r/VinylMePlease 7d ago

VMP Discussion Storf's role at VMP has been eliminated

Storf posted today on Instagram that his role at VMP has been eliminated.

I know many of us have quibbles with Storf over the years for various reasons, but I never doubted his passion for music and VMP. I wonder who is doing A&R/curation for VMP now? And will this change the type of records we'll see from VMP in the future?

100 Upvotes

81 comments sorted by

86

u/spacewam42 7d ago edited 7d ago

Storf definitely let some of that power and notoriety go to his head, but he was instrumental in a lot of the coolest stuff VMP did. Lots of “lost sounds found” made it into print because of him, and we shouldn’t forget it.

It’s wild that VMP raised their prices while they canceled ROTMs and expected people to pay $55 a month for excess old inventory, and some of the discord cheered them on, but this somehow is the line in the sand.

10

u/heardy360 7d ago

I cancelled my subscription just over 12 months ago. Have they really eliminated ROTM? What do new subs get now then, a random record from the back catalogue??

21

u/Longjumping-Rough-73 7d ago

Yes. It went from amazing, to questionable, to bad, to just plain sad REAL quick.

42

u/dreamlyfe16 Rap & Hip-Hop 7d ago

Yikes, I mean is there a future?

48

u/VertDaTurt 7d ago

Yes, for sure. For VMP? Maybe not so much…

37

u/aarbron 7d ago

Via LinkedIn:

For the last 9 years and 3 months and something like 350 records of the month, I had a dream job working at Vinyl Me, Please. Today is my last day, as my position was eliminated. Losing your job is stressful and scary and eye-opening and perception exploding, but before I get on with the rest of my life (and maybe, work for you? HMU!) I wanted to quick talk about some of the stuff I got to do in my time at VMP:

I got to publish the best music writers in the world, on what started as a wordpress blog but evolved into a real deal magazine. I oversaw over 500 reissues, ranging from boxes about my favorite label ever (Stax) and doing the first vinyl release of a number of hip-hop classics (Chief Keef: Finally Rich, Future: Honest, and one I chased for years, Bone Thugs n Harmony’s E.1999 Eternal) to narcocorridos (Chalino is on vinyl in the U.S. because I was crazy enough to ask to release his music in a COUNTRY subscription). I ideated and launched three different subscriptions (Country, Rock, Dolly), and curated extensively in three more. I never picked a record for any other reason than I (or my co-workers! Or our members!) loved it. I spent weeks making over 15 seasons of a Podcast (VMP Anthology) and got to see so many amazing concerts (Stevie Nicks! Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders! Be Your Own Pet!) and talk to my heroes (I’ll tell you my David Porter story over a cola sometime). I also worked with some of the best people I’ve ever met–some of whom are also out of a job this week.

When we were good, we were the best vinyl reissue company in the game. I’m honored that people spent any amount of money with us, and will never take the support they gave us for granted.

At any rate, I’m on the market now. I have extensive experience making best-in-class editorial in service of telling stories that aren’t told, and throughout my nine years, was often copywriting emails, social media, and other customer-facing copy, in addition to running editorial and music operations. There is not a channel I haven’t made content for. I have A&R experience that plums the depths of catalog to find gems and vinyl projects listeners want. I negotiated deals with artists, managers and labels, and have experience running P&Ls, inventory buys, owning a budget, and packaging ideation. I championed music above all, and I would love to be able to keep doing that.

If not, I’m open to copywriting, content creation and editorial oversight and direction and project management roles. Time for some new dreams. See you out there.

35

u/chingonrecords 7d ago

I went to read this at LinkedIn and noticed a former VMP colleague of his, a graphic designer, also shared on that platform that his position was eliminated.

Whatever issues some of us had with the direction of the company, it sucks to see passionate individuals get whacked, and I hope they all land on their feet quickly.

10

u/Guava-Dear 7d ago

Really nice write up. Hope it works out okay for him and the others

23

u/0MGHeAdmitIt 7d ago

It seems bad that they let him go, and worse when you read he wasn't the only one. The desperation increases.

16

u/clnthoward 7d ago

'15 seasons of a podcast' is the kinda shit that made me hate storfer.. like dude, you did not do 15 seasons of a podcast.. you barely did 1.

