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Coronavirus hits physical music supply chain and release schedules

By Paul Sinclair

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116

Bowie’s Space Oddity vinyl picture disc is one of a number of releases affected

Amazon recently announced that it will restrict the kinds of products that it will receive at its distribution centres in the U.S., UK and Europe warehouses until at least 5 April this year.

With increased online shopping due to the coronavirus pandemic and a reduction in staff availability for the same reasons, the retail giant has had to react and prioritise. It will focus on receiving “household staples, medical supplies, or other high demand products” into its warehouses. Specifically, the product categories are baby, health and household, beauty and personal care, grocery, industrial and scientific and pet supplies.

To be clear, all types of products in stock will continue to be sold, but when it comes to receiving new stock – either replenishing inventory of existing items or receiving stock of a brand new product – this won’t be happening with CDs and vinyl (and other non-essential categories) until at least 5 April. Record labels are still able to announce and load new products onto Amazon’s systems with future release dates and we can still pre-order items in the usual way (see yesterday’s Longpigs announcement as a good example of that).

Amazon would normally take delivery of stock around 3-5 days before release date via the record label’s distribution partner, so any new releases from next week onwards are likely to be affected until early April.

Amazon are clearly an important retailer for the industry, thanks to the volumes they sell (which in turn impacts where a new album might enter the charts), so the major labels in particular can’t really shrug their shoulders and ignore it. They are now scrabbling to change release dates in response to this. For example, the 2CD release of Now That’s What I Call Music 5 has been pushed back to 8 May (was 3 April) and the David Bowie Space Oddity vinyl picture disc is now 19 June instead of 17 April.

We are also likely to see more items becoming ‘currently unavailable’ on Amazon, because labels can’t replenish stock. Of course this specific to Amazon but other retailers are affected too, because while they might spy an opportunity to get one over on Amazon, if the labels are changing the release date then that’s not really allowing for that opportunity to exist.

In summary, if Amazon do indeed only implement this as a temporary measure and things return to normal in early April, then it can really be considered something of a blip. But should they feel the need to extend this further deep into April and maybe into May, that’s another story. Of course, it’s not exactly the end of the world if we can’t get some physical music supplied to us for a few weeks or so, but this is clearly of interest to the SDE readership and so SDE will continue to monitor and report on the situation.

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

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116 Comments

116 thoughts on “Coronavirus hits physical music supply chain and release schedules”

  1. I had an order for four CD titles on Amazon UK, two of which were released on March 20th, the other two due this Friday the 27th. Last week, I got a message that they had shipped the two titles that came out on the 20th and I assume the remaining two out this coming Friday will ship. However, when I signed out and then went back there anonymously and checked out a number of new and upcoming releases, most of them said in red text, “This item does not ship to the United States.”

    That seems to be the general current situation. Not sure what will happen to pre-orders I already have due in April. They are still on my account page showing the delivery dates.

    1. If you are in the U.S.A, check out Bull Moose, a highly reliable dealer that can supply British import CD’s. Bull Moose has continued to deliver reliably to me, despite the virus-related closure of their retail stores. However, be cautioned that Bull Moose ships only to U.S.A. customers. Buy more that $30 of discs and you’ll get free shipping.
      The Amazon companies will come to regret their embargo on upcoming releases or selling them to American customers..

  2. I’m in the U.S. and pre-ordered the Iron Butterfly “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” vinyl reissue. First off release date was pushed back months, which is fine. I made the mistake of downloading the AutoRip already. I guess the release has be cancelled because Amazon cancelled my order and billed me $8.99 for the download. I already own original vinyl and CD copies and only ordered for the Vinyl remaster. Lesson learned, I won’t download AutoRips until physical copy has shipped. Now prime shipping on any music has an est. shipping date of April 22. Fine but no option for “No Rush” shipping (which usually gives you a $1 digital credit).

    1. @Larry Walker:

      I’d contact Amazon, explain the situation and ask for a refund. Otherwise, if the record will finally be released in the fall or winter and you’d order it again you’d have paid the price for the AutoRip although Amazons intention was to give it away free with the vinyl.
      I know that the small print in their offer says that they’re entitled to charge you the price for the download if you e.g. send them back the physical copy, but i don’t think that this is how they want to treat their customers in the current situation.
      So far i’ve experienced the various Amazon-branches with whom i have dealt with (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain) as customer-orientated and they always helped me out one way or another when i had complaints.

