Tip roulette

youngtobacco
5 days ago
2 min read

Feeling lucky?

I made some updates to the site last week, including a subtle little addition to the top menu called Tip Roulette.

It works like a typical digital tip jar you see on a lot of sites, except with "DL;BR Tip Roulette," every fifth donation gets a gift in the mail.

It doesn't matter the size nor the frequency of the donation.

You might donate a dollar, and if you're the fifth, you might get a vinyl record in the mail that would cost you $30 at the store.

(The opposite is also true. You could donate $30 and, as the fifth donator, receive a sticker pack. That's why it's roulette, you see.)

That said, it's no big secret that we're experiencing a bit of tip fatigue as a society.

I think we've all had to navigate the moral crisis of Swiveling iPad Anxiety at the coffeeshop at least once or twice within the last month.

Do I tip 20% to someone who grabbed a prepackaged muffin out of a drawer?

So here's what I would say:

DL;BR is a one-person operation. Records are small-batch, and merch (mostly) hand-assembled. There is no money to be made in this, only money to (hopefully) be made back and redeployed to the mission.

And all I ever need from each release is to cover costs so I can work on the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

And there are a lot in line for 2026.

Donations help by offsetting certain costs like web hosting, studio upkeep, and all the little various and sundry things that make a label look and act like a label (stickers, handbills, etc).

And truthfully, there is no shame in ignoring this new tip roulette. You're already supporting the cause simply by buying the records. You can swivel that iPad right back around if you choose. No harm, no foul.

There are plenty of other nonprofits and charity organizations that need your spare cash more than this humble record label project.

But if you have a few extra bucks and feel like donating to the DL;BR mission, I won't turn it away.

It never hurts to ask.

And you might get some vinyl (or a cassette, or a shirt) for a dollar.

There's only one way to find out...

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What I’m reading: Rewire Your Anxious Brain (Catherine Pittman, Elizabeth Karle)

What I'm listening to: Orphée (Jóhann Jóhannsson)

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