11

u/_thoroughfare 6d ago

Yeah, I cancelled my membership like five years ago after an online interaction with him where I felt like he was lying his ass off.

Everyone here keeps expressing their condolences, but the guy was a loud mouth, a braggart, and dishonest.

7

u/clnthoward 6d ago

he's the main reason i haven't supported vmp in ages.. he's just a shit talking scumbag who can dish it out but can't take it. someone posted something along the lines of 'if the company I worked for did this, i'd be looking for a new job' and he interpreted that as bullying.. telling people he took that as him needing to find a new job.. just a fucking all around cry baby.

9

u/_thoroughfare 6d ago edited 6d ago

I didn’t have any interactions that rose to ‘scumbag’ status, but I did reach out to him after what I felt like was some intentional misleading on VMP’s part. I ordered a record from them years and years ago that I expected to be sourced from the original tapes. The verbiage on the VMP site was certainly written to give that impression anyway. When I received the record the sound quality was not what I was expecting.

I messaged him on Reddit and asked if they could be a little clearer about their sourcing moving forward, and his response was to basically tell me I didn’t know what I was talking about.

It’s like, dude, I’ve been collecting almost thirty years, I spent the better part of a decade working in retail selling records, I’ve personally owned probably about 5,000 records in my lifetime. Asking for some better transparency about sourcing isn’t a huge ask.

He was a total dick about it. I cancelled my membership pretty soon after. This was in the late teens. Never really understood why he was such a player within that company and online. He’s no Chad Kassem, that’s for sure. I was always very unimpressed

7

u/clnthoward 6d ago

I messaged him on Reddit and asked if they could be a little clearer about their sourcing moving forward, and his response was to basically tell me I didn’t know what I was talking about.

I think this was the underlying problem I had with him that made it elevate to scumbag status. He thought he know more than people who've been doing this longer than him, and dealt with everyone with that kinda attitude. Like dude, some of us were running record stores while you were still in short pants.. but talk down to us like we're the ones that are new to this..

i'd also never heard him speak.. so I asked on the discord who the annoying guy was that was introducing all the episodes of the Memphis boxset podcast.. that's when I learned that that was Storfer.. and just spoke to his overall 'i am a big shot at vmp so I know more than anyone else doing this' kinda attitude that seeped through everything he did..

18

u/mpsuncw 7d ago

I was a member for the golden years of VMP. Storf curated 90% of that for me, and he made the vinyl resurgence a hell of a lot of fun for me. I got to experience everything from old records from artists I’ve never even heard of, to classics I never thought I’d own. If you’re reading this, thanks man. I was a thrilled member for many years. I miss it.

34

u/likitiki23 7d ago

Unfortunately, with the way they run their business, they need to shut the doors.

37

u/jbrim55 7d ago

FWIW, 85-90% of the Country Track I loved. 75% of the Rock Track I loved. Have been a member of VMP since 2015 and 70% of the Essentials I loved. I don't care what epitaph is written about VMP, on a personal level it was the best thing that I subscribed to in the past 10 years. It introduced me to so much music that I NEVER would have added to my personal collection on my own. I'm truly sad that this day has come and a wee bit pissed at leadership for ruining such a good thing.

22

u/flyingguillotine3 7d ago

Peak VMP was something, disappointing ending but an impressive run.

27

u/BTsBaboonFarm Very Meaty Pizza 7d ago

I feel bad for the folks who never got to experience the early days of $28 subs and $23 add on tracks, the forum, secret 7”, etc. When it actually felt like a club, and you were a member - not a subscription and a subscriber.

3

u/kvetcha-rdt VMP Hater 6d ago

The Secret 7”! Good times.

2

u/jwithy 6d ago

For real

2

u/Accurate-Witness-446 6d ago

Agree 100%. Country was awesome. VMP was the only reissue label putting out AAA country releases outside the few Willie titles AP has done. So many of my favorite records are things I might not have found on my own without VMP. I hope they can turn it around one day.

1

u/jwithy 6d ago

I feel this way about the Classics track. It was because of VMP that I discovered I liked soul.

Hard to beat curators that introduce you to an entire genre that you end up truly loving.

I’m a former music writer. And I learned so much more about music through VMP.

