Music FrEaK Central.com Help And Frequently Asked Questions Contents Page

CONTACT PERSON: Andrew Campbell (Prince TuFFiE)

(ORDERS): MusicFrEaKCentrl@aol.com

(QUESTIONS/COMMENTS): FEEDBACK FORM

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MORE HELP: 917-309-3163	(BEFORE YOU CALL, PLEASE TRY CONTACTING US VIA EMAIL)
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MusicFrEaKCentral.com

C/O: Andrew Campbell

1499 Islip Avenue

Central Islip, NY 11722-3902

"Music Freaks" or "Cassette FrEaKs" are people who collect/sell/trade reggae Tapes, Videos, CDs, DVDs, and MDs (mini discs). Music FrEaKs tend to have more than just a zest for the music. In fact, its more like an "freak" obsession. Music FrEaKs collect items on a regular basis, thus they are continuously increasing their inventory. In fact, the more Tapes/Videos/CDs/DVDs they obtain, they more they want! There are several types of Music FrEaKs. Some collect every Tape/Video/CD/MD they can get their hands on, while others may collect only those from a certain time period (i.e. Foundation Cassette FrEaKs generally collect items dated between from 1970 and 1989). Still some FrEaKs collect items on a certain medium (i.e. strictly Tapes or strictly Videos). Despite the various differences in how they collect, there is one thing that runs common among all Music FrEaKs: Their love and dedication to the music! Having said that, while all Music FrEaKs are collectors, not all collectors are Music FrEaKs.

MusicFrEaKCentral.com is what you might consider a "moderate" Music FrEaK. That is, we collect what we feel are the best dances, concerts, stage shows, and sound clashes. This can be compared with a "strict" Music FrEaK, whose ambition is to collect every single dance, concert, stage show, sound clash that ever occurred during a certain time period. Most of our sources are strict Music FrEaKs, giving us the ability to locate many Tapes, Videos, etc that are not included in our collection. We collect moderately because we feel some of the dances/concerts/stage shows/sound clashes are repetitious. If a sound system juggles (plays a regular dance) 15 times for the month, we don't need all 15 dances on tape.

To put it simply.. Thousands! This is not including the hundreds more Tapes and Videos, not to mention CDs that are not posted on the website..

Q: How many years has MusicFrEaKCentral.com been collecting Tapes/Videos/CDs/DVDs?

2001 will make the 5th year that MusicFrEaKCentral.com has been in operation as a website. Prior to this, we operated as "The Corner Store" on Black Majesty International Dancehall Reggae Website (Now JamworldReggae.com). But even before that, Prince TuFFiE has been collecting cassettes "since him eye deh a him knee."

ITEM	SALE PRICE	REG. PRICE	WHOLESALE PRICE
CDs:	$10 ea. (3 or more)	$13 each	Price Varies (6+ of each CD) CALL US
Tapes:	$ 7 ea. (6 or more)	$8 each	Price Varies (6+ of each Tape) CALL US
Dancehall Videos: (VHS FORMAT)	$12 ea. (3 or more)	$15 each	N/A
Dancehall Videos: (DVD FORMAT)	$17 ea. (3 or more)	$20 each	Price Varies (6+ of each DVD) CALL US
Movies/Comedies: (VHS FORMAT)	$17 ea. (3 or more)	$20 each	N/A
Movies/Comedies: (DVD FORMAT)	$22 ea. (3 or more)	$25 each	Price Varies (6+ of each DVD) CALL US
PRICES MAY CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

1) Sale prices apply when ordering 6 or more Tapes, 3 or more CDs, 3 or more Videos/DVDs, or 3 or more Movies/Comedies. If you order less than 6 Tapes, or less than 3 of the other items, you will be charged the regular price. Sale prices are always in effect.

2) Most Tapes and CDs (and some Videos and DVDs) of live events are available in several volumes. This is because it would be impossible to fit the entire event on a single Tape, CD, Video, or DVD, so they are split up into volumes. Each volume is a separate item and is billed separately. When ordering, [unless otherwise stated] we assume the customer would like all available volumes of the event. For example, "WORLD CLASH 2003" is available on 4 CDs (Vol 1-4), therefore when a customer orders "WORLD CLASH 2003" on CD, they are purchasing 4 separate CDs. The average number of volumes for live events on CDs and Tapes range from 2 to 4 while the average number of volumes for Videos and DVDs is 2.

3) Note that there is a difference in price between ordering items on DVD and ordering them on regular VHS Video. You must indicate which format you prefer when ordering. You can do so by checking the approriate box in the SECURE ORDER FORM, or indicating your preferred format in your email or voicemail order.

Q: Does MusicFrEaKCentral.com offer any Discounts, Sales Prices, or Promotions (i.e. seasonal sales, promotions, or discounts based on order volume)?

