Andertons/Victory

Petepassion · August 2023

Interesting vid,
The fella spent a long time investigating and maybe some may ask hasn't he got anything better to do? But I think he makes a very good point and fair play to him. ...
https://youtu.be/FeHzkAxcCWU?si=okMtfH1AR5n1ZZZN

S56035 · August 2023

Oh god, this twit again. I'll watch out of morbid curiosity but it won't change my opinion that the bloke is a twit.

theatreanchor · August 2023

WHO CARES?

Petepassion · August 2023

theatreanchor said:

WHO CARES?

Well if you're in the market and checking out reviews I'd guess it would be nice to know who has a vested interest

darthed1981 · August 2023

Can't be bothered to watch.

Is this just that Lee Anderton owns shares in victory amps?

That's been common knowledge for years hasn't it?

He also owns Chapman guitars with Rob.

I mean, I'm as socialist as the next guy but Lee Anderton is simply a very successful businessman, that's it.

euan · August 2023

It’s a shop, they have a vested interest in selling everything.

John_P · August 2023

He's a tool.

I didn't realise it was a secret that Andertons had a share in Victory. A bit like the "revelations" that Andertons were linked to landlord effect - I wonder if he realises what the A in GAP stands for.

I thought Lee Anderton came out well and pretty open and transparent in his responses making it more of a non-story.

Sporky · August 2023

Next shocking expose will be that Gear4Music and Subzero have links.

Petepassion · August 2023

Guess I must have been the only one who didn't know then LOL
I'll get back under my rock

DrCornelius · August 2023

I didn’t know but don’t care tbh. Lee always comes across as likeable , business savvy bloke whereas that KDH character seems like a bit of a sad case in search of something to moan about for clicks

Power_Freak · August 2023

Tbh I had no idea about the connection - and I'd consider myself more tuned in than the "average" consumer, so it comes across pretty shady to me.

It's a problem with "influencer" culture in general - it allows certain companies/people to essentially avoid longstanding advertising standards

euan · August 2023

Why does he conclude that Lee Anderton owns Victory? He talks about a dividend but never asks Anderton if he has ever taken one, nor how much on Victory he may or may not own?

It’s the usual weird phrasing from KDH to imply something more sinister than what it actually sounds like. A bunch of guys wanted to do Martin Kidd a favour when Cornford folded and helped him set up something that was his.

roberty · August 2023

His research consisted mostly of asking Lee Anderton questions directly on Instagram, to which he gave honest and direct answers. So much whining

stickyfiddle · August 2023

What shocking revelations will he come out with next?

Fender make Gretches! Gibson own Mesa Boogie! Sainsbury's are shills for Taste The Difference food....!

Petepassion · August 2023

euan said:

Why does he conclude that Lee Anderton owns Victory? He talks about a dividend but never asks Anderton if he has ever taken one, nor how much on Victory he may or may not own?

It’s the usual weird phrasing from KDH to imply something more sinister than what it actually sounds like. A bunch of guys wanted to do Martin Kidd a favour when Cornford folded and helped him set up something that was his.

Lee comes across as a pretty decent fella, very likeable. And best of luck to Martin Kidd, they are great amps, I really liked my Victory Sheriff. It's just odd the fact there is a lack of transparency regarding his part investment in Victory when He's more open about the other brands he's involved with.
Most retailers now make a point of informing the viewer if there is any form of affiliation with the reviewed/promoted product...which is how it should be IMO

.euan said:

It’s a shop, they have a vested interest in selling everything.

Of course, but it would be nice to know if their review/demo is possibly biased towards one particular product

digitalscream · August 2023

This is not a review <moved>

monquixote · August 2023

Wait till you see his sensational exposé of the links between Thomann and Harley Benton.

darthed1981 · August 2023

monquixote said:

Wait till you see his sensational exposé of the links between Thomann and Harley Benton.

"... and, shockingly, you can change the pickups and they are the equal of an R8, which are ALSO sold by Thomann..."

digitalscream · August 2023

Also, this is yet another clear attempt by KDH to manufacture a (public) problem where there is none. To my knowledge, there's no legal requirement to publicly list shareholders in a partnership (I could be wrong on this), and that's all Lee is - a shareholder. Not a director, and not with any actual role in the company.

Even if we're imagining that there is a requirement, it's only for PSCs - individuals with significant control, something Lee doesn't have.

Then, of course, there's his whole imagined "ethics in reviews" thing, which is what KDH is trying to get at with his "should you trust their reviews?" bit in the conclusion. Sadly for him, Andertons have never posted reviews on their channel - and they're very clear about the fact that they aren't posting reviews, because:

1 - They only showcase products they sell
2 - They'd be idiots to negatively review a product they sell
3 - Therefore they can never put up a negative review
4 - ...and so they always say that they demo products, they don't review them. This was mentioned often in the early days.

So...sure, you shouldn't trust any of their reviews. If you can find one.

What a fool. All he's done here is make public a private individual's financial affairs, which is almost never OK.

Sporky · August 2023

digitalscream said:

This is not a review <moved>

Rene? Is that you?

MrSwanson · August 2023

They, unsurprisingly, have their knickers in a twist about it over on TGP.

Lee posted a response on Insta, for some reason I can't get it to link through on here properly.

Petepassion · August 2023

digitalscream said:

This is not a review <moved>

Thanks, I wasn't too sure where to put it...in the trash I hear you say

digitalscream said:

Also, this is yet another clear attempt by KDH to manufacture a (public) problem where there is none. To my knowledge, there's no legal requirement to publicly list shareholders in a company, and that's all Lee is - a shareholder. Not a director, and not with any actual role in the company.