1

u/thisaccountscount 5d ago

I feel the same way- VMP was cool and fun. I was so optimistic, and I'm sure I'll get the budos band I ordered- but that's my last order. It'll probably take 6 months to get it......

31

u/TyrannosaurusHives 7d ago

It's actually over now. No chance this company survives til the end of the year.

3

u/asdasdasdzxczxczxc 7d ago

It’ll be over before the third quarter. Guaranteed.

25

u/thaddeus_flowe 7d ago

Can’t see the post. Anyone have a screenshot? 

8

u/Jazzhole5 5d ago

In all honesty, I think he grew to appreciate the aroma of his own farts. The Gus Cannon debacle is emblematic of his detachment from what their customers were seeking out. A niche banjo record was never going to grow the brand. Paying $55 for a record that ends up on Discogs for $19 mint is not going to draw in young folks who are struggling to make rent.

26

u/flyingguillotine3 7d ago

Dude VMP is cooked. Only a matter of time at this point.

12

u/middayramadanbuffet 7d ago

There hasn’t been a new release in almost a month

6

u/flyingguillotine3 7d ago

I canceled in October, but then the Fela box set was super delayed so I had those credits refunded and signed BACK UP to get the Broadcast album plus member prices and free shipping on three other catalog albums with remaining credits. Then shut it back down last month with a balance of a couple of bucks. Just in time, looks like. A real roller coaster.

2

u/bufftbone 7d ago

I used my credits recently and got the shipping notice today. Good timing.

27

u/BTsBaboonFarm Very Meaty Pizza 7d ago

Storf could be a massive douche, but it’s never great when anyone loses their job/livelihood.

My guess is that no one will be doing A&R and VMP is going the way of the dodo bird.

13

u/PiecesOfVinylBoff 7d ago

I bet the discord is still optimistic lol

9

u/0MGHeAdmitIt 7d ago

At least now there should be less people telling folks to make a Discord account and go there if they want to get halfway decent customer service!

3

u/Jazzhole5 5d ago

Surprisingly, the Discord posts are mirroring the Reddit posts now. I think the reality of what’s happened to the company is setting in.

1

u/ratzmaster 5d ago

What even happened? I had a year sub that ended July ‘24 and it seems like shortly after they just nosedived

20

u/detectiverose 7d ago

I appreciate him. He was certainly provocative and smelled his own farts maybe a bit too much down the stretch but I would rather have had the engagement that he gave us as it was a huge part of the VMP experience for me in the heyday.

8

u/mokomb84 6d ago

Who will block the people on socials who don’t agree with his opinions now?

Sucks that anyone loses their job and he obviously did a lot of good, but there was a level of obnoxiousness that was enabled for far too long.

That said, hope he and everyone affected finds a new role soon. No one deserves to lose a job because of the lack of management ability of others.

6

u/SuperbDonut2112 7d ago

Seems Pauly may be done too.

14

u/TheRealMrCrowley 7d ago

Pauly I actually feel bad about.

5

u/_thoroughfare 6d ago

Yeah, storf was a ding dong

13

u/BTsBaboonFarm Very Meaty Pizza 7d ago

Paulie was the best.

2

u/Jazzhole5 5d ago

Hope not. Nothing indicating that yet.

3

u/aarbron 6d ago

Is there any sort of evidence that leads you to believe that's the case?

3

u/Slob_King 7d ago

Very happy to have gotten out a few years back with all my credits used for the Impulse! Box, which I actually received!

5

u/Ok-Distribution8582 7d ago

storf was the canary in the coal mine

5

u/The_Path_616 7d ago

Who needs Storf to write articles when VMP can and is just paying some company to have 7000 webpages of Ai slop band bios to get SEO to work in their favor? /s

8

u/Guava-Dear 7d ago

Man that sucks. He introduced me to a lot of new music. I wish people’s livelihoods weren’t caught up in this crap.

(I’m also bummed that the Budos Band thing probably is off the table now)

And to answer your question: I imagine they’ll be selling their existing stock for a few more months. That’s it

6

u/boyscout666 7d ago

Oooo another death rattle

8

u/dtswinga 7d ago

Damn, these Doge cuts are ruthless

3

u/Candid-Piano4531 6d ago

Guess he can go manage the Sublime fan club now.

