Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs. If there's something you're wondering about and it's not answered here, put it in an e-mail.


Ordering

  1. How do I order? There is an online ordering system, but you can, if you like, just indicate what you want in the Message box on the Orders page. You may also simply send us an e-mail inquiries, telling us what you're after.
  2. How long will it take for you to process the order? Your order will be attended to either the same day (if it's a week day) or the next working day (i.e. not on the weekend). If the items are in stock, they will be sent that day.
  3. What if the items are not in stock? Some items listed on this site will not be in stock when you place an order. We will then order those items for you in the next order with the relevant distributor. In most cases, we will be ordering from the relevant distributor the same or the following week; for some distributors, though, our orders are less frequent. If the distributor does not have the item in stock, we can't do much else but wait until they restock. A good idea is to list alternatives. That way we can ship something to you while you wait for other items.
  4. Do I need a credit card? No. We accept money orders, cheques or well-concealed cash. Getting them to us is your responsibility. Please make cheques and money orders out to "Missing Link Records". We are currently organising other on-line payment options.
  5. How much is postage and handling? We do our best to minimise the postage costs for you.
  6. Is it secure? Yes. The order form uses SSL and so all communication between your browser and our server is encrypted. Your can verify this by checking that your browser displays the appropriate icon (usually a closed padlock or key in the bottom right-hand corner of the window). Most browsers will also allow you to view details about the security properties or information for the page. All data is stored on our server in an encrypted form. We do not keep credit-card numbers any longer than needed.

Audio streams and Ogg Vorbis

  1. Some albums have audio samples, eh? We are slowly adding audio samples for some of the stock we carry. Typically they will be the first 30 seconds of the first 4 tracks on the album. These audio samples are Ogg Vorbis streams.
  2. What is Ogg Vorbis? Basically it is a completely free, fully open, unpatented audio-compression technique, similiar to MP3 but without the intellectual-property restrictions. Ogg refers to the container format for the data; Vorbis is the name of the specific compression scheme that is designed to fit in Ogg. Check their web site for all the info.
  3. Why use Ogg Vorbis? First, Ogg Vorbis produces superior sound to MP3 for roughly equivalent file sizes. I have found this to be especially true for punk and metal music. Second, because of Ogg Vorbis' superior compression, the files tend to be smaller than for MP3 yet still highly listenable. This reduces bandwidth and storage costs. Third, no patents, no licences, no worries. Fourth, good open-source solutions are always worthy of support.
  4. Any downsides to Ogg Vorbis? Playing Ogg Vorbis files is slightly more CPU intensive that playing MP3s—not a real concern. Ogg Vorbis is not as widely supported as some other formats like MP3 and often not by default—slightly more problematic but easily overcome.
  5. So how do I play these Ogg Vorbis streams? Ogg Vorbis support is not universal, but it is gaining ground. Various players exist for most platforms: There are no doubt many other players that play Ogg Vorbis; if you know of one that you think rocks, buzz me.
    You will also need to make sure your browser associates the file type with the player application. Most recent browsers will be fine by default; however, it is still possible that things could end up misconfigured. Actually, to achieve the streaming, the link on our site points to a playlist file that is then passed to the player; the player then hits the server for the audio data. You might need to configure the browser to pass this file to the player: the file extention is "m3u" and the mime type is "application/x-mpegurl". In Windows these file types are setup at an operating-system level, via the Windows file explorer; see View/Folder Options/File Types.

Newsletter

  1. So you do a newsletter, do you? We produce a shop newsletter each month. It comes as a single or double A3 sheet, and we cram loads of good info in there: new releases for that month, store genre wrap-ups, band interviews, staff top tens, t-shirt/merchandise lists, articles we feel worthy of inclusion, and individual staff opinions. You can have this mailed to you, or you can read most of the content in the newsletter section of our site.
  2. How do I get your printed newsletter? Pick up a copy in the shop, or subscribe to the newsletter by sending us an e-mail asking to be added to the mailing list. Likewise, if you no longer wish to receive it, or have had a change of address, e-mail us.

RSS news feed

  1. Do you have a RSS news feed for your web site? There is a RSS news feed available at http://missinglink.net.au/rss. So, whichever aggregator you use to read RSS feeds, just point it there to keep up to date with news from the shop.