      Good luck and stay safe.

  3. I am completely confused. I ordered Marillion Script CD deluxe weeks ago from Amazon and when I found out about this change to their stock etc, and the item said ‘currently unavailable’ I contacted chat who really didn’t help me much. I told them I would cancel it because I would order from somewhere else. They gave me £4 credit. I ordered it from Zoom and today it was cancelled because the Warner warehouse where it comes from in France is closed indefinitely. Marillion store is out of stock but it has reappeared on Amazon, so not sure what to do now. I have to have this as I am collecting them. Not sure what to do now. I could order from Fish but a lot more expensive.

    1. If you are worried then order from Fish. I’m sure the other sources will fulfil them in the end, but it depends how desperate you are.

      1. Thanks Paul. I could order from Fish but he is signing them and I didn’t really want it signed. Very minor problem given current situation in the world, I know.

          1. Or just ask fish not to sign it,or touch it, breath on it, that will cheer the big guy up

          2. That’s a kick in the teeth isn’t it….

            Imagine the scene…. Excuse me Pablo, lovely painting an’ all, but would you mind not signing it with yer dirty great “Picasso” ruining it right there in the corner stinking the joint up…..
            My apologies Tracy, each to their own and I can understand why you wouldn’t want it signed….no actually I can’t, but that is my problem not yours. It just made me laugh that’s all. John’s comment didn’t help as I am still chuckling.

  4. My second successful purchase of “The hurting” box set arrived just now from base.com. Came to under £40 and that included special delivery. This is the second time I’ve used base.com with and without special delivery and both times it’s been fine so might be worth a try if you can’t get something from amazon etc.

  5. Barry – how right you are – there’s plenty of indie shops selling online – use them . . and not only that, THEY CARE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOM! Every single customer wrested back from Amazon is a little victory.

    There are some release delays kicking in, but for general stuff, it is pretty much business as usual at the moment . . oh and there’s some price cuts coming (especially vinyl, which has hit the over-supply/weeks worth of grocery shopping for a Harry Belafonte limited pressing bumpers) because (although it is under the guise of international rationalisation) they need to shift stock.

    So go and browse some indies and make the most of the time you have . .

  6. Me and my wife both work for n.h.s my wife a nurse me a cleaning supervisor. Asda announced 1st hour of trade for n.h.s but now in there wisdom they’ve decided that Asda’s should open at 8 am instead of the normal times.my wife starts work at 8 .absolutely stupid

  7. Whilst our bank managers, and other halves, may be glad of the temporary lull in purchasing new sets and other releases I can say that I actually appreciate the “World On Hold” status for a week or two. Not because of why, but I have often said I need a pause button. I have been working my way through those items purchased but not listened through completely, start to finish, no skipping tracks. I am doing well, down to about 500 releases to go. See you all later in the summer, fit and healthy I hope. Stay safe.

  9. Appears that Amazon may have had a re-think. The majority of Upcoming releases I had in my wish list had either been pulled or featured the ‘out of stock’ default yesterday.
    Curiously, they are all back to pre-order today, including the Tesla acoustic CD due for release next Friday.
    Sourcing essentials, such as food, for my family far outweighs ordering music and books in the grander scheme of things right now, but this is a curious turn of events all the same. Maybe the closure of pubs and clubs had something to do with it?
    Stay safe and healthy everyone.

    1. Sourcing essentials,was in Iceland Alexander parade Glasgow yesterday,shelves fully stocked, fridge, freezers,also, including bread not only on shelf’s but also in crates at door, the freshest bread Warburton could throw at you, r.ip big Kenny Rogers.

    2. now the donna summers set won’t ship to the USA
      I am hoping my preorder can still be honored, when they were able to ship the USA

  10. The donna summer box is avaible for pre order again on amazon.co.uk but amazon raised shipping rates by a lot
    For amazon global standard it is now 15.94 quid but when i ordered in January the same type of shipping was only 10.78 quid. An additional 5.16 quid is a major difference for the same shipping speed

    1. Ive had mine pre-ordered from 1st day. On the web page now it says “This item does not ship to the United States”. I hope they honor my original pre-order. There is no notation or postage change on my order.