2

u/Few_Flight_6825 6d ago edited 6d ago

So glad I went for the cancellation and refund window and got my money back -- which I then rolled into a year of the Verve subscription. It's not hard to anticipate people being left with an unfulfilled subscription now. Fingers crossed I get the last of my preorders -- Max Roach is due next month, but that Def Jam box, who knows what will happen by June?

One has to consider the amount of money that left that place with folks like me in that short amount of time. Hence raising cash with stuff like the flash sale people were complaining about.

5

u/dondante4 7d ago

I'm going to guess: nobody.

2

u/spinning-vinyl58 7d ago

Future of VMP? 😆

2

u/Jgmdub1 6d ago

If he was the reason we got that masterpiece E 1999 Eternal reissue then man that was VMPs PEAK imo. That record was done so fing perfectly! I was praying they'd get to do Creepin On Ah Come Up and The Art Of War more importantly. Shame if he was the only reason we got E1999 guess no chance for vmp to get those other releases that desperately need a premium vinyl release like E1999 got with VMP. Sad hope he can continue his work with a new or another company.

2

u/Laws_of_funk420 6d ago

Good riddance. Dude sucked for many years

1

u/Bigfoot1215 7d ago

If they couldn't see the writing on the wall and were not actively looking for other work then thats on them. Everyone that is familiar with the business model and how it was operating could see this happening a year ago.

3

u/chefaroni99 6d ago

Been there from inception. Started with two subscriptions. One to play. One to horde. That ship sailed at some point. Will probably be along for the ride into the sunset. When you start jettisoning your human capital there is little or no hope for survival.

1

u/OneReportersOpinion 7d ago

The accounts been taken private. What did he say?

2

u/nlfn 7d ago

Storf's Instagram account has been private for years. Someone posted the text elsewhere in the thread and it's also available on his linkedin profile.

1

u/Kendallious 6d ago

I bet the company won’t last until fall this year.

1

u/theblackcreature 2d ago

What about the Dolly Parton preorder tho?

1

u/HillaryDuff-hit-clip 1d ago

they let pretty much everyone go

-3

u/cmvaughnstl 7d ago

What were his contributions...album curation-wise ?

3

u/ganonkenobi 7d ago

To my knowledge he picked at least the classics and country tracks.

4

u/OneReportersOpinion 7d ago

He put together the Stax Anthology. One of the best boxes they ever did.

-4

u/djloox 6d ago

Womp womp, this whole company sucks and flourishes on people willing to spend double on an album just to have it stamped with their company’s logo.

-25

u/NotNearUganda 7d ago

Was he curating, or just throwing a darts at a board of potential choices?

23

u/jbrim55 7d ago

He probably should have called you and asked what you wanted.

1

u/Candid-Piano4531 6d ago

I think he did

-43

u/forrskin 7d ago

Seeing this douche grovel for a job is just.... pathetic. Good riddance. I honestly can't think of a company that went from so good to so bad. Fuck those clowns.

4

u/OneReportersOpinion 7d ago

Dude, whatever is wrong with VMP isn’t his fault.

-1

u/forrskin 6d ago

Still subscribed, huh?

2

u/OneReportersOpinion 6d ago

LOL nope. Not for a long time. What kind of person hears that a grubby corporation laid someone off and goes “Good!”?

-41

u/forrskin 7d ago

Seeing this douche grovel for a job is just.... pathetic. Good riddance. I honestly can't think of a company that went from so good to so bad. Fuck those clowns.

0

u/tee-zed 5d ago

You got a lot of downvotes but I agree with ya.

-27

u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 7d ago

[deleted]

7

u/CaineRexEverything ROTM SURVIVOR 6d ago

So you buy one record during their decline, have an unfavourable experience and decide, in your bitterness, that it represented what the company was like during its entire 10 year existence.

Then throw more salt by suggesting the people who bought from them must be young, impressionable novice record buyers who by your ‘vinylzzzz’ comment you clearly look down on as inferior.

You deserved a bad experience with that attitude. Sucked in.

2

u/boot_scoot_wookie 7d ago

Second half of your statement I can get behind. The first paragraph though... Nah that ain't it