You Bet! MusicFrEaKCentral.com offers various Discounts, Sales, and Promotions throughout the year, including most major holidays (i.e.Christmas, Independence Day, etc)! If you are ordering large quantities, we also offer Sale Prices depending on the size of the order (see above Price Chart for the most basic Sale Prices). Discounts, Sale Prices, & Promotions cannot be used in conjunction with each order (only one Discount/Sale Price/Promotion applies per order). If two or more Discounts/Sale Prices/Promotions coincide with an order, we reserve the right to choose which one the customer will receive. It is the customer's responsibility to request any Discounts/Sale Prices/Promotions that may be in effect at the time of ordering. Discounts/Sale Prices/Promotions cannot and will not be applied retroactively (after the order is made). MusicFrEaKCentral.com reserves the right to withdraw any Discount, Sale Price, or Promotion without reason or notice. In the case of free or promo merchandise offers, these offers are valid while supplies last and can be cancelled at any time without notice.

The cost of shipping a DOMESTIC ORDER (within the United States, its Territories, and any international military post) starts at $5 and depends on the size of the order and the shipping method chosen. Our shipping costs are designed to save our customers money as their order volume increases. For example, you can expect to pay the same amount to ship 1 Audio Tape or 10 Audio Tapes domestically, namely $5. For more information on MusicFrEaKCentral.com's shipping procedures and fees, please see our section on SHIPPING below.

The cost of shipping an INTERNATIONAL ORDER (anywhere worldwide) starts at $15 and depends on the size of the order, the destination country, and the shipping method chosen. Our shipping costs are designed to save our customers money as their order volume increases. For example, you can expect to pay the same amount to ship 1 Audio Tape or 10 Audio Tapes internationally, namely $15. For more information on MusicFrEaKCentral.com's shipping procedures and fees, please see our section on SHIPPING below.

A Customs Fee is a tariff (usually a percentage of the value of the items) that a country imposes on shipments and packages entering that country from an international destination. Not all countries impose such a fee, and not all packages are taxed a customs fee. This depends on the destination country and their specific customs guidelines for shipments and packages entering that country. It is impossible for MusicFrEaKCentral.com to determine whether or not a package we send will be charged a customs fee, and if so, how much that fee will be. Therefore it is the responsibility of the customer to know what the customs guidelines for their particular country are, and furthermore it is also their responsibility to pay any customs fees incurred by their package. When you order from MusicFrEaKCentral.com, we assume that you are aware of the possibility that you may be charged an additional customs fee to clear your package. Domestic Orders (including those going to US Territories and Military Post Offices) are NEVER charged a customs fee.

The shipping/handling cost for both domestic and international orders entails the actual cost of shipping your order (shipping costs: as imposed by the United States Post Office), PLUS the cost of packaging your order AND having it physically delivered and processed at the Post Office (handling costs: as imposed by those we contract to do this). Therefore the shipping and handling cost of your package need not coincide with the actual cost of the postage on your package. Sometimes it costs us more than we actually charge or customers, and in most cases customers are only paying for the "shipping costs" and not the associated "handling costs". From time to time the US Postal Service raises its shipping rates, and in most cases we have withstood such increases to keep our prices stable for the benefit of our customers. Although our prices are subject to change without notice, in 4 years we have only changed our shipping prices twice (and that was to coincide with a simultaneous increase in the US Postal Service's shipping rates).

Yes we do! MusicFrEaKCentral.com supplies reggae Tapes and CDs to many vendors within the US and all over the world. We realize that their purpose in buying these items is to make a profit, so we design prices that maximize this intent. We generally wholesale Tapes and CDs. We do not wholesale Videos or Movies. Wholesale orders are shipped PRIORITY MAIL or EXPRESS DELIVERY at the customer's discretion, and can be ready within a few days of payment received. We accept Credit/Debit Cards, Western Union or MoneyGram, Cash, Money Orders, and Checks. We DO NOT accept Cash On Deliver (COD). If you are a record store, music vendor, or other entity who wishes to purchase Tapes and CDs from MusicFrEaKCentral.com for the purpose of reselling them, please contact us directly at 917-309-3163 to discuss quantity and pricing.

Wholesale means ordering 6 or more copies of a particular Tape or CD. For example, if you would like 10 copies of the Matterhorn Mental Mix 2001 Tape or 6 copies of the Jamworld's Foundations of Reggae Volume One CD, both constitutes a wholesale order. As such, our MINIMUM wholesale order would consist of 6 copies of a single CD Title. There is NO MAXIMUM on wholesale orders. For more info please Email us or call us at 917-309-3163.

Sure. Most of the CDs on our website are available for wholesale. All CDs come labeled and include jewel case inserts that have a cover on the front and a track listing on the back. Some live dances such as clashes and juggling dances don't have a track listing, since the dances are "live". They will still, however, have a jewel case insert with a cover (usually a flyer of the dance). The wholesale price for CDs varies. It depends on the amount of CDs ordered. The larger the quantity, the lower the price. For more info please contact us directly at 917-309-3163.

Sure. All Tapes sold wholesale come with a jacket displaying the name of the dance and the date. With Tapes, we only wholesale dances that are of superior quality. We generally reproduce tapes on MAXELL UR II normal bias blanks (or blanks of similar quality). The blanks can be upgraded to MAXELL XL II high bias blanks (or blanks of similar quality) for improved quality and longer durability (for an extra $1 per tape). We recommend the latter. The wholesale price for Tapes varies. It depends on the amount of Tapes ordered. The larger the quantity, the lower the price. For more info please contact us directly at 917-309-3163.

