sale for non members. They sound lousy. I don't think there product is as good as the regular issues.  Anyone else notice the inferior sound quality of BMG manufactured disks? Haven't noticed inferior sound on the ones I've purchased. Haven't done a side-by-side comparison, either. However, I purchase CDs from numerous sources other than BMG and, in general, to my ears and on my system, these do not sound any better/worse than the ones I get from BMG. You said the discs you got sound "lousy" - which discs did you have a problem with, and what exactly was the problem with the sound? Just curious... Quote
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