Rick Stout has done something AMAZING!!!!

orange

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#2
I got that too from one of his Yahoogroups...

It's not as good news as you'd think. He's trying to drum up some interest in his site or he's thinking of selling it all and closing, if you read to the end.
 

Northwinds

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#4
Man, I would have hated typing all that! I don't see how he can complain about that stuff. People pay for the manuals can do whatever they want with them and redistribute them however they see fit. Stereomanuals does not hold any rights to any corporate info from various manufacturers. It's up to the buyer to decide which vendor they get their manuals from. In that respect, Stereomanuals deserves the business more for their quality and dedication. However, once it's out on the internet and legally accessed, good luck trying to keep it. Unless you own the rights to something, you don't have a leg to stand on from what I see
 

Rick

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#5
I got that too from one of his Yahoogroups...

It's not as good news as you'd think. He's trying to drum up some interest in his site or he's thinking of selling it all and closing, if you read to the end.
Lee sent me an email saying that he put this info on a "sticky" message. So I logged on to see it.

Regarding whether it is good news or not...

It is a very simple situation. What looked years ago to be a great opportunity to provide a needed service, has for various reasons turned out to be a sub-minimum wage business with almost no future of getting better. I do have loads of very appreciative customers who frequently tell me that they can NOT find better service with any other manuals vendor.

But reality is reality. If I can not do something that will generate more revenue, then I may be forced to begin to offer my 45 filing cabinets of original manuals on ebay and close down the repro manuals business. As it is now, I can barely justify the monthly leasing cost of the printing equipment with the vendor I've been doing business with since 2001. I was looking at some financial records the other day and saw that I have paid them more the $53,000 dollars.

If I shut down then they get no more revenue from me. I get no more revenue. Many folks "out there" who prefer to have a quality printed reproduction manual may be shit out of luck.

That's my two cents.
 

Rick

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#6
Man, I would have hated typing all that! I don't see how he can complain about that stuff. People pay for the manuals can do whatever they want with them and redistribute them however they see fit. Stereomanuals does not hold any rights to any corporate info from various manufacturers. It's up to the buyer to decide which vendor they get their manuals from. In that respect, Stereomanuals deserves the business more for their quality and dedication. However, once it's out on the internet and legally accessed, good luck trying to keep it. Unless you own the rights to something, you don't have a leg to stand on from what I see
Northwinds, you need to read more carefully. I can "complain about that stuff" because the message I wrote was "specifically" directed to those who "need" or those who "desire" to have a huge library of Pioneer PDF manuals and related items. If you read the message carefully, the entire message was addressing the various issues one would encounter in trying to create a Pioneer PDF library such as I have done.

You may or may not agree with my views, but I would suggest that there are few folks "out there" that have a very good idea regarding the various issues I raised because very few "out there" have attempted to build such a library such as I have done. I will 100% stand by my comments.

Yes you are correct regarding how anybody with a computer may or may not distribute digital files as they see fit. And yes you are correct that anybody with a brain can usually find the files somewhere whether they pay for the files or find them for free. You are also correct in you comments about me owning "any rights" to corporate info from various manufacturers.

You may have noticed my remark that once information goes digital, I believe it's value approaches ZERO very quickly.

However, you are completely WRONG in speaking of me, or any other site, or any individual distributing such info on the internet because it's "out there and legally accessed". I addressed that issue in part in my remarks about some sites "claiming" to own the copyrights to manuals files. Additionally ebay is littered with manuals sellers "claiming" that ALL the files are in the public domain, no copyright issues, etc.

What a pile of horseshit. OF COURSE the original manufacturer owns the copyrights to their publications in virtually ALL cases and will for decades in the future. Those ebay sellers are lying sacks of shit!! The point is that the companies (with some few exceptions) basically have not done anything to enforce their rights and have allowed me and tons of various sites to distribute their copyrighted information without restriction.

My issue is the fucking lying sellers on ebay who claim all kinds of crap about what they are selling, and the various internet sites who deceptively modify files in order to increase the chance that someone will eventually click on a google ad and/or do other things to make it appear that they are offering vastly more "stuff" than others when in fact, they are not.