AN INFORMED CONSUMER IS THE BEST TYPE OF CUSTOMER. PLACING AN ORDER WITH US CONSTITUTES THAT YOU HAVE READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND & AGREE TO ALL THE POLICIES SET FORTH ON OUR HELP/F.A.Q. PAGE.

OPTION 1 (BEST)

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

OPTION 4

FILL OUT THE SECURE ORDER FORM ON THIS PAGE (KEEP SCROLLING OR CLICK ON LINK BELOW.

Go To ORDER PAGE

EMAIL US WITH YOUR ORDER, NAME, & ADDRESS. IF PAYING VIA CREDIT/DEBIT CARD EMAIL THAT INFO AS WELL.

MusicFreakCent@aol.com

CALL US. IF YOU GET OUR VOICEMAIL, LEAVE NAME, ORDER, ADDRESS, & CREDIT/DEBIT CARD INFO IF APPLICABLE.

Call 917-309-3163

PRINT OUT THE SECURE ORDER FORM, FILL IT OUT, AND MAIL IT TO OUR OUR PAYMENT ADDRESS.

Go To ORDER PAGE

Whichever option you use, please remember to include your Email Address, Full Name, Telephone Number, and Mailing Address. These are all required to process your order. If paying via Credit/Debit Card, please include the Name on the Card, Card Type, Card #, and Expiration Date. When ordering via phone, please have your complete order written down in advance and the credi/debit card you would like to use handy! Please note that there are differences between using your Credit/Debit Card to pay for your order or using another method. The differences are noted on this page (where applicable).

Q: How do I know that MusicFrEaKCentral.com has received my Secure Order Form or Email Order?

Once we have received your order, we will email an invoice of your order and the total price (including shipping/handling) to you within 24-48 hours with. This invoice will also include explicit instructions on how to complete your order. If you ordered using a Credit/Debit Card, the invoice will also tell you if your Credit/Debit Card has been approved for the total charge of your order. Please note that if you do not hear from us within 2 Days, please email us at MusicFrEaKCentrl@aol.com or give us a call at 917-309-3163 as you may have submitted the wrong email address in the SECURE ORDER FORM, causing our emails to you to be returned.

If there is an error in the invoice, or if you would like to change your order, you must notify us of any changes at the time you receive your first email invoice. We will then email you a new invoice reflecting the changes you have made to your order. If everything is correct, email us to confirm your order.

Should the need arise to cancel an order you placed with us, we will try our best to accomodate your request within reason, as per the following policies:

UNPAID ORDERS: Upon receipt of your FIRST invoice, you may choose to cancel your MFC Order if you so please. Simply email or call us IMMEDIATELY requesting that your order be cancelled. Once you have cancelled an order successfully, you will receive an email notice of your cancellation. Once you have confirmed an order (via email or otherwise) it cannot be cancelled, as this places an unfair burden on our company.

PAID ORDERS: Because Credit/Debit Card orders made via our SECURE ORDER FORM are processed immediately after they are received by our database, these order can only be cancelled under certain circumstances (which are judged on a case by case basis). Should you wish to cancel such an order (and we deem that it can be cancelled), you will receive an MFC CREDIT in the amount charged (to be applied to yany future MusicFrEaKCentral.com Order). Your Credit/Debit Card WILL NOT be credited back. Once you have cancelled an order successfully, you will receive an email notice of your cancellation. Once you have confirmed an order (via email or otherwise) it cannot be cancelled, as this places an unfair burden on our company.

The length of time it takes to place an order depends on how fast you EMAIL or CALL us with your confirmation. We usually answer all order requests and confirmations within 24-48 hours (including weekends).

Any which way you please! We offer the most flexible payment options on the Internet! You can pay via credit card, Western Union/MoneyGram, check, money order, or cash (via mail). Some payment options will enable you to receive your order in the quickest possible time and are the payment option of choice for most of our customers. These are called PREFERRED PAYMENT OPTIONS. ADDITIONAL PAYMENT OPTIONS are also available. See below for more details.

1. CREDIT/DEBIT CARD (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover. Easy, Safe,, & Fast!)

2. WESTERN UNION (Use This Method For Fastest Service! Excellent For Intl Orders)

Credit/Debit Card Payments are processed at the time your order is received (via Phone, Email, or our SECURE ORDER FORM). When paying via Credit/Debit Card using the SECURE ORDER FORM or any other method, please be certain that you double-check the items you have selected to purchase, as your Credit/Debit Card will be charged upon receipt of the order.. Upon successful processing of the charge to your credit/debit card, you will receive an email invoice of your order.

If NOT paying via Credit/Debit Card, once your email invoice is received, payment is due immediately. Prompt payment means prompt delivery, as we cannot mail your order to you until we have received payment in full. We urge all customers to order via CREDIT/DEBIT CARD, WESTERN UNION, or MONEYGRAM for the fastest possible service! If payment is not received within 5 business days of your confirmation (domestic orders), your order will be considered IN DEFAULT. International orders are allowed more time.