  13. Not wanting to play the grim reaper hear ok. But this seems to be more sinister than were been led to believe ? My wife to the grandkids to the local park today everything locked out could not touch anything no way . let alone play on it !!!!!!!!!!

  14. Not having any physical shops near me, and anticipating the almost lock-down scenario on London, I pre-ordered a number of items with Amazon. I opted for the free postage option. Amazon have generally been quite good at either delivering things a day or so after the release date with this option.

    Even with this weeks releases, they were giving estimated delivery dates into April!

    I cancelled nearly all the orders and switched them to HMV only yesterday.

    Suffice to say, without faffing around ticking the free postage option, every item that was released today, was delivered today! Well done HMV and the Royal Mail! Every item was at least the same price or lower than Amazon!

  17. Don’t think this down to the current situation but I made a 20 mile round trip to my nearest HMV to buy the black and red vinyl versions of the new Morrissey LP released today. They only stocked the CD version and no vinyl. So much for supporting your local brick and mortar store when they don’t stock new LPs on release date. From various comments on here down the years I believe HMV have a long history of not having new releases in stock on release date.

  18. So weird. CD’s and Vinyl restricted or delayed (CD’s aren’t shipping for next day any more). However, I needed some audio cables and they’re still next day. I guess audio cables are essential items. LOL.

  19. Ironic – at home with more time than ever to enjoy music but cant get my hands on any new stuff. There are bigger issues for sure but ironic none the less..

  20. Got my Hurting and Big Chair box sets today from SDE. Thanks again Paul and Anne glad I ordered through you and not Amazon

    Neil

    Hope all the family are safe and well

  21. Please beware, as I have read and heard on the television news, that the virus transfers to surfaces, especially plastic, glass and metal surfaces very easily. Reportedly, the virus can survive for up to 3 or 4 days on hard surfaces, and several minutes on paper and cardboard. Remember this when handling new records and CDs in plastic shrink wrap (as well as glass and plastic containers from the grocery store). We don’t know how many other people may have touched the same items, and if any one of those persons was unknowingly infected.

  23. Good morning all , We all need to respect this virus and totally distance yourselves to keep you and your loved ones safe . Isn’t it now the best time to attend to all the little tasks you have in your lives and take the day with thankfulness and grace that each day respects. We have all our platforms Spotify Amazon Prime , Sky , Netflix , and tv and radio to keep ourselves in so much enjoyment . If you have an open space , garden , court yard , plant and pot out additional good foods . Turn over your bare patch into something that you will feel accomplished with . Keep your consuming to the very least you will need , not the most . We ourselves are vulnerable and are now distanced for the foreseeable future . So enjoy all your old collections , read your unread books , enjoy the spring air if you have a garden space and sit more and take in the day . May you all be safe in these times , please don’t take risks and look after your loved ones .

    1. Wonderful sentiment, Paul. With this time we have and being new empty nesters, the wife and I are actually going back to our pre-kids mindset with entertainment and deep diving back into all the stuff we have collected for the last 25 years.
      Not a profound revelation, but one little thought we stumbled on as we were scanning the “Music Wall” was that my first cd I bought is now about 36 years old. Getting older is not a bad thing was our conclusion,
      Also enjoying the act of spinning and flipping vinyl together.

      Cheers. Stay safe everyone.

      1. @Neal, That’s me as well….My 1st CD was The Cars debut Album, which I bought in 1984 along with my 1st CD player. I still have both items, and the jewel cases were much more sturdy in the 80’s.
        @Paul Sanders: Good thoughts, I totally agree. Time to turn off the news for a day, pack a picnic, and find a secluded place in the woods. Then lay in some tomato, pepper, and cucumber plants for a summer garden.