This site

  1. Argh! Everything looks skewiff and out of wack. What's going on? This site is coded pretty much according to the standards. This means that only recent versions of web browsers will render it properly. That is, use Netscape version 6 and up, any verison of Mozilla, Galeon, Konqueror and Internet Explorer 5.5 and up. Dillo is bearable. I haven't tested Opera, but I imagine it'll cope okay. The site will be usuable in older browsers; it just won't look it's best.
  2. You gave such-and-such an album a real big rap, but I think it stinks. Are you liars? The descriptions of albums in this site are just the opinions of the staff. We don’t expect everyone to agree with our assessment of an album, but we do like to think that our assessments are fair and honest. Mostly, we will try to suspend value judgements, but that’s difficult to do for any of our particular favorite releases.
  3. What should I do if I find a factual error in the details of some artist or album? Feel free to inform us of any errors you find in this site. We want it to be as accurate as possible. Indeed, any feedback at all is welcome.
  4. How was this site developed? This site was developed and is maintained entirely using the following open-source or free software:
    • Linux is the operating system on which this site was developed. In particular, the Debian distribution was used.
    • Web pages for this site are served by Apache.
    • All data for this site is managed using the MySQL database.
    • The PHP scripting language is used to generate the pages for this site.
    • Some Perl scripts were also used in development.
    • This site was tested using NetBSD installed on a Mac Quadra 700; a great way to put old hardware to use.
    • Some images for the site were prepared using the GIMP.
    • Some images for the site were prepared using ImageMagick.
    • Audio samples are encoded using the Ogg Vorbis format.

Work

  1. I want to work at Missing Link. How do I go about it? Jobs at Missing Link do not come up that frequently, although we are always on the lookout for suitable people. Send in your resume if you think you fit the bill. Previous record-store experience is a big plus.
  2. I have to do some work experience as part of school. Can I do it at Missing Link? Unfortunately, we do not usually take work-experience students, so there's not much point in asking. The shop is just too small to have extra workers, and we really don't have the time to do supervision properly. Besides, there are wiser career choices. ;)

Consignment stock

  1. I’m in a band and would like you to stock our CD. How do we go about doing this? We will quite willingly stock local band’s CDs on consignment. We usually take a small number on copies to start with, see how they go, and then stock larger quantities if they sell. We pay you after they sell. Due to the GST, you will need to have an ABN or sign a hobbyist form. This is quite a simple matter. It also helps if you have an invoice book so that you have a record of what you have given us. The more organised you are, the more willing we will be to help you. Contact us for more details. (It is quite easy to distribute a CD yourself. Most independent record store will take stock on consignment. You cut out any middle-men and get to control the price yourself. I recommend that all bands starting out do-it-themselves initially. If you are playing live shows, you will sell CDs.)
  2. Our band has just released a CD that you will stock. How do we go about doing a window? Just contact us. If we think you are appropriate and there is room in the schedule, we will book you in. It will be your responsibility to do the window and take it down. If we have to take it down, we will try not to lose or damage your stuff, but this cannot be guaranteed.
  3. I publish a zine. Will you stock it? Yes, we stock zines on consignment. Just come in and ask us. Usually, we can accept them immediately, and the whole process will take 15 minutes. Due to the GST, you will need to have an ABN or sign a hobbyist form. It also helps if you have an invoice book so that you have a record of what you have given us. The more organised you are, the more willing we will be to help you.
  4. I have some stock in your shop on consignment. How do I find out if it has sold? Just ask us. However, please don’t contact us every day to find out what’s sold. Most likely, the answer will be the same as the last time you rang. This will only disappoint you and irritate us. :-)
  5. You have sold some of my stock on consignment. How do I go about getting paid? We will happily pay you for your stock that we’ve sold. Usually, we prefer to have sold all of the stock before making the payment because it is slightly easier to organise. However, if you have a many stock items in the shop, we will settle to account periodically. This entails paying you for any stock sold, reinvoicing you for stock that has yet sold and any new stock, and returning any items we no longer wish to stock. Please note that we do not pay people for consignment stock on the weekend; you must organise payment on a weekday.
  6. How do I get my stock listed on you web site? We will endeavour to list all stock in the shop on the web site. This may take some time, however. If yours is missing, contact us and enquire politely.

Window displays

  1. Can my band have a window display? Quite possibly. You need to inquire, let us know the sort of display you want to put in, convince us that you'll do it, and hope that the schedule is free. The window is an not the easiest to work with, so we suggest checking it out before inquiring. We like interesting displays that are more substantial than a few posters.