Tape Project Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: docb on April 04, 2013, 01:01:12 PM

Title: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 04, 2013, 01:01:12 PM
Although it seems to be very quiet regarding the Tape Project, we have actually been very busy. Several issues have come about over the past year that indicated we needed to grow to keep up with what we have taken on with this label. We three principals have been conferencing often and making quite a few changes in the past couple of months.

One change is that we have moved our duplicating setup to a new facility. The equipment was moved at the end of last month and is now in the process of being set up, with the plan to have production back up in the next couple of weeks. We will start by completing the subscriber orders for Willy and the Poor Boys. Then we will do another catch up run of earlier titles and then on to The Sidewinder.

We are also working to move our packaging, shipping and customer service to a new facility, as we are running out of room at Bottleheadquarters. Once we are able to find a suitable location we should be able to improve delivery time of albums by a large margin.

We have quite a few other interesting things cooking, that I will share as things develop a little further.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: ironbut on April 04, 2013, 02:59:15 PM
Thanks for the update!
I noticed you mentioned a "new duplicating set up" in an earlier post but resisted asking for details.
Figured you'd fill us in when you could.

As always, anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: High and Outside on April 04, 2013, 11:34:24 PM
I hasten to add that the duping facility is still in-house, and we still have complete control over the quality of our product. We just moved it to a different address for efficiency reasons.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: xcortes on April 05, 2013, 07:04:32 AM
We wouldn't expect (accept?) something else would we?. Seriously guys, keep up with the good job!
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: TomR on April 09, 2013, 04:53:53 PM
This is welcome news.

I will be inputting a change of address soon.....I wonder if Willie and the Poor Boys will ship first?
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: astrotoy on April 09, 2013, 10:24:07 PM
I got Flirting with Twilight, then Willie ...   Larry
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: TomR on April 10, 2013, 09:30:04 AM
I haven't seen Willie and the Poorboys yet....moving from Menlo Park to Burlingame in a few weeks.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 10, 2013, 11:55:49 AM
Willy and the Poor Boys is in mid-production, and more should be shipping soon.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: High and Outside on April 11, 2013, 06:33:31 PM
The Tapeshed  is up and running at the new location, and the first thing we're doing is finishing up Willy And The Poor Boys. I believe all the flanges and packaging are ready, so the shipping gnomes should be sending them out as soon as we can get the dupes up to them.

Then, much like The Dude, you will all have some nice Creedence tapes.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: xcortes on April 20, 2013, 06:43:33 PM
Got a shipment notice!
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: astrotoy on April 20, 2013, 06:46:26 PM
Got an email today from Eileen saying that the corrected TP-022 "Willie" Side A's are ready and to send back the one's we received. TP is paying for all the shipping.   Larry
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 21, 2013, 10:53:00 AM
Eileen and I put in a long day yesterday getting a good sized batch of TP-022 albums packaged and queued up to ship Monday, one stack of which is pictured below. And yes, just the A reel of the first few TP-022s that went out a few weeks ago were shipped by accident - they were duped from a different running master than had been intended. The owners have been contacted and all of those are being replaced upon their return.

We have just one more batch of TP-022 albums to package and ship, and then we will be moving right into shipping TP-023, Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder. Meanwhile the duping room will be working on duping some "catch up" orders for earlier releases.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: ironbut on April 22, 2013, 12:00:35 AM
Mmm,..
Can't wait to get my hands on "The Sidewinder"!
Not that "Willie,.." isn't fantastic but after hearing a bit of the Lee Morgan at Rocky Mountain, I've dying to get it on my machine!
Okay, maybe the Oliver Nelson is close. Or "Work Song". Or maybe I'm more anxious to hear the whole Nat Cole,..
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 23, 2013, 10:18:16 AM
Two big stacks of TP-022 went out yesterday and we got another stack of TP-022 assembled and packaged yesterday afternoon. We need just a few more tapes from the Tapeshed and we should be all caught up and ready to roll into TP-023.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 23, 2013, 05:59:58 PM
That next stack of TP-022s is ready to be picked up by the UPS and USPS trucks. While we await the last few TP-022 tapes from the Tapeshed we are catching up on several more recent orders for TP-021, Kurt Elling's Flirting With Twilight. Should be a nice stack of those going out Thursday.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: johnsonad on April 23, 2013, 06:13:18 PM
I've got around 16 tapes in there somewhere!  Don't forget about us new guys ;)
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 23, 2013, 07:15:39 PM
That's exactly what we address by doing this catch up work between runs. As soon as the next batch of catch up tapes shows up from the Tapeshed the flange monkeys will be on the case.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on April 26, 2013, 04:00:11 PM
The catch-up TP-021s have been packed and Eileen will be contacting the folks who ordered them about payment. Today we are working on doing the engraving, packaging etc., for a small number of various earlier titles of which both reels were in inventory here at the packing shed. When those are complete they will ship, probably early next week. This will help clear the shelves while we await delivery of the next catch up duping run from the Tapeshed.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on May 06, 2013, 05:45:52 PM
The lastest set of TP-022s is in the process of being put together. Our CNC engraving mill that has done yeoman service over the past five years finally started to groan and complain a bit, requiring a pretty thorough CLA. Fingers crossed I have the last of the dry grease out of the old girl and she will be back in action this week, engraving your serial number.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on May 10, 2013, 02:00:29 PM
After a bit of cleaning and tweaking I have the engraver running again. Today we are getting some ketchup albums packaged, and it's looking like Monday we should be working on the last of the current orders for Willy and the Poor Boys. From there we should be able to roll into TP-023, The Sidewinder.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: ironbut on May 11, 2013, 11:54:45 AM
Thanks for the updates!
They are much appreciated.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on May 15, 2013, 10:30:31 AM
Today we should begin packaging the last of the current TP-022 orders. We should be able to start packaging TP-023 just as soon as the cover art arrives.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: docb on June 13, 2013, 02:33:08 PM
Just a bit of an update - my daughter Kate has taken over packing and shipping of tapes for the summer before she heads off to her junior year of college in the fall (yes, an 18 year old college junior). She has been cranking out albums by the dozens the past couple of months and she is currently about halfway through shipping TP-023.

In the meantime Paul is training some new dupers and we will be shipping some "catch up" orders for earlier titles when those folks are trained and up to speed on production.
Title: Re: Current state of affairs
Post by: c1ferrari on July 05, 2013, 02:17:33 PM

In the meantime Paul is training some new dupers and we will be shipping some "catch up" orders for earlier titles when those folks are trained and up to speed on production.

D*mn -- I would've loved to be trained by Paul...alas, so far away :-(