        1. @ George Glazener , many thanks George , absolutely nature is beautiful right now and if you are fortunate to find a local slice of quiet solitude you will be inspired . We have an antique picnic wind up record player with stacks of shellac records to listen to. As to your gardening the seed sales are still very strong and everyone can grow with a little soil . Fresh food is more important than any tinned or dead food like pasta for your immunity and that extra exercise is very good for you . Keep well and safe George all the best Paul

      2. Thank you Neal ,the conclusion I see is the mass population want to get back to their normality as quick as possible , and mass consumerism that drives the world . Should we all reflect on the what we have and own and simplify our ways in the future . With all this new time we will have we can appreciate more of what we have around us and enjoy our lives more. Be safe Neal . All the best Paul

  24. Amazon cancelled my pre-order of TFF “The Hurting” deluxe the day it was due to be delivered. I pre-ordered this before it even appeared on this here site! Peeved yes, but bigger stuff going on at the moment so not gonna get upset. What did upset me is amazon still charged me £10:99 for the digital content that they made available to me on the day I placed my order. A lengthy phone call and 2 people later and I was told I’d get a refund. I’m annoyed at amazon for this policy. They shouldn’t make the digital content available until the item is received if they want to start randomly charging me for something I didn’t actually order. I ordered a physical box set that came with a “free” digital copy

    2. I wonder if there’s been a delay or other issue with The Hurting. Amazon said they’re still waiting for mine which is on pre-order but SFTBC which I ordered at the same time has already arrived.
      They’re still advertising SFTBC on the site too.

      1. You’re lucky – my SFTBC, which I ordered as soon as it was announced, is currently due to arrive on Tuesday, apparently, which will be 11 days after the release date. Wonder why others have received it and mine’s still being pushed back.

  25. Been in touch with amazon .my marillion script for jester deluxe pre order . Is still going ahead no delay ? . Maybe they have some stock already . don t no ? Heres hoping !!

  26. Well, I just got charged for my pre-order of the Def Leppard box, so I’m assuming that’s headed my way. I’m thinking that as far as pre-orders go, if you got a ship by date, that likely means that is allotted to existing stock and will be able to ship it out.

    Thanks again for all you do, Paul. I hope you and your loved ones are well.

  27. No toilet paper? No Bowie? “As The World Falls Down,” indeed!

    Seriously, stay healthy and safe, everybody. Music can wait. Our safety cannot.

  28. Well, Amazon is making the right decision for now, it is difficult to even get things you need for survival. In my corner of the world we are in semi lock down, all but essential businesses are closed and it is looking like that could last a few months. Going shopping it is often difficult to find things you really need, due to panic buyers, even sanitizing wipes are a new kind of status symbol. And Amazon does not even have that available for deliver or if it does all of the delivery times are taken up. In the end, we must stay alive and then… we can enjoy these future records later. I have enough to keep me busy for now. I knew this was coming when I saw the new Prince Box set was “currently unavailable” but in all reality there are bigger problems. In all truthfulness, I am actually more concerned that this site will not do updates and I will not have anything fun to read here.

  29. 2 weeks ago Neil Young announced a 2020 Archives release program .It had 5 titles and release dates beginning with Homegrown on 17 April and including the fabled Archives Volume 2 on 24 July.Yesterday he announced he is postponing physical release of these until after pandemic but still putting them on his subscription Archives site on the scheduled dates.
    I was thinking yesterday that releases particularly of new music might nearly ground to a halt as artists will be unable to promote them either by touring or personal appearances.Not to mention that the whole supply and delivery chain might come to a halt when the pandemic reaches it’s peak.
    Stay safe everyone.

  30. The big worry here is that things will never get “back to normal”. For example, the industry has been busy ushering CD’s out, and as sales drop the incentive for Amazon to stock them diminishes. If the crisis further dries up CD purchases, then why would they ever bring them back? I’d imagine they’d clear the stock they have, and never bother stepping in to refill after the crisis. This is especially true now they have their own streaming service they’d rather push us too.

    I’m not concerned about a lean period in terms of having music to listen to – I have thousands of CD’s already. I do think this is going to bring about permanent change though.

  31. There must be enough unlistened-to music in my collection to last me several decades, so the delays and uncertainty does not trouble me personally on that score, but I am very concerned about B&M record shops, the small stores, the collectors stores, the places that were already struggling to keep afloat before this. The future of physical retail could be permanently altered by this. Perhaps it was only ever going to end up going in this direction anyway.

    EG.

