Opinions on MefiSwap (music)?

April 11, 2006 3:42 PM

Voice your opinion on the future of the MeFiSwap. Or at least the MeFiSwap as I've got a hand in it. If you've been a part in the past, if you want to be a part in the future, if you've just got a thought you want to share, here's an opportunity.
posted by Dreama to MetaFilter-Related at 3:42 PM (41 comments total)

I was a part of the last MeFi Swap, the one that ciphermonkey (I think) ran, and it was fabulous. I really enjoyed the experience, got some incredible music out of it, and can't wait for the next one.

Dreama, do you have any specific things you want us to comment on?
posted by arcticwoman at 3:57 PM on April 11, 2006

The December swap (run by cmonkey, right?) was great. I'm all for that again.
posted by mullacc at 4:15 PM on April 11, 2006

I was part of the #mefi swap, years ago, and was pretty disappointed that several of the participants got but never gave. Don't know how to combat that.
posted by crunchland at 4:21 PM on April 11, 2006

Re: #mefiswap: Yeah, I never sent anything. I'm lazy!
posted by cellphone at 4:29 PM on April 11, 2006

From what I can tell the link is supposed to go to a survey, so the post isn't necessarily an invitation to comment on MeFiSwaps in general, but more likely how to improve this MeFiSwap website. But you have to be registered to see the survey, and registration doesn't appear to be instamatic. So I guess y'all can just go ahead and wax nostalgic.
posted by team lowkey at 4:47 PM on April 11, 2006

Link is broken now, it seems.

Anyhow, my comment: I sent out my CD's (this past swap cycle) about a week past the deadline. A few weeks later, I got a single CD. The rest never came. No contact from those individuals. I'm not gonna do one again unless there's some sort of incentive to play by the rules.
posted by rxrfrx at 4:58 PM on April 11, 2006

Oops. Thanks team lowkey.
posted by arcticwoman at 5:07 PM on April 11, 2006

Oh crud, it should be public. Let me fix that. Thanks for that heads up, team lowkey.
posted by Dreama at 5:07 PM on April 11, 2006

so it's about going virtual, which is perfectly sensible and somehow a little bit sad - the one time I did mefiswap, one of the things I liked best was getting packages in the mail, and getting individually designed covers/etc, and just in general the whole feel of a 'finished piece' that went with actually sending physical CDs.

I got all of my CDs (and sent all of them, too).
posted by mdn at 5:24 PM on April 11, 2006

I got 2 cds back from the last one. Mine was late but it got there and I spent a bit of time on the gifts.

I'd prefer to have two groups to choose sets from, mefiswap gold-class, and mefiswap alluminium-class, until people prove themselves.
posted by holloway at 5:24 PM on April 11, 2006

#mefiswap, password: eyebrows.
posted by holloway at 5:25 PM on April 11, 2006

survey's working now.

I've always had pretty good results swapping with Mefites. sometimes (like the last swap hosted by ciphermonkey) the return isn't all that great, but the real fun folks is putting together a kick-ass mix and sending it out into the wide world. many times, I've had five or ten discs of new music (mostly) to listen to and enjoy, and a heap of warm love from everyone in the swapset.

I'd be down for the digital age in MefiSwap, but I think it would be important to standardize the process somehow. I'm not sure what I mean by that, but that's mostly because I'm not sure how I'd go about compiling and sending out a digital mix.

Also, if there's any way to continue the CD swap let's have that too.
posted by carsonb at 5:31 PM on April 11, 2006

I like the packaging, the covers, the mix names, and so on. I like getting packages from overseas.

I can download music virtually anywhere.
posted by holloway at 5:34 PM on April 11, 2006

I wouldn't participate in a digital swap. I got a lot of good CDs in past swaps.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:53 PM on April 11, 2006

What about escrow? It's crazy, but it would be a guarantee. Everybody mails their mixes to a central clearing house person (Dreama or whomever), who then mails them out to other folks who also got theirs in by the (firm) deadline.

Tradeoffs aplenty, but it does solve the fink problem.
posted by cortex at 6:13 PM on April 11, 2006

Whatever means of distribution are used, I think the non-sharer problem needs to be addressed first.
posted by Blue Stone at 6:40 PM on April 11, 2006

Just an idea, but how about coordinating with cmonkey to figure out which participants followed-through on the last swap? Only allow those people in the new swap. Allow new people to join, but limit the number so that, say, only 1 new member is included in each set of 5 swappers.

This, of course, presumes that participation in the last swap is predictive of future participation.
posted by mullacc at 7:10 PM on April 11, 2006

This, of course, presumes that participation in the last swap is predictive of future participation.

By "participation," I mean both signing-up and sending out your CDs.

Also, perhaps new participants could send buy their way in for $20. If they fail to send their CDs, the $20 is split between the other members of their swapset. If they follow-through, they get their $20 back.
posted by mullacc at 7:16 PM on April 11, 2006

I got 3 of the 5 CDs last go 'round. I liked the three, probably would have liked the other two. All of them had things I hadn't heard before, and I'd be willing to do it again. Though carry-through should be emphasized a bit more, maybe.
posted by Tuwa at 7:54 PM on April 11, 2006

Sadly Metafilter is too big and there are too many of us who will always flake out to make these swaps do-able and fair. I would have been very happy if I got 80% of what I sent out back in the various swaps I participated in. In the end that is why I stopped.

