Monday, November 3, 2008
The latest TMU screw-up
Robert gives it to TMU once again. Seriously, do they get anything right? But where is the booklet not available? US? UK? Everywhere? It was on iTunes US when I bought it on the 27th. So if this problem is with the US, TMU are flat out lying. It was there, then they removed it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've just read it and was coming here to see if anybody knew, looks that way!!
ReplyDeleteThis ongoing shit saga is fascinating in it's own right! How low will TMU go?
Wow...just, wow.
ReplyDeleteI just saw this up on Thecure.com
ReplyDeleteI bet Robert can't wait to get the third album out and move away from T Not So MU!
Robert and the band could manage and distribute and promote better than TMU themselves - especially in the digital age. That said my 21 month son has got a better grip of the fundamentals of the music business than these idiots.
But it's not all bad news today. Amazon UK finally saw fit to deliver my real copy of 4:13 today. It was alledgedly despatched on the 25th but somehow only arrived after I sent a Robert to TMUesque email to them on friday last week! I now have a real copy to call my own.
Whilst I thoroughly agree with Craig's "support the Cure" stance, its becoming harder to justify sharing those hard owned pounds (despite their increasing worthlessness!) with the likes of TMU, Amazon and anyone else who take royalties and don't earn them!
Tom: but even a small percentage is better than nothing, which is what they'll get if you don't buy it!!
ReplyDeleteyeah, that's pretty specious reasoning, actually.
ReplyDeleteCall it what you will, but I haven't bought a record from major label in nearly 2 years and that isn't changing any time soon... I do support my artists in other more direct ways though.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that RS continued his affiliation with the sinking ship that is the major-label record industry, but surely he had some idea by now about the kind of shenanigans that these companies try to pull, right? I'll just take that $1 or $2 he'd make from my $17-20 album purchase and put it towards my next $75 Cure concert ticket and $30 t-shirt... which will more effectively find its way to Bob's pocket.
so i have to ask, are you just not going to have 4:13 dream at all? or are you going to download it for free? i'm not going to lecture you, but if you do that, it serves no one, label, robert, or otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna pick up the first copy I see in the used CD/record bins. Until then, I ripped a friends CD into my iTunes. I don't really do music downloading unless it's something that's intended to be downloaded because I DJ and I need and want all the tunes I play in public to be legit.
ReplyDeleteThose $17-$20 album purchases are more like $10 or $11 (plus shipping) these days.
ReplyDeleteThe sooner they release the dark album and escape the evil clutches of TMU, the better!!!
ReplyDelete"DO UMG HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST US?"
ReplyDeleteIt does make me wonder if other Universal artists have half as many problems as The Cure are having... Probably not. Poor Robert, he's forever apologising to his fans because someone else has screwed up somewhere along the line.
Wow, what a screw-up!
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that when I went to rip my CD to my computer, some of the title information was incorrectly listed. I fixed it on my computer, but that doesn't help anyone else!
the other thing that bugs me is that the band name and album title on the cd spine is backwards! argh!
ReplyDeleteMB, that annoys me too; it's the same on the singles... My friends thought I was just being a bit OCD when I was bitching about it. I'm glad I'm not the only one!
ReplyDeleteThe info on mine was correct when I ripped it to my PC. Apart from it's the only Cure album being classed as 'Pop' rather than 'Alternative'. That's pissing me off a bit too...
The lack of respect for fans displayed by the Miserable Universal is disgusting. Not one bit surprising, though.
ReplyDeleteI admire Robert's concern for the fans, I really do, but I keep wondering whether the Cure really need a label any longer.
Follow the example set by NIN. Free to release the music they want, when they feel it's right, in the format they see fit, at a cheaper price.
At the end of the day, it should be all about the music.
Insanity, I must say. Or "whatever-nity".
ReplyDeleteThe TMU must act the same in all countries like that: as they have a very lucrative "artist" (usually a local musical sh**), they assign all the marketing money to him/her and forget about the rest of the cast.
It´s been years like that here in Brazil. Gradually from tv spots, street posters, singles, shop posters to NOTHING. They don´t even know how to pronounce "The Cure" in their headquarters. When I used to print a fanzine, they got me ONE b&W pic having a drawer full of them, with no use at all. They weren´t (and still aren´t) interested even in FREE publicity because they didn´t care about the band.
SO? F* them by the end of the contract and please get a decent cd worldwide distributor. I hate not having the cd art and sh*ty cd media.
MonekyButt and Stigmurder: I too was feeling a little OCD-ish about being bothered by the spine being printed upside down. Glad to hear I'm not alone!
ReplyDeleteMonkeybutt, Furrever and Stig - you are NOT alone!!!
ReplyDeleteOCDists UNITE!!!
it's bugged me ever since the first single. how hard is it? jheesz.
ReplyDeleteGah, it's got to be incredibly frustrating to see one's creative work being fucked with by some megacorp. RS and co are so much better than this... how humiliating for them.
ReplyDeleteIt's Melbourne Cup Day in Australia, and I'll be backing 2 horses in the big race. They are:
ReplyDeleteNo 4 C'est La Guerre
No 13 Boundless
GO THE DREAM COMBINATION!!!!!