    1. I have to say, I’m humbled. I have nearly 9700 CDs and I just crossed over the “it would take a year to listen to them all” threshold, and I don’t have more than a thousand records or so. But I have listened to everything in the collection at least a couple of times. So to have several decades’ worth of things you haven’t even listened to yet is *very* impressive. Good luck!

      1. It’s mainly because I can only listen to a small amount of music a day, and I buy/collect way more than I can actually play. Usually 1 CD a day, so I figured that even just a few hundred unplayed CDs would last me……..um, a long time!

        EG.

  32. I agree that as part of the music community we should be trying to support local music stores now more than ever. Buying from their online stores or purchasing gift cards if they offer these facilities are ways to try and help them (I know Music Millennium in Portland, Oregon were advertising both these options).

    The SDE price widgit has become a very useful tool in my purchasing decisions. Sometimes I do pull the plug and shop at Amazon when there is an irresistible price deal but more often than not go to the artists website to make my purchase after being led there by this site. SDE offers us a great platform to help support physical music product and our local music scene. We as a community can utilize the “comments” section on this website and highlight great products, prices and services offered by our local music stores and try to help keep them in business.

      1. That is true – it is a risky option. I think I’d like to make a small investment as my local is a key part of my cities community. I’ve seen and met acts such as Ride, Billy Bragg, Sebadoh, Josh Ritter and The Motels all for free and have such great memories of browsing and purchasing cds/vinyl at Music Millennium. To put it simply – I need this store in my life and want to give them my support and the gift card option is one way I can do that. There are other ways to show your local some love if you see fit – down to the individuals choice.

  33. Got my Simple Minds “Street Fighting Years” boxset this morning so I intend giving that a good blast in the coming week(s). As for going into older albums, I’ve found myself playing U2’s “Songs of experience” album for a few days now. An album I initially didn’t give too much time to but it’s a grower , 5-6 really really good songs on it. I plan to give my Miles Davis “Bitches Brew” boxset a long over due play and the “Django Unchained” soundtrack too.

    Anyway everyone, stay safe, wash your hands & look out for those who you know who may need help.

  35. Dealing with a health pandemic is far more important than new releases being received and delivered on time. I can’t see the Amazon issue lasting too long once the panic buying is over and things settle down, unlike the COVID-19 pandemic.

      1. “The greatest counter to the panic is to not panic. Respect the virus, take necessary precautions, then stop. Stop consuming media pieces about it, stop panicking, stop letting it rule your thoughts, stop talking about it with everyone…

        They want you to be afraid. Don’t let them. This is not the first crisis and will not be the last.

        We look death in the eye every day. So let’s be grateful for the brief but magnificent opportunities that life provides. The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

        1. Fantastic Graeme,,, they want you to be afraid, don’t let them., I think that from now till the end of this scare you should post a few words of wisdom every day,cheer every body up,

  36. I have no problem at all with waiting for stuff. It would however be useful to have accurate default messages on Amazon. I have both The Primitives 5 x cd box set and The Distractions 2 x CD on pre-order supposedly released tomorrow and still saying so on their Amazon listings. I don’t expect they proably will be but I can obviously wait. However, the Amazon exclusive of the Heaven 17 ‘Another Big Idea’ 9 cd set also due for release tomorrow is curently showing as ‘currently unavailable and we don’t know if we’ll get this back in’ on Amazon UK (though my pre-order is still saying release date is tomorrow and I’ve not had an email to say otherewise). Meanwhile there’s copies for sale on eBay at around E140 from Germany (the signed ones I mean). I am assuming the unavailbility notice is not because Amazon UK have had a sudden run on them at the last minute and is to do with their prioritisation policy. Ok, but could they not write a short default message to that effect? Unless they really have cancelled it? Good game innit!

    1. I think where there is uncertainty, with perhaps Amazon waiting for new release dates ‘currently unavailable’ is the generic ‘go to’ status for Amazon.

      1. Now looks like all three of my pre-release orders are shipping tomorrow (release day) anyway. I guess the delays must be on anything ordered as of today (19th) rather than older pre-orders

  37. Working within the NHS here in the UK, things like this while clearly important to us music fans, really isn’t the end of the world. At the minute I’m seeing/hearing what that’s actually like. To all in the SDE community, be safe, be sensible, and PLEASE listen to the advice being given. Music stands the test of time and I want everyone out there to do the same.