My other issue is that I "KNOW" that a lot of folks are simply looking for a file they can find somewhere whether free or paid for, so that they can PRINT THE MANUAL. Because the free download sites dominate the google search results, those folks almost never find sites such as mine which is able to provide them (usually) with a MUCH higher quality printed manual than anything they can find as a PDF file on a free or paid-for basis.

Soooooo..... the result is that I can not much longer stay in business without sufficient revenue. If and when I shut down, then those who really really want a quality printed manual may be shit out of luck. I have MANY highly regarded vintage audio techs around the country who tell me they can NOT find better printed manuals on a consistent basis anywhere else. AND they consider quality printed manuals (NOT PDF files) as essential to their business.
 

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#7
Rick, you took my post wrong, I was just pointing to generalities. I am sorry if my post got taken out of context. You will notice in my comment I was complimenting your service
 

Rick

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#8
Rick, you took my post wrong, I was just pointing to generalities. I am sorry if my post got taken out of context. You will notice in my comment I was complimenting your service
Ron,

Read your PM. Thanks. It is easy to misread someone's intent on forums and in emails. That's why I wish I was able to conduct all business face to face instead of electronically.

I want to make it clear that I didn't really misread your post and did NOT think you were bitching at me. I also was not intentionally trying to make my response "personal" directed at you. I was just trying to respond to various issues as I see them and I prefer to communicate as precisely as possible (usually).

It was a long, long all-nighter composing that message I put on my site. Then a long continuing "morninger" in notifying a few folks about it. Then Lee posted it here, etc. Then there's this... I might have been sucking a bit of rum and coke through the night and it may have influenced my wording in posting to this thread :)
 

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#9
Rick....don't know what to say man...hate to see it get to this. That latest project is amazing...The people that access hi-fi engine that have commented on it have said they can't read a lot of it, and I understand about search engines following the numbers game..
 

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#10
I got that too from one of his Yahoogroups...

It's not as good news as you'd think. He's trying to drum up some interest in his site or he's thinking of selling it all and closing, if you read to the end.

I didn't say it was good news, I knew exactly what he meant...
 

Rick

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#11
Rick....don't know what to say man...hate to see it get to this. That latest project is amazing...The people that access hi-fi engine that have commented on it have said they can't read a lot of it, and I understand about search engines following the numbers game..
Lee,

"The people that access hi-fi engine that have commented on it have said they can't read a lot of it"

I don't understand that statement. If you have time, clarify.
 

orange

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#12
I guess they need every single brand spelled out or something. Even III can use his site.
 

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#13
I've read a lot of comments on AK and here and most complain about the quality of their free manuals, "can barely read them" type of comments...
 

orange

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#14
Are you trying to help him or something? Isn't this an off-site conversation?
 

laatsch55

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#15
Yes I'm trying to help him!!! Just like I try to help you, and it is not an off-site conversation, and if you think it should be perhaps you should review your own thread Steven...
 

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#16
Now, now boys we run a civil site here. Please take your dissagreement behind the treater and work it out. :violent1: :iconbiggrin:
 

laatsch55

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#17
Rick is a friend, and I will do anything I can to help. Besides a friend he's a character and a good man, which the world is frighteningly short of...
 

Web Police

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#18
Rick is a friend, and I will do anything I can to help. Besides a friend he's a character and a good man, which the world is frighteningly short of...
As well you should. Orange bud out of this one. :cool:

That Pioneer DVD set would be really cool.
 

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#19
I for one will buy a complete package. For the simple fact that , that HUGE package contains the material it does and it's structure... I will buy it to reward his work...I could not have done that....like the wise old man said....." If ya can't do what they do, stand up and clap anyway..."
 

Rick

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#20
Rick is a friend, and I will do anything I can to help. Besides a friend he's a character and a good man, which the world is frighteningly short of...
Thanks Lee. Nice of you to say that. The feeling is mutual.

But I do have a serious issue with you. You need to get rid of your avatar. Aren't you aware of all the wonderful choices you have that would be a huge improvement?

I suggest something really nice... ah, like webpolice.

Wadda ya think?
 
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