Record Store Day May Have Peaked

Since 2008, Record Store Day every April has been a huge hit. In fact, many in the music industry feel that it's been a big reason for vinyl's resurgence, calling attention to a side of the business that had been essential dead and buried and has now returned to a level of surprising growth. Even though the latest Record Store Day a couple of weeks ago was proclaimed the biggest ever, there's evidence that we might've seen its peak.

One of the best things about RSD was that the small Mom & Pop record store was celebrated, but this time many of these stores refused to join in the festivities because they now feel it's been totally co-opted by the major labels.

The reason is that in order for a store to officially participate in the event, they are forced to purchase a slew of "official" new vinyl releases, which they're not able to return if unsold. This has imparted an undue financial burden upon already cash-strapped stores which many are now unwilling to take.

While many vinyl fans do look for new or re-released titles, most record stores make their living on used or early edition releases, and find that new vinyl just doesn't sell in the quantities that the labels require them to take for the event (the big indies are complicit here too).

Small indie labels and artists are also upset too, in that the major labels tie up all the vinyl pressing plants for months prior to RSD, so they're not able to have new vinyl ready for the event.

So like with so many other movements that start off with the best intentions, Record Store Day has been co-opted by big business, and as a result will soon cease to be the event that it once was. Let's hope that the indie record stores find other ways to maintain their visibility so they can still stay in business.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

Why Consumers Buy Vinyl

Last week I posted about the extras that entice buyers to purchase a CD, according to a study by the British Phonograph Industry. Another part of that same study has to do with the reasons that consumers purchase vinyl records.

What's interesting is that the study looks at 2 groups of buyers; hardcore vinyl buyers who only listen to their purchase, and buyers who listen to their music both via streaming and vinyl.

If you look at the graphic below, those that listen to both streaming and vinyl seem to appreciate vinyl far more than the vinyl-only purchasers, as most points are in the 90% range.

What's most interesting (to me at least) are the points at the bottom. Most who listen to streaming find that vinyl is a good investment, like to show their collection to their friends, and like having it around for decorative purposes.

Covers have always been important when it comes to vinyl, and given that buyers really like to show off their vinyl purchases, they're now more important than ever, so don't skimp on that artwork!

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

They Said It Would Never Happen - New Vinyl Presses To Hit The Market

One of the biggest problems with the growth of the vinyl record industry is the fact that the gear to make them is so old. There hasn't been a new record press machine made in over 30 years, and the cost of maintenance on the old machines is getting increasingly difficult and expensive.

That's about to change as NewBilt Machinery of Germany has introduced a modern up-to-date vinyl press that could relieve the entire industry of the burden of relying on worn-out machines.

United Record Pressing and Jack White's Third Man Records will get the first ones for their respective Nashville record plants. It's also reported that Third Man may also open a plant in Detroit as well, and that most other pressing plants have machines on order.

Believe it or not, there are 21 record manufactures in the United States alone, some using presses that are 50 years old, and most have lined up to purchase at least one new press. At a price of around $100,000 each for a single press system ($161,250 for a duplex system), they're not cheap, but neither is having to pay $5,000 to get a screw machined for an old press, as frequently happens.

Even if you have that kind of cash, there's still a lot more to setting up a plant, as a boiler, cooling tower, air compressor and three phase power is required as well to go along with the highly toxic chemical process needed to make the record stampers.

That said, having new presses available will allow the industry to grow and deliver in a more timely fashion, since it now can take up to four months for an order to be fulfilled.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

Are Vinyl Records Headed For The Supermarket?

In what may be a fascinating turn of events, it looks like you may see some vinyl records for sales along with the tabloid papers in the checkout line of you local supermarket before long.

The UK's biggest supermarket chain, Tesco, is going to stock vinyl later this week in a special promotion with Iron Maiden and their first studio record in five years, The Book of Souls.

This is a triple album on Warner's Parlophone label, which is interesting in itself in the Maiden were DIY without a label for a number of years.

This is considered to be a trial run that could see the supermarket chain commit to more vinyl titles and inventory if it goes well.

No doubt supermarket chains in the US are watching this one closely.