    1. I work for the NHS and I still like my music coming in.great to escape what’s going on…..another crisis what nobody ever talks about is 1.25 million died in road accidents last year and 260 thousand so far this year.now that is a real killer

  38. Frankly delays are no big deal. With an economic crisis and lay-offs looming, the music industry will be hit severely. At least when it comes to physical products and live music. I guess streaming sites may even come stronger as people in self isolation or locked at home may rather subscribe to Spotify (or another streaming service) than buy a cd or lp. More and more people fear for their jobs so they save money for the future.

    The only good thing coming from this crisis could be for live music. Tickets prices for concerts, gigs and music festivals will probably go down in the future.

    1. Yes I totally agree to get on to YouTube or Spotify as that is advert free for 30 minutes don’t knock streaming it will be a lifeline for some people and also like others who have said on here go dig out those physical albums that have sat there unplayed that definitely need dusting down placed on the hi-fi to be rediscovered and enjoyed.

  39. My old local record shop (I relocated out of the area) rarely carried SDE-type selections. They had extensive vinyl as well as CD’s, DVD/BluRay and such. But to find even the most popular boxes was difficult. No White Album box, no Immersion boxes. And this was a HUGE regional record store group. Having the availability of sourcing this material online from anyone fills a gap in the marketplace. Many smaller mom&pop stores cannot afford to stock many SDE’s because that ties up a lot of capital in a single product offering.

  40. I’ve got enough music to sink the titanic at the moment. I used to be a DJ in my spare time too. I’m also partial to a bit of classical music. Overlooked by a lot of people.

  41. I would only order something like a CD if it was going to be delivered along with essential supplies anyway at this time. I would feel a bit guilty making an already stressed and over worked delivery driver come to my house just to deliver a CD.

  42. I received an mail from Amazon today that the release of the Marilli0n – Script for a Jester’s Tear (Deluxe Edition) has been postponed but no new date has been provided.

    2. Amazon was B.S.ing you. I got an e-mail from Marillion’s online store today saying that the “Script For A Jester’s Tear” set has been shipped. It was indeed released.
      If Amazon’s new policy ends up going on indefinitely, We’ll have to look elsewhere. Perhaps SDE will have to forge deals & links with other online dealers.
      My elderly nother (now 94) has an expression and it is quite appropriate here. It is “You can do what you want to do, and I’ll do what I want to do”. Amazon.co.uk was already having difficulty supplying some CD boxed sets, even before they made this new policy official. Luckily, they finally sent the “Cream-Goodbye Tour” box one day before they started this new policy. For Amazon’s competitors (who have long complained that they couldn’t compete against Amazon’s product pricing and/or shipping charges), this situation is a golden opportunity to add some new customers. For merchants who specialise in selling CD’s, DVD’s, Records & Blu-ray discs, they have a powerful incentive to give prompt service. It’s their only business.
      I feel bad for SDE, which gets a small “cut” from sales from its Amazon links, but, as I said, SDE can forge links & deals with other online dealers.

      1. Phil, you need to get your facts right. The release date for Marillion is 3rd April (see JPC > https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/marillion-script-for-a-jester-s-tear/hnum/9669031). The reason Amazon sent that email is because of the issues outlined in this post – they won’t be able to get this release to customers on that date because they are not accepting deliveries of CDs or vinyl until at least 5th April. It’s not ‘BS’!

        1. Has anyone told Fish that his former bandmates have a two week headstart by releasing Script early? Obviously not, as I have not had an email from Fish’s online store saying that it was being shipped out, as the release date is still supposed to be 3rd April.

          As for requests to list other online music stores on SDE, there is nothing stopping anyone from checking out other online stores or your local record store other than laziness.

          Keep safe, wash your hands and always clean your vinyl before use.

          1. I believe Fish already has some if not all of his stock – which would make sense as he’s signing them and was supposed to be on tour until the release date. I understand some were on sale on the merchandise stall in the first date of the now postponed tour. I think Fish has said he was going to ask whether he could ship ahead of the official release date.