Please make your payment out in United States Currency to ANDREW CAMPBELL. DO NOT make payment out to MusicFrEaKCentral.com! You will be notified via email once your payment is received!

Please mail all payments in a secure stamped envelope (make sure it has a return address printed on it) to our PAYMENT ADDRESS:

Q: How can I check the status of my order or check whether my payment has been received?

You will be notified via email when your payment has been received. To check the status of your order or payment, email us at MusicFreakCentrl@aol.com or call 917-309-3163.

Q: What happens to an order IN DEFAULT (when a customer does not pay for an order which has been confirmed)?

MusicFrEaKCentral.com is a business dedicated to the satisfaction of our customers world-wide. People who default on their orders do a great dis-service to our site and to our customers. Processing unpaid orders takes up valuable time that could be spent serving legitimate customers. It is also a waste of merchandise.

Confirming an order to MusicFrEaKCentral.com constitutes a binding legal business transaction. Failure to complete this transaction by remitting payment within a reasonable amount of time (within 5 business days of your confirmation for domestic orders) will result in your order being IN DEFAULT. Failure to remit payment on a DEFAULT order results in you being unable to place future orders to this website on the basis of your lack of business ethics. Although this is our policy, we have never had to, and hope we will never have to do this.

By default, Domestic Orders are shipped out via REGULAR DELIVERY. With this method, MFC Orders are shipped out from our headquarters generally within 5 to 10 Business Days from the time your payment has been processed. Domestic Orders usually reach their destinations (within the Continental US) anywhere between 3 days to a week from the date shipped. Please note that these are approximations. The time an order takes to reach a customer is affected by several factors, including merchandise availability, shipping destination, time of year (e.g. busy holiday season), and in some cases unforseen circumstances that may occur in the processing and preparation of your order. Generally, orders that are paid for via Credit/Debit Card, Western Union, or MoneyGram arrive much faster than orders paid for using other payment methods!

By default, International Orders are shipped out via REGULAR DELIVERY. With this method, MFC Orders are shipped out from our headquarters generally within 5 to 10 Business Days from the time your payment has been processed. International Orders usually reach their destinations anywhere between 1 to 2 weeks from the date shipped (depending on the country). Please note that these are approximations. The time an order takes to reach a customer is affected by several factors, including merchandise availability, shipping destination, time of year (e.g. busy holiday season), and in some cases unforseen circumstances that may occur in the processing and preparation of your order. Generally, orders that are paid for via Credit/Debit Card, Western Union, or MoneyGram arrive much faster than orders paid for using other payment methods!

Q: Does MusicFrEaKCentral.com offer EXPEDITED DELIVERY for faster delivery times?

Yes we do! EXPEDITED DELIVERY can have your package shipped out from our headquarters in as little as 1 to 2 Business Days (instead of 5 to 10 Business Days) from the time your payment has been processed. This can significantly speed up the time that it takes for your MFC Order will arrive. Please note that actual arrival times vary greatly depending on the local or international destination. The EXPEDITED DELIVERY option works best with MFC Orders paid for using the Western Union, MoneyGram, or Credit Card payment methods. EXPEDITED DELIVERY is not available with all orders and is subject to merchandise availability, order content and quantity, time of year (e.g. this service may be limited during some holiday seasons), and other factors. If you choose EXPEDITED DELIVERY and your MFC Order cannot be shipped via that method, your Shipping Method will automatically be downgraded to REGULAR HANDLING and you will be billed accordingly. You will also receive a notation of this via email (usually in the "COMMENTS" Section of your email invoice.

DOMESTIC ORDERS: We offer EXPEDITED DELIVERY Service for Domestic Orders to ALL DOMESTIC LOCATIONS (the US, its Territories, and US Military Bases here and abroad) through several means including US Postal Service Priority Mail, US Postal Service Express Mail, Federal Express, and UPS. EXPEDITED DELIVERY rates start at $20 and vary based on the size of the order only. Orders shipped via EXPEDITED DELIVERY receive priority handling which means they are always processed and shipped first. If you are interested in EXPEDITED DELIVERY for your Domestic Order, please indicate this on our SECURE ORDER FORM or inform us via Email or Telephone.

INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: We also offer EXPEDITED DELIVERY to most destinations around the world through several means including US Postal Service Global Priority Mail, Intl Express Mail, Guaranteed Global Priority Mail, Federal Express, and UPS. EXPEDITED DELIVERY rates start at $25 and vary based on the destination and size of the order. Orders shipped EXPEDITED DELIVERY receive priority handling which means they are always processed and shipped first. If you are interested in EXPEDITED DELIVERY for your International Order, please indicate this on our SECURE ORDER FORM or inform us via Email or Telephone.

MusicFrEaKCentral.com is a mail order company. As such we do not offer our customers the option of picking up their order in person.