*sends good vibes to the universe for Swifty's horses"
ReplyDeleteI'm in a couple of sweeps but don't know who I have drawn yet.
Thanks Elise!
ReplyDelete...and to make up the trifecta No 20 - Vereeves. This one is considered to be the DARK-horse of the race.
...so Good Luck!
mmmmm DARK HORSE!
ReplyDeleteI knew you'd like that ;)
ReplyDeleteMixed Up was upside down on the spine as well. That used to give me the heebie jeebies!
ReplyDeleteMy wife loves watching Detective Monk, but I find him too close to home ;(
LOL - you know me so well.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that I am not the only one bothered by the upside-down CD spine!
ReplyDeleteWish us in the US luck for Election Day tomorrow!
*Monk freaks me out*
ReplyDeleteKate - I hope people in the States take the opportunity to make their voices heard.
jai acheter avec itunes ,sais quoi le problème ?? sais quoi la différence ??
ReplyDeleteEric: The issue with itunes is their bit rate cap.
ReplyDeleteSwifty - I hope the good vibes for C'est le Guerre works, cos I drew him (her?) in the sweep.
ReplyDeleteElise,
ReplyDelete*girl with the midas touch*
C'est le Guerre 3rd YAY!!!
Unfortunately I only won $40 and my total bets outlay was $38....but hey two bucks is two bucks!
Did you make a small profit too?
Oh ...and I think No 13 Boundless is still running!
Elise - C'este le Guerre was the Perfect Boy, albeit with his nuts missing!
ReplyDeleteSwifty - no profit for me, but I can live with a $2 loss :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this is so unbelievable. Poor Robert. The fact that he has to write "please just tell me" sounds so sad. Reminds of high school or something, the way they treat The Cure.
ReplyDeleteTMFU appear to have sunk to new unfathomable depths. I'm going to go and listen to the Kinks Moneygoround to feel better about it all. In fact, I think I'll put on Village Green Preservation Society also...pure musical feel-good bliss.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention on the actual CD the spine label on the display side is upside down making it so you have to flip the CD upside down in order to shelf it with your remaining collection.
ReplyDeletepsicosis - Oh so true! Everytime this happens, I'm like... "what the fuck?"!
ReplyDeleteFor everyone complaining about the spine being printed "upside down" or "backwards" , I don't understand you. Do you mean you can't read it , like something in a mirror, or what? If you just mean it reads from bottom to top and not the contrary, it's not "wrong" at all, just different. Here in France, every single book has a spine that reads like that, and in England it's the other way round. It's just a matter of convention. Having lived on both sides of the Channel, I don't ever pay attention to that, as my book collection is full of both English and French books.
ReplyDeleteBut it appears there's no such convention with CD's.
I've had a look at my CD collection, and there's lots of them, incuding my copy of 4:13 Dream, that are like that (Show by the Cure, A broken Frame by Depeche Mode, Southpaw Grammar by Morrissey, etc...)
Oh, and in case your copies ARE "wrong" because you can't read the title , rejoice because you've got a collector's item that might be worth a few bob.
I don't expect anything could be "upside down" to someone who lives sitting on a wall! ;o)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I know what you're saying. But here in Canada, 99,9% of CDs are printed the other way on the side. And "I" like convention as all the titles are readable in the same direction is all... So no, it's nothing "wrong" per say but you have to admit being in the 0,01% minority coming from a major (yet shitty) label like TMU feels wrong. It seems like it IS yet another fuck up...
I just received a notice from Amazon.com regarding my order of the 4:13 Dream VINYL:
ReplyDelete"We're still trying to obtain the following item[s] you ordered on October 03 2008..."
What do they mean, still trying to obtain?! I thought that Amazon would be my best bet, seeing as there are not many (if any) vinyl places near my home...
Well , I ordered my vinyl on Fnac website ages ago, and got an e-mail last week saying there would be a delay -"'hopefully' not exceeding a few days "- Haven't heard from then since!
ReplyDeleteI think there really is a problem with the vinyl. Now, that's another screw-up. I think TMU is really taking the piss. I wonder what their reaction might be, getting so publicly slagged off by Robert all the time. It probably makes things worse. Or - more likely - they just don't give a toss.
Woudn't it be the right time to send some "nice" e-mails to Universal?
ReplyDeleteAlso...I am EXTREMELY annoyed at the quality of the 4:13 Dream vinyl. Imperfections throughout...cheap cardboard used as well as the sleeves being way too tight for the double vinyl. And it's not on 180gram vinyl. Oh and the entire side C has a scratching sound out of the right channel.
ReplyDeleteARGH!
That sucks for the fans that bought the iTunes version & didn’t get a copy of the booklet! Gotta love TMU!!! :(
ReplyDeleteRobert really needs to get away from these jokers! Far Far Away!!! The place is run by complete bunch of morons! Just get the Dark Album out soon & that will be it with this shitty operation! Do everything else beyond that album on your own. I know Robert will be happier with what he can do without the corporate BS. It’s really quite sad that they fucked-up a lot for this album for The Cure. I’d be extremely pissed too!