          2. Maybe it is wise with respect to new releases that are already in stock, to ship the product out and let people enjoy it before the world comes to an end. And why should Fish care if Marillion’s site ships out the product early? Fish gets artist and song publishing royalties from the product. Also, for a few weeks recently, Fish’s online store was shut down for unknown technical reasons, severely reducing the amount of pre-orders that Fish’s “Store” could accept. By the way, Fish has indicated that after he releases his next studio album, that he will retire.
            Mariilon’s online store ships from a regional UK post office. The products take much longer to arrive in the U.S.A. (versus shipments from major cities such as London). By the time that the “Script For a Jester’s Tear” set arrives here in Florida, it will be after the release dates.
            Wait a minute: I just realised that all this forum participation, and feeling upset about record company shenanigans, product shortages, Amazon’s policies, cancelled releases, abandoned boxed set projects etc. is taking up much time that would be better spent listening to my vast collection that I built up between August 1966 and March 2020. Much of the stuff that I’ve experienced recently (to obtain “Physical Product”) is taking the joy out of being a music collector. I’ll play out my remaining committments with online dealers (3 items pre-ordered with a U.S.A. online disc dealer), then that’s it. Now I’m off to listen to some music. And I’ll probably fall asleep while playing it.

        3. Paul,

          I believe Phil was saying that the news that the Marillion release has been delayed is BS. I too have received an email from Racket Records (Marillion’s web store) to tell me my copy has been shipped.

          1. I understand but the release date is 3 April, so Amazon are right to say there will be delays.

      2. Script is out of stock on Amazon so I’m assuming mine that says it will be dispatched on the 3rd April won’t be arriving just yet. Not sure how yours is already dispatched before the release date.

        1. Sometimes artists stores might despatch a bit earlier than major retailers as an incentive to order with them. Not often, to be honest, but it does happen.

    1. Ha…sometimes I think we get a kick out of finding bargain alerts on this website and the fancy look/contents of a box purchased/lusted after rather than any subsequent, proper ‘consumption’ of it.

  46. Hi Paul. Maybe this Corona crisis is a good time to rethink your commercial connection to Amazon. Amazon is a tech company, not a record store. It doesn’t don’t care about records, it only cares about whatever it can sell right now. And right now ‘old school’ record stores are stocking up on new releases, sending out new releases via their websites and trying to keep their heads above water while their shops are closed. You should support them instead of Amazon. This company will be the big winner of the Corona crisis, no matter what. The question is: do we really need Amazon to become bigger than it is right now? So much money and power with one company, is that healthy? Amazon doesn’t care about its workers, even though it really needs them right now. Paul, you should work directly with the record companies and keep the music going. That’s what we need right now. Support physical media and support your local record store, stuff like that. We’ll use Amazon to buy toilet paper, ok?

    1. Let me just explain where I stand on this… I do work directly with the record companies (e.g. just sold 650 Tears For Fears box sets via the SDE shop), I do support independent retailers that want to work with SDE (JPC, Rough Trade, Townsend, etc.) and obviously Amazon are there too. I love record shops just like everyone else, but SDE is a global online community, 60% of visitors are outside the UK. Fans want to know about releases and also where they might buy them. If you have a great local record shop down the road then chances are you probably support that quite a bit already, but “Bob’s record shack” or whatever your local shop may be called will probably mean nothing to a large proportion of SDE visitors, they may not even have a website, and if they do they might not ship overseas. So it goes without saying that people can and should support their local record shop (if they have one) but SDE can’t list every-local-record-shop-in-the world at the end of each article, and for SDE to work with a large global audience it is always going to be the slightly bigger players, who have global reach and a brand that people recognise and trust – and where people can shop easily online – that works. I’m not going to tell people where they should and shouldn’t shop. I would guess that most people are like me. Do a fair amount of shopping online (including artists stores, which SDE lists), but also support local establishments semi-regularly too.

      1. Your statement is true, Paul.

        For me, there is only one small record shop in town, and almost all of their inventory is old used records (most in poor condition). I have placed new record and CD orders with the local record store, but they’re never certain if they can get the item(s) I want, which makes me anxious, especially for limited edition box sets and colored vinyl LPs.

        Since it would be a 2 hour drive for me to get to a more substantial record shop, I’ve been buying 90% of my physical music from Amazon. I really appreciative the SDE website Amazon links for upcoming releases.