If your order fails to arrive within the specified time, this may be due to several reasons. The most popular reason is that the customer made an error in the mailing address they submitted (i.e. forgot to include an apartment number, gave wrong zipcode). The package may also have been Lost in the Mail, Stolen, Returned to Sender (b/c of no such address, no such person, no mailbox, etc), or it may be Held by Customs (requiring you to clear it in person). Because MusicFrEaKCentral.com generally uses the US Postal Service (or USPS) to deliver your package (because of their competitive prices), and the USPS in turn hands it over to the postal service in the destination country, it is difficult to trace a package once it has left the United States (as it is no longer in the USPS's hands but now in the hands of that international post office). Rest assured however that if there is a problem with the delivery of your order, MusicFrEaKCentral.com will do everything within its power to rectify the problem, whether it is our fault or not.

Please note that if you FAIL to contact MusicFrEaKCentral.com to report none receipt of your order within 2 Weeks (for Domestic Orders) or 3 Weeks (for Intl Orders) of your shipment date, we are no longer responsible for, and have no obligation to replace your order. In the unfortunate event that this happens, we will still do everything in our power to rectify any problems. Please check your address carefully when supplying it to us.

Please note that we make every effort to ensure that our quality products are properly packaged and shipped to our customers within a reasonable time (as stated by the contents of this HELP/F.A.Q.). However, as with any business, errors may occur through fault of our own or a third party. If this ever occurs, we will take every possible step within reason to rectify the problem. If we feel that this problem cannot be corrected within reasonable means, we will issue a refund or MFC CREDIT. Please note that the decision to issue a refund is entirely within our discretion. Please also note that MusicFrEaKCentral.com reserves the right to replace any merchandise that is no longer available with a suitable equivalent. Should the need arise to replace any item in your order, you will be informed of this. You may at this time choose to accept the replacement or in the alternative accept an MFC CREDIT of equal value.

We have a sophisticated database that keeps a record of every single customer that has ever ordered from this site, including their address, number of times they ordered, items ordered, and the date their orders were mailed out.

Yes, we trade all of them!! In addition to selling the latest Reggae CDs, Tapes, & Videos, we also trade with a variety of sources worldwide, including cassette freaks from England, Jamaica, the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan, to name a few! All serious traders should send us a copy of their list in WordPerfect or Microsoft Word as an attachment to an email. If you entire list can fit within one email then you may send it inside an email, but we prefer attachments in the formats mentioned. There are several basic requirements of any good trading list. For each item on the list, the following info should be provided:

3. The artists if the event features live artists. Also the selector of the sound if possible.

4. The date of the event (preferably month, day, and year - at the very minimum, the approximate year.

If your list does not contain the requirements above, then please upgrade your list before sending it to us. Once received, if your list contains items we are interested in obtaining, we will contact you for a trade. We may not contact you immediately (please be patient), but we will contact you. Please do not send us a partial list. If you cannot disclose your full list then you are not ready to trade with us.

Everyone has their own set of rules when trading. To ensure a fruitful and benevolent trade, we have listed OUR rules of trading for you to see before you decide to trade with us. Our Rules of Trading are simple yet effective, and have been adopted by many Music FrEaKs and websites world-wide. The first rule is HONESTY AND COMMON SENSE. Here are the rest:

We are willing to trade with anyone who has anything interesting to offer us. However, we are mainly interested in DVDs, CDs, Tapes/Videos of Foundation sound systems (of the 1970's and 80's) such as: Kenyatta, Stur Gav, Stereo Phonic, King Tubbys, Virgo, Jah Love, Taurus, Killamanjaro, Black Scorpio, Lee's, Downbeat, Arrows, Coxsone, Echo Tone, Ray Symbolic, Socialist Roots, Saxon, Youthman Promotion, Jack Ruby, Emperor Faith, Black Starr, Stereo One, Prince/King Jammys, Volcano, Jah Revolution, Stereo Pride, King Mellow, Cosmic Force, etc. That is not to say our interest is limited to these sounds.

Q: Are there any Tapes/Videos /CDs that MusicFrEaKCentral.com is particularly interested in obtaining?

You Bet!! Here is our WISH LIST! If you can produce any of these Tapes or Videos then you are truly a collector!.

If you order 5 or more copies of a single tape you only pay $5 per Tape (wholesale discount).

MusicFrEaKCentral.com gets its Tapes from a variety of sources. Sometimes we tape the event ourselves, sometimes we buy the Tapes from vendors, sometimes we obtain them through trading or as promotional items, and other times we mix our own Tapes. Our Tapes literally come from all over the world!

Q: Can you explain the difference between "(Both Sounds-1 Tape)", "(Both Sounds-2 Tapes)" , and "(Parts 1 & 2)"?

This is a method of distinguishing how the dances were taped. "(Both Sounds-1 Tape)" means that both sounds at the dance were taped together on one tape, therefore the tape of the dance/clash features both sounds. "(Parts 1 & 2)" means that the sounds playing at the dance were taped together on two Tapes, therefore both sounds are featured on each tape of the dance. By the same token, "(Parts 1, 2, & 3)" means there are three Tapes of the dance, each featuring all the sounds on it, and so forth. On the contrary, "(Both Sounds - 2 Tapes)" means that the sounds playing at the dance/clash were taped separately on two Tapes. In other words, each sound present at the dance/clash has its own 90 minute tape with only that sound featured on it. If there were 3 sounds at the dance and the dance was taped in this manner, then this would be noted as "t(3 Sounds-3 Tapes)", and so forth.