---

Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this blog at no cost to you (just click here).

Just Who Is Buying Vinyl Anyway?

Vinyl record sales are up 38% this year with projected total sales of over 8 million units, up over 200% since 2008. But just who's buying these records anyway? MusicWatch did a survey and this is what they found.

• 56% of all vinyl purchases are made by men

• Surprisingly enough, just under half of vinyl buyers are under 25 year old, with 13 to 17 year olds making up 21% of buyers and 18 to 25 making up 26%.

• The 26 to 35 age group makes up 25% of buyers

• 36 to 50 represent 14% of buyers

• Even more surprising is that baby boomers don't buy as much vinyl as previously thought, coming in at only 13%.

So how did the vinyl resurgence start? Most media watchers trace it back to Record Store Day in 2008, which has gone on to becoming a major retail event in not only the US, but Europe, Canada and Mexico as well. Many labels and indie acts prepared special releases for this day, which helped launch the event.

Another factor is that with vinyl being more in demand, record labels are releasing more vinyl as well, which helps prime the pump for more sales. Most labels now are confident that they can sell at least a small number of units (anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000) to justify the expense.

That said, vinyl still is only a blip on bottom line of the industry, although that blip is growing a little every year. As of December 7th, vinyl accounted for only 3.4% of US album sales and 6% of physical album sales.

An Artist's Look At Music Delivery Format Pros And Cons

In the recent past, there have always been multiple containers (a container is the way the music is packaged for distribution) of music that an artist had available for sale. First there were vinyl singles and vinyl albums, then vinyl albums and cassettes, then CDs and cassettes, then digital downloads and CDs, and now we can add streaming digital music to the list. With the recent resurgence of vinyl, an artist has four container options for distribution of his or her work. Here's an excerpt from my Music 4.0: A Survival Guide For Making Music In The Internet Age that takes a look at the pros and cons of each.

As you can see from the chart above, each of the current delivery methods has an assortment of pros and cons. This is not to say that one container is better than another in our current music world, but it helps to be aware of the benefits and disadvantages of each.

You can read additional excerpt from Music 4.0 and my other books on the excerpts section of bobbyowsinski.com.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

The 10 Most Expensive Records Of 2014

People love to collect things, and paying stupid amounts of money for a collectible is something that's pretty common to feed the obsession. Vinyl records are no exception, but you have to wonder why some records are worth so much.

The Vinyl Factory recently posted the 10 most expensive records sold on the Discogs trading site so far this year. If you've heard of more than 2 of these then you are indeed a serious collector.

1. Coil – Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders) (1987), $1,889 
2. Bernard Purdie – Lialeh (1974), $1,875
2. Necros – Sex Drive (1981), $1,875 
2. Mammut – Mammut (1971), $1,875 
2. Dr. Z – Three Parts to My Soul (1971), $1,875 
2. Nicholas Greenwood – Cold Cuts (1972), $1,875 
2. Lee More – Free and Easy (1981), $1,875
2. Vicious Visions – I Beat You / No No’s (1983), $1,8752
2. Old Man & The Sea – The Old Man & The Sea (1972), $1,875 
2. Various – Sonatas for Violins (1964), $1,875

If you take notice there are 10 titles, but 9 of them sold for the same amount - $1,875.

What's the big attraction? Most are limited collectors items. For instance, the Coil record was one of only 55 pressed (you can listen to a sample here).

It's pretty cool to see the great drummer Bernard Purdie on the list though.

Any bets that the buyers of these records never actually listen to them?

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

5 Ways To Get Fans To Buy Your Physical Product

Even though most of us have changed to listening to music via online streams, physical product is never going away. People still buy CDs and vinyl is a very hot commodity, even though the sales number aren't what they once were. So what does it take to get people to actually buy your product?

Nick Moorhead wrote a great article on this over on the Sonicbids blog. I'm going to use some of his points with my explanations here, but you should still read his post because he offers a lot of good info. Here's my take on the 5 things to remember.

1. You need a visually compelling cover. Artwork sells and it always has. Back in the days before the CD when all we had was vinyl records, people would actually buy a record of an unknown artist just because they found the cover interesting. That still applies today.