    2. “Maybe this Corona crisis is a good time to rethink your commercial connection to Amazon”

      Translation: Maybe this Corona crisis is a good time to screw up your business model.

  47. 4 of the record shops in Dublin have had to shut their doors since yesterday.
    Tower Records, Freebird Records, Spindizzy Records and the RAGE Record Shop.

    I am very concerned for the staff of these shops, many of whom, (especially the first 2 I mentioned,) I know well and have often had good chats about music and life in general with.
    I can only hope that the shops and the staff , will return in the future after this current crisis ends, hopefully sooner than later, but I have my doubts.

    I will miss the physical act of getting the bus into town to my favourite record shops and paying my cash across the counter after a good chat about what I was buying or not buying!!

    I would encourage people to try to support their local record shop through online sales with them if possible, now more than ever, they need us as much as we needed them.

    1. @colm47 I passed Tower Records this morning hoping to go in for a browse. Dublin City in general was like a ghost town. It’s hard to beat a physical record store alright for the community spirit, the pleasure of browsing and the spontaneous surprise of hearing something being played and asking “wow – who’s that?” and buying the album on the spot! I remember walking into Freebird many years ago and hearing Steely Dan Gaucho for the first time and buying it. Similarly Boston More than a feeling up in the Dandelion Market. (God I’m showing my age).
      It’ll be a pleasant surprise if the stores you mentioned can survive this crisis.

      3. Hi Roger

        I always try to get into Tower on Fridays for the new releases. Tomorrow will not be the same.

        I bought U23 12 inch in Advance Records ( long gone) near the Dandelion ( long gone) aged 13.
        That’s showing my age!!

        Keep well everyone.

  48. This can only be good news for other on-line music retailers and ESPECIALLY independant music stores.

    Realistically it`s going to be at least six months before normal service can be resumed, if that.

    Maybe I can catch up on stuff I`ve had for months and I am yet to listen to.

    Interesting that `beauty` products are considered vital.

    Best wishes to you Paul and all SDE visitors, may all of you, your families and friends come through these difficult times smiling, Richie.

  49. When we return to our normal lives and shops are open again, we all should visit our lokal record shop and buy new records there. I am afraid when all this is over some record shops (and other small retailers) will not have survived this.

  50. Hi there, I wasn’t sure where to post this message.
    Its a reach out to all the great music lovers who read SDE, share their thoughts, critiques and wishes for more super deluxe editions. I love this site and reading it all.
    Reason for this message is to share my love for music in all genres, formats etc.
    In these times of Covid-19 where we must self isolate its great to know we all have fantastic music collections that we can listen to and cherish.
    We used to call these Desert Island Discs, now its Covid-19 Self Isolation Discs!
    I just wanted to share with you my favourite Top 25 Deluxe Editions that I am listening to this week while I work from home.
    These are not necessarily in any order.
    These are my views only but I’m putting this out there to generate some feedback, critique, discussion and maybe others want to share their Top 25’s also. Lets have some fun !
    Stay safe, stay connected and enjoy your music my SDE friends!
    1. The Beatles – The Beatles & Esher Demos (White Album) deluxe
    2. Deep Purple – Made In Japan 9 LP
    3. Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
    4. David Bowie – Station To Station (the Big Box)
    5. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (Immersion)
    6. Keith Richards – Talk Is Cheap
    7. Rolling Stones – Some Girls
    8. U2 – Achtung Baby (Uber Deluxe)
    9. REM – Automatic For The People
    10. Pink Floyd – The Later Years
    11. John Lennon – Imagine
    12. Wings – Wings Over America (Archive Box)
    13. The Beatles – Abbey Road
    14. The Beatles – Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
    15. Queen – News Of The Word (40th)
    16. Roxy Music -Roxy Music
    17. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon (Immersion)
    18. Bob Dylan – 1965-66 – The Best Of The Cutting Edge -Bootleg Series Vol 12
    19. Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street
    20. Eric Clapton – Derek & The Dominoes – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
    21. Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
    22. Bob Marley – Exodus (40th)
    23. Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
    24. Supertramp – Breakfast In America
    25. Garbage – Version 2.0

    Cheers !

  52. Not wishing to preach but now might be a good time to look to independent record shops etc. – you can see from social media that many are closed and reliant on mail distribution only.

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