The only way you would get a high success rate is with the threat of a weeks ban from Metafilter itself for those that don't mail out their discs. And I don't think that would ever happen.
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 8:05 PM on April 11, 2006

Eh, by "I can download music virtually anywhere" I mean that it's so easy why would mefiswap do it? Mefiswap should be mail-outs.
posted by holloway at 8:29 PM on April 11, 2006

In the December swap I got three CDs back. One of them is so good that I still listen to it regularly and I have bought a few CDs based on liking their song so much from the swap disk. Even though I only had a 3/5 return rate, I consider the awesome music I got to be well worth the sacrifice.

After reading the comments from other folks I would like to say that I agree with those who say a physical swap is way better than a digital one. I would still participate, but I would not enjoy it so much. It's like how I enjoy getting emails from my grandma, but I much prefer getting an old-fashioned letter from her.
posted by arcticwoman at 9:38 PM on April 11, 2006

So the idea is, you make a mix cd, burn eight or ten copies, and mail them out?
posted by Malor at 12:36 AM on April 12, 2006

I like the idea of a physical swap, though I'd be amenable to having the digital copies of something as a backup or addition to the actual CD's. I agree that there are tons of places I can already download music from - if it's digital-only I might as well just get a tracklist and find the actual music myself, and that's no fun. For some reason I am constantly missing out on registering for these things, but I'd be ecstatic to be in the next one.
posted by whir at 2:09 AM on April 12, 2006

I'm drearily uncreative, but I have a santa's sack of good music, so I'd be in just so long as the CDs I receive aren't so damn lovely they make me weep with shame.
OK?
posted by NinjaTadpole at 2:11 AM on April 12, 2006

I'd love to be part of a CD swap, and I promise to hold up my end of the bargain. I wanted to be in the last one, but was moving house at the time.
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:28 AM on April 12, 2006

I participated in the last swap, sent out my cds, and got 2 back. Getting packages = cool. Doing a purely online thing really wouldn't be as fun.
posted by Lotto at 6:24 AM on April 12, 2006

So are there any non-escrow solutions to the fink problem?
posted by cortex at 8:00 AM on April 12, 2006

(And I'm talking solutions, not predictive improvements or hopeful incentives.)
posted by cortex at 8:00 AM on April 12, 2006

I'm one of the finks who screwed holloway and the rest of the set. I do honestly still intend to send something out, but problems of procrastination have become problems of inspiration. I am very sorry about this, and definitely would take some kind of fink penalty on the next swap I participate in.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:56 AM on April 12, 2006

Just an idea, but how about coordinating with cmonkey to figure out which participants followed-through on the last swap

I kept meaning to send out a survey email, but it slipped my mind. Then I wiped the database for a MetaChat swap.

From what I heard, though, most groups last time had 3 or 4 people who sent theirs out, although not neccessarily on time, with a very small minority of groups having only 1 or 2 active participants. I'm not sure that there's really any solution to the 'fink problem', short of public shaming, and of course that would just be punitive.

I'm personally in the physical-swap camp, since mp3 swaps feel cold and impersonal.
posted by cmonkey at 9:10 AM on April 12, 2006

At this point, it's been what, 2 years? I think you've safely passed beyond the point of mere procrastination, dear.
posted by crunchland at 9:10 AM on April 12, 2006

(assuming I'd be allowed to participate at all, natch.)
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:10 AM on April 12, 2006

At this point, it's been what, 2 years?

This would be the Fall 2005 swap that cmonkey ran, not the earlier one (which I didn't fink in).
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:15 AM on April 12, 2006

Am I the only one who initially thought this was some sort of Mefi swingers club?
posted by spiderskull at 9:34 AM on April 12, 2006

Shut UP, dude! Ixnay!

Ha, ha! That is a hilarious misinterpretation of this activity! Ha!
posted by cortex at 9:37 AM on April 12, 2006

Am I the only one who initially thought this was some sort of Mefi swingers club?

Hmm... I might be up for that. Once again though, it would have to be physical and not digital.
posted by arcticwoman at 10:39 AM on April 12, 2006

Whereas I would support a purely digital mefi swingers club.
I'll post my contribution in just a second, lemme grab my camera.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 11:29 AM on April 12, 2006

I went through cmonkey's and our group (blue) went 5/5 through three countries -- getting packages and ceedees iwth attendant artwork was the best part. Bonus: aquaintance with the new USPS ship-o-magic kiosks and a cheery feeling of community.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:04 PM on April 12, 2006

I loved making, sending and getting mix cd's the one time I participated. As far as I can remember I got three cd's which was totally fine with me.

But I live outside the U.S. which means that it was a little expensive to mail the cd's and they spent a long time in transit. A virtual swap would eliminate these problems.

I think virtual and non-virtual swaps are both great ideas and I would participate again either way.
posted by sveskemus at 2:54 PM on April 12, 2006

Our group, "Aqua" in cmonkey's, was also 5 for 5. I don't know how many groups there were, but that's two "perfect" groups which is not bad.
posted by smackfu at 6:20 AM on April 18, 2006