Ron S

And was SUPPOSED to be our little secret.

Not to get too technical, MG, but you're confusing profit with revenue. Lots of nonprofits (e.g., arts organizations like theatres, museums, and symphony orchestras, and educational institutions like universities) don't, by definition, make any "profit" per se (i.e., no income for any owners or investors), but they bring in enough revenue to pay others (officers/employees, guest and resident artists, vendors such as you described, etc.) quite handsomely. Of course, as nonprofits, they also benefit from being able to accept tax-deductible donations (at least in the US). True - those types of companies don't have huge R&D bills, however. Also they're all government-supported, which puts them rather into the same category as Melodiya and Syliphone. Big R&D bills (in this industry, lots of failures) require investment capital and that can only be generated by profits or subsidies. MG They're not government-supported in the way I think you're meaning, at least here in the US. They may get SOME government funding in the form of grants, but those tend to account for a very small portion of these organizations' revenues. And in terms of R&D bills (I assume you mean research and development?), I'm not quite sure what you mean in the context of a record company--maybe marketing costs (not really R&D)? In any event, there are many nationally and internationally known nonprofits that spend quite large amounts on marketing and bring in substantial revenues, without the need for investors who demand payment of profits.

Not to get too technical, MG, but you're confusing profit with revenue. Lots of nonprofits (e.g., arts organizations like theatres, museums, and symphony orchestras, and educational institutions like universities) don't, by definition, make any "profit" per se (i.e., no income for any owners or investors), but they bring in enough revenue to pay others (officers/employees, guest and resident artists, vendors such as you described, etc.) quite handsomely. Of course, as nonprofits, they also benefit from being able to accept tax-deductible donations (at least in the US).

Me too . . . maybe.

Thanks for doing that. I had no idea that I could copy/paste a page of HTML directly into a reply, and it would automatically be converted. That's the SECOND thing I've learned from this thread (also learned how to edit my own thread title, thanks to Hans). Now, if I can just learn how to resist this sale.

The link doesn't work on my PC, I get the "page not available" error message. Maybe this link will work. I edited my original post with a newly copy/pasted link--it seems to work now. Maybe they modified the address after I initially posted it (it was working for me when I first posted it, but then no longer worked ).

Click on "edit" and, when you're on the "edit" page, click on "use full editor" - the thread title bar will appear. Done. Thanks, Hans!

http://www.mosaicrecords.com/MarchPromo.txt

Well THAT sure would have been nice to know.

Obi-Wan KeWeizen.

Rolf, how do you keep the Obi's on the outside without them always falling off? I just flatten 'em out and keep 'em inside with the booklet.

Fill us unknowing types in on the background! I'm not sure it's funny to anyone other than Ron and myself! I'm sure. It isn't. Several years ago, that CD was sent to me by mistake all the way from Germany in an order from Zweitausendeins, and they told me to go ahead and keep it. I Googled the guy, and found out that he's apparently referred to as "the German Bob Dylan," a fact that both Erik and I found to be quite amusing. I've actually never opened it, but that hasn't stopped it from being an endless source of entertainment for Erik and me. Now, aren't you sorry you asked?

What can I get for an unopened Wolf Biermann CD? (That joke never gets old, does it? )

Newbury also currently has Bill Evans' 8-disc "Consecration" box set for $49.99: http://www.amazon.co...8&condition=new

Gotta love that outfit! Why do I want to pay Amazon $16 for a new copy of the Sonny Clark Quartets when I can get a used one from MM for $53? Espescially when MM also has it brand-new for $13.83. I'll bet that the $53.17 price for a "used--like new" copy is a glitch in their pricing software. It's 1 cent below the highest-price "used--like new," and generally they (and several of the others) try to be the cheapest by 1 cent. I also think that MM doesn't really sell used, but merely lists as "used--like new" (notice that they're always "sealed") to pick up customers who only look at used to find the cheapest copy. You guys should realize by now that these companies are basically storefronts dealing in hundreds of thousands of titles from a host of suppliers, and managing it all through automated systems. It ain't like there's some guy sitting there personally examining each CD and setting the price. If you accept them for what they are and grab good deals when you can, while understanding that there will be occasional glitches, you'll generally be satisfied. But if you're expecting the personalized customer service and attention to detail of a Mosaic or a Hiroshi Tanno, for example, you'll be sorely disappointed.

I think that's one of the secrets of dealing with these high-volume sellers (MovieMars, importcds, etc.): stick with in-print items (including imports), and you should have pretty good luck. I learned that lesson with Caiman way back when, and usually had good luck with them, also. For brand-new, still-sealed OOP stuff, I've always had better luck with smaller-volume sellers (i.e., number of reviews in the tens/hundreds/low thousands, and not tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands). Of course, there's always the "used--like new" and "used--very good" listings, if you're willing to take a chance (I've had some decent luck with those, lately). And it goes without saying that you should stick with sellers with predominantly positive reviews.

Two new Selects? Anyone know what they'll be?

Maybe because you usually order by phone and not on-line, and aren't on their email list? I got one too, and I'm certainly not an insider.

My guess is the one that says exactly what you just said... I'll have to wade thru them and find that one. I'd offer to help you, but my ears are still KILLING me!

In my experience, they're pretty good about responding to emails--although it may take a day or two. If you don't hear back by tomorrow, I'd suggest sending them another email. Bottom line: none of these guys are perfect.

THAT'S why I wanted you to read the comments. And I deleted my other post.

I think you and I were posting at the same time--it just took me a few minutes to get the formatting correct in my quotation box. Maybe the two threads can be merged. I PMed the moderators about it. By the way, Hans--you forgot to mention the news about the Bix/Trumbauer/Teagarden set. That wasn't the topic of my thread You're such a thread purist.

I think you and I were posting at the same time--it just took me a few minutes to get the formatting correct in my quotation box. Maybe the two threads can be merged. I PMed the moderators about it. By the way, Hans--you forgot to mention the news about the Bix/Trumbauer/Teagarden set.

I think you and I were posting at the same time--it just took me a few minutes to get the formatting correct in my quotation box.

Just got an unusual Sunday email notification from Mosaic. Also in the email: