last updated:24/May/2005 00:42:09
Thank you for your support of the Shopzone over the years. Unfortunately we have decided to close down this area of our website.
When we first set up the Shopzone there were relatively few orders and we were able to run it satisfactorily. However, when we set up the Mail Order Club there was a sudden and substantial increase in orders, resulting in late despatch and various other postal problems. We found that we were unable to offer the kind of service to you all that we wanted. Many overseas buyers were frustrated that they could only order using cash or IMOs, but as we had never intended to turn the Shopzone into a proper business there was little that we could do to change this.
Finally we took the difficult decision to close down the Mail Order Club. In recent years we have appointed Eclipse Records in the US as the exclusive distributor for AMT label releases. In view of the expense of shipping from Japan, we have been encouraging our customers to buy from Eclipse wherever possible. Another factor in our decision to now close the Shopzone is that our overseas tours have become longer and more frequent, meaning that we are unable to deal with orders for long periods of time.
There were many reasons, but the end result is that we have decided to shut down the Shopzone pages.
Please buy your AMT products from Eclipse Records or another local stockist. We will of course continue to have the AMT Shopzone at our concerts. In addition to the closure of the Shopzone pages, we have also decided to close down the Acid Brothers & Sisters Club. Thank you for all of you who registered.
Makoto Kawabata (11 May 05)
We have decided at this time, regrettably, to close down the Acid Mothers Temple Mail Order Club. In its place, we will set up the Acid Brothers & Sisters Club, whose main function will be to send mailouts to members about upcoming tours and releases, etc. (Unless you notify us otherwise, all members of the AMT mail order club will be automatically re-registered as members of the Acid Brothers & Sisters Club).
Membership is absolutely free, to apply for membership, click on "JOIN US" and send us your name and e-mail address. We will send you a reply letting you know that you have been registered as a member.
We will of course continue to sell AMT releases via the Shopzone site on the AMT website, but we would recommend that fans living outside of Japan make their purchases from the US-based online record shop Eclipse Records. Shipping charges from Japan can be relatively high, so by ordering from Eclipse (especially if you are a US resident) you should be able to save yourself some money. In addition, Eclipse has an official distribution arrangement with us, and it is the only online shop where you can be sure that they will stock all the AMT-related releases.
To explain briefly why we have decided to take this step: when we first set up the AMT mail order club, there were not that many members and so running the club did not take up too much of my time. However, currently there are over 500 registered members, and just dealing with the sheer quantity of enquiries received has become a real problem. One of the reasons why we set up the club was to provide a route for fans to get hold of our limited edition cdrs. However, now all of our cds (including the limited cdrs) are stocked by Eclipse Records, and we believe that this is an easier and more secure way for most people to get hold of these releases. Since we started this arrangement with Eclipse, the number of orders coming directly to us have fallen dramatically and this is another reason why we have decided to call a halt to the AMT mail order club.
Up until now, all orders and correspondance relating to the mail order club have been dealt with by me on my own, and I am sure there are many areas in which my service has not been all that it could be. But still I would like to thank you all for your patience and support.
Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple) 2.Jan.03
The AMT label has recently signed an agreement with Eclipse Records (USA), as a result of which Eclipse will take over responsibility for distributing our label product. We hope that this will mean all of you will be able to get hold of AMT releases more quickly and more easily. Foreign distribution has always been beyond our capabilities, and as a result you have probably not been able to find our releases in record stores. This new deal with Eclipse will hopefully improve this situation greatly. We will of course continue to sell direct from our website, however, postage charges will mean that the prices we must charge will unavoidably be more expensive. As many of you will already be aware, Eclipse Records is a specialist online retailer and as a result, in terms of postage it will work out cheaper in future to buy new AMT label releases directly from Eclipse.
AMT mail order club members are welcome to continue to purchase from the AMT site, however because of the postage we would recommend that you purchase from Eclipse Records instead. AMT club members will continue to receive by email updates on our new and forthcoming releases and a newsletter detailing recent AMT activities. We are certain that this tie-up with Eclipse Records will enable us to get our music out to you more quickly and more efficiently than has been possible up until now.
To all of our distributors too, we hereby notify you that henceforth Eclipse Records will be carrying AMT label releases. We thank you for your continuing support, and we hope that you can understand our position. Just by way of clarification, the AMT label is different from Acid Mothers Temple the group. Consequently we do not claim distribution rights over previous, current and future releases by the group Acid Mothers Temple or by its various members solo that have been released on labels other than Eclipse Records or the AMT label.
Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple) 20.Apr.02
last updated:24/May/2005 00:42:09