Q: How accurate are the descriptions and dates on MusicFrEaKCentral.com's Tapes and Videos?

The descriptions and dates on all of our Tapes and Videos collectively are about 95% accurate, especially with the newer Tapes and Videos. Because the dating of Tapes and Videos wasn't common practice among Music FrEaKs until the early 90s, the dates on our older inventory are harder to verify. Therefore, as for Foundation Tapes and Videos in our collection (1960-1989), some dates are either educated guesses, or dates passed on directly from the sources of the Tapes. It is more likely for the dates on these to be inaccurate than for those on the newer Tapes and Videos, which boast a 99% accuracy rating.

Q: Why does MusicFrEaKCentral.com label only one side of the Tapes it sends out?

Over the years we have realized that most of our customers have their own distinct way of labeling their Tapes, including what information they put on the label, what color ink they use to label it, and specific places on the tape where they place the labels. To keep in line with our customer's wishes, we only label one side of each tape we send out with the name of the dance and the year. That way our customers can use the remaining labels to custom label their Tapes any way they choose. All pertinent information (and usually a bit more) for each tape is posted in its description on MusicFrEaKCentral.com's website, so our customers can use that information to custom label their Tapes as extravagantly as they wish.

Almost all Audio Tapes are dubbed on CHROMES (High Bias) Maxell, TDK, or similar quality audio cassettes. In the event of bulk orders where a large quantity has to be dubbed, or in special cases where huge discounts are offered, Tapes may be dubbed on Normal Bias cassettes. All 60 minute Tapes sold on the site are also dubbed to Normal Bias cassettes. In addition, some Foundation Tapes may require dubbing to Normal Bias cassettes for improved signal response. We reserve the right to select which medium we choose to dub the Tapes we sell. Videos are also duplicated on high quality Maxell, TDK, or similar quality videocassettes.

In the cassette business, "sound quality" is a relative term! MusicFrEaKCentral.com's Tapes are as good as the original Tapes (or "originals") they are copied from. The copies we receive (which become our originals) are usually no more than 2 copies off the first originals. Most of our inventory range from "Average Quality" to "High Quality" (almost all of our new Tapes are of High Quality)! By "Average Quality", we mean you can hear both left and right channels and the sound is way above AM Radio quality with an average level of "hiss". "High Quality" means near to CD Quality, with relatively low hiss. If we feel that any tape (or video) in our collection is slightly below Average Quality, we will note it in the description as :"(Quality Fair)".

As many of you know, the taping practices of the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s were relatively poor when compared to contemporary practices. Furthermore, as can be expected, the recording equipment and mediums used today are far more advanced than those of yesteryear. People simply weren't that concerned about quality back then. In addition, back in those days, dances were often taped by patrons with hand held recorders and no microphone. Today, sophisticated tape decks, CD recorders, and DAT machines are connected directly to the sound system specifically to tape the dance. Because of this discrepancy between then and now, customers should expect that some of our older Tapes do not boast the level of quality that our newer Tapes do. That is not to say that they are not as important. In fact, a true collector is more concerned with getting their hands on that rare 1979 Stereophonic tape, more so than with what the quality of that tape will be, once they have it. Finally, we have to remember that some of these Tapes are 20-30 years old, and age does take its toll.

Q: How do sound system Tapes differ from albums that can be purchased on cassette at Sam Goodys Tower Records?

It is not a good idea to compare the quality of sound system Tapes with albums you purchase on cassette, as they go through a totally different recording process! Sound system Tapes are taped live at a dance and ready for sale. Albums available on cassette are produced in a studio and "re-mastered" before they hit the stores. This is not possible for sound system Tapes because such a process would drive the price up too high for the average fan to afford!

Please note that if the originals are slightly distorted, (blank spots, technical difficulties, etc.) this is usually a function of the equipment used at the dance or clash - independent of MusicFrEaKCentral.com. As such, we will receive the same distortion in our master copy (unless we are able to successfully filter it out) and so will you. It is similar to photocopying a torn sheet of paper, you will see signs of the tear in each subsequent copy. Tapes with a slight level of distortion are also labeled as "(Quality Fair)" on the site. If we feel the new Tapes we receive are too distorted, then they are not posted on this site.

MusicFrEaKCentral.com does not rate the quality of our Tapes because as we mentioned before, sound quality is a relative thing. We feel that the practice of rating Tapes can be very misleading, and we do not want to deceive our customers. Psychology has proven that people with similar abilities and intellect can have very different audio perceptions of the same sounds. What may sound crystal clear to one person may sound only average to another! This is a fact. For the record, most Music FrEaKs world-wide do not rate their Tapes. Again as stated before, if we feel the quality of a particular tape is slightly short of our average standards, we put a notation saying "(Quality Fair)" in its description. Please note that despite this, the tape will always be audible enough to be entertaining, otherwise it wouldn't be listed on our site!