And I agree, the backwards spine label is a pain too! And problems getting the vinyl too, more fuck-ups from TMU for sure!
However I just have to say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this new album! Edgy, fun, thrilling, mesmerizingly beautiful it’s truly brilliant and the best The Cure has done in many years! I love every song even TRSW has grown on me! Standouts are It’s Over, UTS, Sirensong and TRW but each song is absolutely fantastic! All in all, it’s truly an excellent album!
I WISH I KNEW.....whoops shouting more about the actual contract they have, they should just friggin pull out of it. I am not sure why Robert is conducting he fight online? perhaps he wants us to do a Fiona Apple and storm the record comp?
ReplyDeletePoor them, being screwed with the utmost disrespect and at the same time lauded by the UK press...what a strange turn around.
I have to say I don't get Toms reasoning at all about not supporting the album...after all it is the music we love about the Cure, so ripping them off by stealing the cd from a friend is hardly supportive, no matter how you try and dress it up
they REALLY need to start their own label. SERIOUSLY - this is getting RI-DAMN-DICULOUS!!
ReplyDeletei think they should have a contest and have the fans suggest the name for the label too! winner gets to lick RSx from head to toe!! and Porl too!!!
*gets to work*
Mike- Sorry that the quality of your vinyl’s balls! As far as the CD’s concerned, on my older CD player which I thought had relatively good speakers, the dynamics were pretty awful/flat, everything sounded rather muddy; I found it difficult to actually get myself into the music. But on my newer speakers (less than a year old), I'm able to hear many subtleties that I didn't hear before. Everything sounds crisp and clean, and I’m really able to enjoy it. Comments have been made about poor mixing etc. but I think that as these things become more and more digitized, it takes a really specific set of speakers to get the right sound. Even then, I had to mess with my EQ for awhile until everything sounded just right!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I like this album a lot. I’m not going to say that the entire thing is unsurpassed genius, but I'm truly growing to like this new sound they've carved out, especially now that Porl’s back. I still need to get more listens in, but I do hear them experimenting with different sounds, although I’m not at all crazy about the backing track/drum machine that was used on a few of the songs; it just sounds cheap... they never should've used it. Jason should be doing all of that, I think he’s capable. I also find it really interesting the way Robert’s experimenting with his vocal style.
What some of the naysayers fail to understand is that the intense loyalty that many fans have does not come without a healthy dose of criticism, because we actually DO care about the content/quality of their work. I don't care for the crass generalizations of those who say that just because some of us find elements of this album worth liking or worth appreciating from an artistic standpoint, that we must be “deaf” or have lost all ability to appreciate good music. Frankly, that’s complete bullshit.
I feel sorry for those who cannot find anything worth liking on this album, and complain while refusing to actually give any constructive criticism. I feel even more sorry that others can't help but be outrageously negative and see this entire album as one giant defect. It seems some are only capable of seeing every single flaw. I see some flaws as well, but I also find redeeming qualities.
I don’t have a problem with negative opinions about the music, but some get into personal attacks on Robert, attacking his integrity of all fucking things (no ones perfect either way), and others attack the fans for not being able to “hear crap when it’s playing right under their noses”. Just because you, with all your expertise do not like it, does not mean that those that do like it have an inferior sense of hearing, or taste in music, or that they are not capable of properly judging the quality of music in general.
You're never going to please everyone!!
Some people like this record, some people don't, Que Sera, Sera. The fact that this last album is not another Disintegration does not invalidate the reality that The Cure are still talented and creative musicians. Millions of people the world over believe that.
Sorry, had to get that out!!!
/rant
well said helsabot.....i think that about wraps things up...evryone go home and celebrate Obama!
ReplyDeleteWell said, helsabot.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not another Disintegration. Cause really, there's only one Disintegration, and it's perfect that way.
Why dilute?
Onwards...!
DEAR TMFU
ReplyDeleteGO DROWN YOURSELVES IN A SPERM BROTH DUNK TANK!
regarding the CD spine text being upside down (MonkeyButt and Stigmurder specifically) ...
ReplyDelete[[ the other thing that bugs me is that the band name and album title on the cd spine is backwards! argh!
[[MB, that annoys me too; it's the same on the singles... My friends thought I was just being a bit OCD when I was bitching about it. I'm glad I'm not the only one!]]
that bugs me too. Since the UPC code on the singles was the same on the Australian and European editions, we eventually started getting Australian versions from our suppliers - and the Sleep When I'm Dead single at least had the spine text oriented correctly as opposed to the US and European versions. so, someone is paying attention at Universal Australia anyway...
not sure if the other singles from Australia have been corrected - perhaps they even fixed the offset printing on The Only One tray artwork. If anyone is seriously interested in picking up the Australian versions, please contact me at Chris@idealcopy.com
(I'm just now getting a chance to listen to the album - Baby Rag Dog Book is on now...err... It's Over)
cheers!
Well, ideal copy, hope you enjoy! Cheers!
ReplyDelete