2. Make it a limited addition. People can't resist something they think is a collectible. Sometimes by just numbering the products (#14 of 500, for instance) can make them more attractive, and allow you to charge more too.

3. Include some bonus tracks. A fan will buy the product if he knows that there are two songs that can't be found anywhere else. It's the ultimate enticement.

4. Provide a bundle. Sometimes just selling a record or CD isn't enough; you have to include some of your swag as well. Either include a T-shirt, sticker, patch or poster - it doesn't matter what's included to make the package seem like more of a bargain.

5. Make the liner notes special. Once again, back in the days of vinyl records, many people bought records based on the liner notes as well as the artwork. The more info you include (studio, additional players, behind the scenes trivia, etc.) the more fans are likely to purchase it. Including lyrics is also a plus as well!

It's surprising what just a little thought and a little bit of extra effort can do for the sales of physical product. Sometimes it's just that one extra thing beyond the music that gets someone into a buying frame of mind.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

The Top 10 Vinyl Records Of 2014

Bob Marley - Legend Vinyl Record

Sales of vinyl records will be up again at the end of 2014, which is no surprise to anyone in the music business. Mastering houses that cut vinyl lacquers are busier than ever, as are record pressing plants. There's even rumor of new modern equipment being built for the first time in about 30 years.

That said, a recent ICM survey found that fully 15% of vinyl buyers never listen to them. They're purchased as much as a collectible as anything. Then again, not everyone has the means to play a vinyl record either.

Here's the top 10 best selling vinyl records of 2014 so far.

1. Lazaretto - Jack White

2. AM - Arctic Monkeys

3. Morning Phase - Beck

4. Turn Blue - The Black Keys

5. Born to Die - Lana Del Rey

6. Legend - Bob Marley & The Wailers

7. Abbey Road - The Beatles

8. Pure Heroine - Lorde

9. Salad Days - Mac Demarco

10. St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Just as an aside, notice how all the album titles are either 2 or 3 syllables in length.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Playing Vinyl With Your Smartphone - The Office Turntable

This is one of the best promo ideas ever. German dance label Kontor sent out 900 mailings that contained a vinyl record in a cover that folds out to become a 2D record player.

There's a QR code to download an app onto your smartphone, which you then launch and line up on the "turntable." The app then shows a virtual tone arm that allows you to play the record.

Kontor found that 71% opened and used the mailing, which was about 64% higher response than usual. The project won the Gold Lion Award at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. Check it out.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Will The Album Go The Way Of The VHS Tape?

Another Soundscan report is in and once again, album sales in the United States have slipped, this time from 235 million to 227 million compared to the same period last year. This is actually nothing new, since the format has been in a major decline since 2000, when sales were at an all-time high of 785 million.

Just to be clear, 227 million of anything is still a lot of units, and it should be noted that these are only the sales that can be counted. With so much of an artist’s income coming through DIY methods these days, there are millions of CD and vinyl sales made on artist websites and at gigs that go unreported.

That said, its clear that the trend in music is away from the album format, even when its digital, as streaming becomes the norm for music consumption everywhere. It wasn’t always that way, though, as there was a lot of reasons why the big 10 inch caught on in the first place.

A Case For Albums

One of the things that albums in vinyl record form required of the listener was an increased attention span longer than what was needed for a single, at least for the length of one side of the record, or about 20 to 25 minutes. This time limit was imposed by the limitations of the vinyl itself, as a longer running time would result in increased noise and a lower output because of the shallower grooves that were required in order to fit them into the same vinyl area. 

The one thing this did do, however, was divide the album into an easily consumable block of time; one that was long enough to get a sense of what the artist was trying to say. It was also a way of discovering songs that appealed to the public ear on a level that might not have been anticipated by either the artist or the record label. So many of the classic hits we’ve come to know and love through the years fall into this category, like Marvin Gaye’s version of “Heard It Through The Grapevine,” Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” and Eric Clapton’s (actually Derek and the Dominos) “Layla,” just to name a few. Plus, the artist was able to make a statement with the album as a whole, as evidenced by the big hits of day like The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, and Greenday’s American Idiot. Read more on Forbes.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Record Store Day Another Big Hit

Record Store Day 2014 was again a raging success as sales at independent record stores represented 19.4% of the US music sales volume last week, which many say is the highest share since Soundscan began tracking such things in 1991. Many record stores proclaimed it their best day ever, with some stores actually having a line of several hundred waiting to get into the store!