Because MusicFrEaKCentral.com has limited control over the quality of the originals (that control is in the hands of the sound system technicians), we make up for this by enacting immaculate dubbing practices (top of the line, well maintained tape decks and dubbing machines!). That way, our customer's copy will be as close to our original as possible.

Q: What is the difference between High Bias (or "Chromes") and Normal Bias cassettes?

Good Question! Normal Bias cassettes carry a distinct "hiss" when anything is recorded onto them. That is a fact! In most cases this hiss is negligible, but sometimes it can be very distracting. High Bias cassettes (or chromes) are designed to boost up the bass and treble of a recording while suppressing the amount of hiss one hears. Because of this added feature, they are more expensive, but remains the medium of choice for MusicFrEaKCentral.com.

We are improving our service as we move into the next millenium, and in keeping with our pledge to provide the highest quality Tapes to our customers, we offer almost all of our Tapes exclusively on High Bias cassettes (or "CHROMES").

CDs are $13 each. If you order 3 or more CDs, the price drops to $10 each. If you order 5 or more copies of a single CD you only pay $7 per CD (wholesale discount). Look for more and more Tapes to become available on CD.

MusicFrEaKCentral.com gets its CDs from a variety of sources. Sometimes we record the event ourselves and re-master it to CD. Sometimes we buy the CDs wholesale from vendors. Our CDs literally come from all over the world!

All CDs sold by MusicFrEaKCentral.com are Digital Recordings and thus offer high quality sound. Sometimes JAMWORLD may choose to re-master events that were previously only available on Tape. In these cases the events will ALWAYS sound clearer on CD they did on Tape.

99% of MusicFrEaKCentral.com's CDs carry track listings. In rare cases (such a CDs re-mastered from live events), the track listing may not be available or necessary as the event is LIVE. Please note that even in the few cases where the track listing is unavailable, the CDs are still divided into several tracks for easy maneuvering (forwarding and rewinding tracks).

Q: My CD player detects more tracks on my MusicFrEaKCentral.com bought CD than it can physically play, is there a problem?

No. In many cases this is normal. Because of the varying industry standards among what can be recorded on or played back on portable CD players, home CD players, boom box CD players, car CD players/changers, computer CD Rom Drives, and computer CDR/CDRW Drives, the duplication process for CDs sometimes allows for some CDs to contain extra tracks that can only be played by some types of CD players and not others. These tracks typically reside at the end of the CDs and will usually come up in the track listing on most CD players, however, while some types of CD players are able to play these bonus tracks with ease, others (generally older models) may not play them properly (or not play them at all). This is especially true for CDs whose length exceeds 74 Minutes (i.e. 80 Minute CDs). MusicFrEaKCentral.com designs it's CDs to play in all mediums, maximizing the capabilities of each. Thus all of our CDs are designed to take advantage of CD players capable of playing the extra tracks. These tracks are typically not listed on thew back of the jewel cases or in the track listing on our website. If you play a CD that you have bought from us and it is unable to play the bonus end tracks, this simply means your CD player has played all the tracks that it can read within is capabilities. There is nothing wrong with your CD player, or the CD; simply treat this as the player reaching the end of the CD and insert another.

Videos are $15 each. If you order 3 or more Videos, the price drops to $12 each.

MusicFrEaKCentral.com gets its Videos from a variety of sources. Sometimes we videotape the event ourselves. Sometimes we buy them from vendors/distributors, and other times we obtain them through trading or as promotional items. Like our Tapes and CDs, our Videos literally come from all over the world!

MusicFrEaKCentral.com's Videos are all recorded in NTSC format, which is the predominant format for VCRs in the United States and worldwide. Our Videos may or may not play on European VCRs that use the PAL format. Also, there is no guarantee that you can convert an NTSC format videotape to PAL format simply by copying it from one format to another. Usually professional equipment is needed to do this successfully. Therefore, if you are a European customer and would like to order our Videos, please make sure that you have the appropriate equipment to view it, or the appropriate means of converting NTSC format Videos to PAL format.

As with Audio Tapes, the quality of Videos is also a relative term! MusicFrEaKCentral.com's Videos are as good as the original Videos ("originals") they are copied from. The copies we receive (which become our originals) are usually first to second hand duplicates of the original footage of the event. Most of our inventory range from "Average Quality" to "High Quality"! When referring to Videos, "Average Quality" means you can make out the images (faces of people in particular) on the Videos and the audio is clear. High Quality(or "crystal clear") means the quality is close to that which you would see on a movie video that was sold commercially.

Its not a good idea to compare the quality of dancehall Videos to movies you can rent from say Block Buster Video, as they go through totally different recording processes! Most dancehall Videos are taped live on video format, while most movies are produced from Film format. Any Media Studies major will tell you the drastic difference in quality between these two formats, with Film being the superior. Despite this, most dancehall Videos are considerably clear.