Even if we're imagining that there is a requirement, it's only for PSCs - individuals with significant control, something Lee doesn't have.

Then, of course, there's his whole imagined "ethics in reviews" thing, which is what KDH is trying to get at with his "should you trust their reviews?" bit in the conclusion. Sadly for him, Andertons have never posted reviews on their channel - and they're very clear about the fact that they aren't posting reviews, because:

1 - They only showcase products they sell
2 - They'd be idiots to negatively review a product they sell
3 - Therefore they can never put up a negative review
4 - ...and so they always say that they demo products, they don't review them. This was mentioned often in the early days.

So...sure, you shouldn't trust any of their reviews. If you can find one.

What a fool. All he's done here is make public a private individual's financial affairs, which is almost never OK.

Whether you call it a showcase, review, demo or something else comes down to semantics.
But they are a retailer giving opinions and demo's on a public platform in order to sell their product...which they know will have an influence. Personally I think a little more transparency regarding Victory amps when they demo them can only be a good thing.
But at the end of the day, either way, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist about it, I just thought some people may want to know...and many actually do. If people know already or think KDH is a prat, no worries, move on.

Vintage-T · August 2023

who cares??? Shop makes video to sell items in their shop.

Shop owner also invests in brands they stock, gets better prices and or preferential treatment. It's a total non story. LA has addressed it perfectly amicably in the video on his Insta page.

Buy from them or don't. I have no idea why anyone would be getting massively upset about this though....

Sporky · August 2023

Petepassion said:

Whether you call it a showcase, review, demo or something else comes down to semantics.

I think it's important. To be valuable, a review has to mention negatives (if they exist) - it has to be fair and balanced. A showcase or demo is there to illustrate the thing in its best light.

Both are useful as long as you know which is which.

digitalscream · August 2023

Petepassion said:
.
Whether you call it a showcase, review, demo or something else comes down to semantics.

It's not semantics, really - showcase/demo are essentially the same thing, but a review is a demo with recommendations; it's basically the difference between "here are the features" and "you should/shouldn't buy this". That's a hugely important distinction.

Petepassion said:

If people know already or think KDH is a prat, no worries, move on.

I'd have thought most people know there's a cooperative relationship between Andertons and Victory anyway (whether they know about Lee Anderton's private affairs is entirely different), and I would hope most people hold that opinion of KDH's output

Honestly, anybody who thinks Lee Anderton's up to something shady here - as KDH tries to imply - has never met the guy.

Sporky · August 2023

Sprocket once gave Lee's nether regions a darned good sniffing on the common near my old house.

Lee took it well. I'm not sure he enjoyed it, but he took it like a trooper. I think that speaks well of him.

roberty · August 2023

monquixote said:

Wait till you see his sensational exposé of the links between Thomann and Harley Benton.

Harley Benton isn't even a real person. They wanted something American sounding

Wouldn't look out of place on this list tbh

Image: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oymWAeqv_-c/maxresdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCIAKENAF8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-CYAC0AWKAgwIABABGBQgEyh_MA8=&rs=AOn4CLDMiVDTo0gc9nekIQgw0SiQ5nvioA

flying_pie · August 2023

I wasn't fully aware of The Captain holding shares part when I bought my Kraken. Doesn't change anything for me.

I'm not surprised to hear there's a connection. I imagine that there won't be a colossal amount of people investing in ambitious music brand start ups in the UK. And his Instagram response shows he's very switched on.

I'm now wondering if KDH is a shareholder in Anderson's and has set this up to boost the profile. Can someone investigate that?

Sporky · August 2023

Bobson Dugnutt is my new stripper name.

BillDL · August 2023

I saw the video, watched a bit of it until I reached the point where he didn't seem to grasp that GAP is a buying consortium, so Landlord FX and East Coast guitars are effectively "own brand" made by an OEM that's probably making budget guitars for dozens of other retailers and companies. There was a passing inference of "something sinister there", but he apparently never bothered to check whether any companies other than the 3 retailers in the GAP buying group actually sold those brands.

As @digitalcream says, Andertons YouTube videos are a "showcase" for the brands they sell and simply advertising for their retail business. Even the head-to-head play-offs aren't really reviews, and even if they were Lee is never the only one playing or playing through the musical equipment being featured. There have always been others that, I would assume, aren't shareholders in the products in the room playing them. It isn't as though Victory amps are only sold through Andertons either. There are plenty other authorised dealerships selling and showcasing Victory amps along with their other brands.

Image: https://tfb-user-images.eu-central-1.linodeobjects.com/6ab1ce63aeef4797fd19b7ee39edcca50675676789b547a5f4

The subject of KDH's next video has apparently already been under investigation by him for a long time but is nearing fruition. He gave up on the "Sainsbury owns Argos", "Victor Kiam owned Remington", "Zuber and Mohsin Issa own Asda and lots of petrol stations, but Asda petrol is cheaper", and "Levi Roots isn't Hebrew - his real name is Keith Valentine Graham" investigations after they were leaked, but is going ahead with "The same factory that packages fresh herbs and salad products for Waitrose puts different stickers on exactly the same packages for Lidl, but Lidl's are much cheaper". A shocking sinister lack of transparency, apart from the packaging of course. Anybody can see through that.

roberty · August 2023

Sporky said:

Bobson Dugnutt is my new stripper name.

Dog nuts?

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