Box Set Piracy/Counterfeits

[Gruno]

Anyone coming across counterfeit box sets from China?

Over the holidays I was gifted some pretty cool box sets. However, once I opened the sets, I realized they were Chinese knock-offs and not the real thing. The CDs actually sound very good. The packaging is crystal clear, mini-LPs.

The Beatles 2009 mono and stereo box sets go for decent money on eBay. The Chinese versions are all over the place there and sell between $25-$50 per set.

Check out this comparison of The Beatles:




The Guns N' Roses set is another that is very well done. Replicas of the Japanese versions:

https://www.discogs.com/Guns-N-Roses...elease/4561055




I'm not into getting knock-offs like these, but I will keep these. I just wanted to know if others have accidentally fell victim to this scam? Do some buy these as a conversation piece or addition to your collection?

[mozo-pg]

I unwittingly bought a empty Mini-LP Box set with the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway cover art. It looks very legitimate but it's a fake.

[Gruno]

I unwittingly bought a empty Mini-LP Box set with the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway cover art. It looks very legitimate but it's a fake.

Those have also flooded the market. From what I've seen, those go for about $30-40.

I am currently doing artwork for some box sets and have been researching many other box sets lately. I'm amazed at how many counterfeits are available.

[arturs]

How did you figure it out? Did it have the Paul McCurney name written on the back of Revolver like on the video?

[JKL2000]

Thanks for the post, Gruno. Quite interesting!

I just ordered a Beatles stereo box set and the Pink Floyd Discovery box set from China! Free shipping, came to $80 for the two together from the same seller. I'll report on how they are once I receive them, which might take a while since they're coming from the mystical Orient.

[arturs]

^^^ You're messin' with us, right? You didn't really do that, did you?

[DocProgger]

^^^ You're messin' with us, right? You didn't really do that, did you?

I think he buys every box set ever made. Sadly, knowingly purchasing stuff like that is supporting music piracy.

[Gruno]

How did you figure it out? Did it have the Paul McCurney name written on the back of Revolver like on the video?

Hah! For the Guns N' Roses set, something looked odd with the writing on the discs. Very generic compared to a normal big record company release.

Thanks for the post, Gruno. Quite interesting!

I just ordered a Beatles stereo box set and the Pink Floyd Discovery box set from China! Free shipping, came to $80 for the two together from the same seller. I'll report on how they are once I receive them, which might take a while since they're coming from the mystical Orient.

I think he buys every box set ever made. Sadly, knowingly purchasing stuff like that is supporting music theft.

Yeah, I didn't think some would buy these knowing they were fakes.

[JKL2000]

I think he buys every box set ever made.

It only seems that way because you obsess about my posts.

Sadly, knowingly purchasing stuff like that is supporting music piracy.

On a much smaller scale than the multi-billion-dollar eBay Inc. knowingly allowing it to be openly sold in their marketplace. You would think the RIAA would go after eBay with everything they’ve got.

[strawberrybrick]

My wife got me the Beatles in Mono a few years ago and yeah, once opened, the packaging screamed pirate. Unglued, shoddy, was pretty obvious.... At least the discs played in - wait for it - mono.

[alucard]

My biggest déception was The Complete National Health East Digital set that I bought from a well known French prog retailer , it was not cheap , but when I ordered it the set was hard to find. I got a Russian copy with decent artwork but without the liner notes by Dave Stewart . I never knew if it was licensed or not.

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[JKL2000]

My biggest déception was The Complete National Health East Digital set that I bought from a well known French prog retailer , it was not cheap , but when I ordered it the set was hard to find. I got a Russian copy with decent artwork but without the liner notes by Dave Stewart . I never knew if it was licensed or not.

Now THAT's a surprising one! I guess Russian releases are a little more complicated? The booklet from that set is great reading, I have to say.

[alucard]

Now THAT's a surprising one! I guess Russian releases are a little more complicated? The booklet from that set is great reading, I have to say.

I got it later as a download, but I would have preferred the real booklett.

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[DocProgger]

It only seems that way because you obsess about my posts.

Lmao. You're posts are impossible to avoid, they're everywhere! So I keep tripping over them.

[Gruno]

Here's the 13 CD set for Metallica. Good video in that it says immediately that this was made as a warning and what to look out for:

[JKL2000]

Just arrived from China:

[Gruno]

Woah! You actually did buy those? I thought you were joking.

[JKL2000]

I did. There really aren't many box sets where I'd be satisfied with a counterfeit, but in both these cases I wasn't about to buy the regular box set. In the case of Floyd I already own all the albums, but not all the remasters, and it's nice to have the CDs all in one box for easy access. I also own a couple of the MoFi remasters, so those are really my go-to copies for listening. In the case of the Beatles set, I'm more of a casual Beatles fan. Some of the albums I've never listened to in their entirely as the tracks were ordered.

At first glance the packages seem to be about what you'd expect from the videos (there's one of the Floyd set on YouTube too). A lot of poor photo quality, some way too dark in the Floyd booklets. I don't see so far the textual errors from where they scanned text. The biggest giveaway (although overall it's obvious!) is the haphazard way stuff is assembled in the sets. Out of order, booklets backwards or upside down, etc. Also, they both smell like they were just printed, and each comes in a cardboard carton which they wouldn't if they were real. The book in the Floyd box is very nice, and looks to have lots of photos and info I hadn't seen before - text from Storm Thorgerson I believe.

I'll be interested to listen to the CDs, which I'm sure sound good.

[markwoll]

My Beatles box has a green apple ( same color as the sticker ), that one looks silver. I suppose the music sounds the same.

[ronmac]

It looks green to me.

[hippypants]

Yeah, some of those boots may slip by people not knowing the difference--they did me when I was buying some more foreign, Italian, type prog. I never knew the difference or what to look for until it was mention on PE's old board. Then again relatives giving as gifts might buy the same thing, thinking the prices are a good deal. Once you get them unknowingly you are faced with so now what? Send them back, re-buy them...

[zombywoof]

Not music related, but I got duped with a pirated copy of Star Wars. The give away was that the cover looked like it was printed on a home printer and the discs were obviously BD-Rs. Note also that Star Wars is mispelled Srar Wars.

star wars1.jpgstar wars2.jpg

[MicrowaveBrain]

I once ordered the Beatles Mono box set from Ebay. As soon as I opened it, I knew something was wrong. The individual album cover reproductions were inserted in various directions, instead of being neatly lined up. The discs themselves were in flimsy plastic sleeves. The gatefold sleeves were folded awkwardly. The booklets were fraught with typos. Finally, when I popped Please Please Me into my CD player, what do I hear? Instruments out of the left speaker, vocals out of the right! Stereo!

After a little research I concluded that this was indeed counterfeit. I reported it to the seller who said he was unaware it was counterfeit and gave me a full refund. I suppose I was lucky. I later bought a legitimate copy which had none of these issues. I would definitely avoid buying box sets on Ebay especially by very well known artists like the Beatles or Pink Floyd.

[moecurlythanu]

I once ordered the Beatles Mono box set from Ebay. As soon as I opened it, I knew something was wrong.

You had a fever and felt tired?

[Mister Triscuits]

Instruments out of the left speaker, vocals out of the right! Stereo!

Yow! I knew there were a million counterfeit mono boxes (har har moecurlythanu) out there, but this is the first I've heard about them not even being mono!