Absolutely not! Different model VCRs offer different quality playback. High-end brands will often deliver much clearer video and crisper audio than your average bargain basement (i.e. under $100) brands. Other factors affecting the quality on any given VCR include but are not limited to: 1) The age of VCR; 2) The number of heads and/or worn video heads; 3) The quality/age of cables connecting VCR to TV it is viewed on; 4) The model TV used with the VCR; and 5) The location of TV & VCR (locations near magnetic fields often produce "grains" or lines on the screen during playback); etc. Because all of our Videos are recorded and played back on high-end equipment, we cannot speak on how they will show on any particular VCR. In most cases however, a decent 4 Head Stereo VCR that is regularly maintained should show our Videos clearly.

Again, any Videos with above average distortion (blank spots, audio fading in and out, etc) are noted as "(Quality Fair)" on our website. These Videos aren't the clearest of our collection, but are still suitable enough to provide good viewing pleasure!

Q: Can you explain the significance of the 3 different speeds a videotape can be played back on a VCR (SP, LP, SLP/EP)?

This is a very important concept. Videos can be duplicated at three different Modes or speeds: SP Mode (2 hrs), LP Mode (4 hrs), or SLP/EP Mode (6 hrs). The speed refers to the length of time it takes the VCR to play/record the contents of an entire videocassette (from start to finish). Generally the faster the speed, the better the quality of the video (thus videos are generally recorded/duplicated in SP Mode). Having said that, ultimately the best quality comes from dubbing a video at the same speed the original was recorded in. To ensure we give our customers the highest quality Videos possible, we copy most of our Videos in the Mode the original was recorded in. For 90% of our videos this happens to be SP Mode. Some of our videos are also dubbed in LP Mode (4 hrs) (usually those longer than 2 hours) and will thus be recorded in that mode for highest possible quality. We rarely dub Videos in SLP/EP Mode (6 hrs). Please note that while most of our videos are able to be played back on any standard VCR using the NTSC format, a handful of VCRs (usually older models) lack the technology to play back videos recorded in LP (4 hr) Mode. Please make sure that your VCR can play back both SP and LP Modes before you order videos from this website. If you are not sure of your VCR's capabilities, please consult the documentation that came with your unit. MusicFrEaKCentral.com assumes that all customers have VCRs capable of playing videos recorded/duplicated in both SP and LP Modes, and as with all retail video distributors, assumes no responsibility for a customer's inability to play back videos purchased from us.

MusicFrEaKCentral.com does not rate the quality of our Videos for the same reason we do not rate the quality of our Tapes - namely because video quality in the is a relative thing, and we do not want to mislead our customers. Science has proven that people with similar abilities and intellect can have very different visual perceptions of the same reality. What may look crystal clear to one person may not look that way to another! This is a fact. For the record, most cassette freaks world-wide do not rate their Videos. If we feel the quality of a particular video is slightly short of our average standards, we put a notation saying "(Quality Fair)" in its description. Please note that despite this, the video will always be viewable enough to be entertaining, otherwise it wouldn't be listed on our site!

MusicFreaKCentral.com has spent a lot of time and resources to locate and acquire many rare Caribbean Comedies, Skits, Dramas, and Movies. We have compiled this rare and diverse inventory so that our customers may find them ALL IN ONE PLACE. Many of these items were previously out of production, and thanks to us they are available once again!

Our ability to provide you with such a wide selection of hard to find Caribbean Comedies, Skits, Dramas, and Movies sometimes come at a price. Please note that due to limitations in the Jamaica and Caribbean film industry at the time several of these Comedies, Skits, Dramas, and Movies were filmed, some of them may not be of the "clearest" quality you've seen. Despite the less than perfect quality at times, these Caribbean Comedies, Skits, Dramas, and Movies are generally clear enough to understand and enjoy.

The Jamaican and Caribbean film industry has only recently stepped up their standards, budget, and equipment with the goal of producing more high quality productions. This is a fact in the industry, and can easily be verified by obtaining several videos produced by JBC (Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation - the producer of many of these Videos) during the 1980s to early 1990s, then viewing and comparing them to Videos JBC produced in the mid 1990s to present. Chances are in the previous bunch you will find some that are not of the best quality. You will then notice that the quality improves as the years get later. Even some contemporary broadcasts that are shown on Jamaican Television (as any Jamaican who watches television can attest) are not as clear as say your average Block Buster Video. Again this description of course only applies to "some" and not "all" of the Comedies, Skits, Dramas, and Movies we carry.

Also keep in mind that some of the Movies (such as "Smile Orange" and "The Harder They Come") date back to the mid 1970s (over 25 years ago). Even the popular "Oliver At Large" Series dates back to the mid 1980s (almost 20 years ago). These works were filmed not with the sophisticated high quality film and digital cameras of today, but rather with the older ones of yesteryear. Thus it is not unreasonable to notice some difference in quality with these works when compared with their modern day counterparts.

When ordering these items we assume that you fully understand and accept the above statements. Having said that, again we will reiterate that all videos are clear enough to understand and enjoy. Generally customers overlook any slight shortcomings, and appreciate the entertainment value of watching a production that is "home grown" where Caribbean people interact in a West Indian setting where they actually "sound and act like Caribbeans". In fact this is exactly why these works are so sought after worldwide, and in essence have become collectors items. MusicFreaKCentral.com is proud to provide them - all in one place!