As a result of RSD, vinyl sales were up a whopping 57% as its resurgence continues, with over 329,000 sales for the week. So what titles were hot? Here's how Billboard ranks sales for the week:

Vinyl Albums
1. Childish Gambino, "Because the Internet" (Glassnote)
2. The Afghan Whigs, "Do To the Beast" (Sub Pop)
3. Notorious B.I.G., "Life After Death" (Bad Boy/Rhino)
4. Bruce Springsteen, "American Beauty" (EP) (Columbia)
5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Live At Monterey" (Experience
Hendrix/Legacy)
6. Grateful Dead, "Hampton Coliseum: Friday May 4, 1979" (Grateful
Dead/Rhino)
7. Tame Impala, "Live Versions" (Modular/Interscope/IGA)
8. Joy Division, "An Ideal For Living" (EP) (Warner UK/Rhino)
9. The Flaming Lips, "7 Skies H3" (Lovely Sorts Of Death/Warner Bros.)
10. The Ramones, "Meltdown With the Ramones EP" (Sire/Rhino)

Vinyl Singles

1. Nirvana, "Pennyroyal Tea" (Sub Pop/Geffen/Interscope)
2. Devo/The Flaming Lips, "Gates of Steel" (Live) (Warner Bros./Rhino)
3. The Cure/Dinosaur Jr., "Just Like Heaven" (Fiction/Elektra/Rhino)
4. David Bowie, "1984" (Parlophone/Rhino)
5. Love/Rush, "7 and 7 Is" (Elektra/Rhino)
6. Frank Zappa, "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" (Zappa/UMe)
7. Poison Idea/Pantera, "The Badge" (East West/Rhino)
8. Paramore, "Ain't It Fun" (Fueled By Ramen/RRP)
9. Fleetwood Mac, "Dragonfly" (Reprise/Warner Bros./Rhino)
10. Garbage With Brody Dalle, "Girls Talk" (Stun Volume)

Record Store Day continues to be a yearly hit, and vinyl sales continue to surge, now at 3.2% of all music sales. The indie brick and mortar record stores should be all cheering loudly, and rightfully so.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Vinyl Sales Grow, But Albums Stagnate

We're starting to get the final music sales figures from 2013, and the biggest jump so far is with the vinyl album. As you can see from the chart below from Statista, the LP has been on a steady incline since 2007, but last year grew by 32% over 2012.

Albums in general haven't done so well though, as overall sales (including CD and digital) fell another 8.4% last year, slumping to 289 million units from 316 million in 2012.

That being said, remember that the big jump in vinyl still means there was only 6 million units sold! That's a drop in the bucket compared to the other music media.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business.

You should follow me on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Top 10 Best Selling Vinyl Records

Amazon recently presented a report that stated that vinyl sales are up 745% since 2008. One of the reasons the company feels that sales are up that drastically is because of its Autorip service, which provides MP3s of the tracks of the vinyl album, so it's like getting two products for the price of one. Here are some interesting Amazon vinyl facts.

Best Selling Genres
Rock - 55.6%
Miscellaneous - 19.2%
Pop - 9.8%
Urban - 4.3%
Dance - 3.9%
Folk - 1.7%
Blues - 1.5%
Easy Listening - 1.5%
Jazz -1.5%
Reggae - 0.9%
Classical - 0.1%

The shock here is not that rock leads the pack, but how poorly jazz and classical sales are, considering that vinyl is a centerpiece of the listening experience of both genres.

That said, here are the top 10 best selling vinyl records of last year.

Best Selling Vinyl Albums In 2012
1. Blunderbuss - Jack White
2. Abbey Road - The Beatles
3. Babel - Mumford & Sons
4. El Camino - The Black Keys
5. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
6. Bloom - Beach House
7. For Emma Forever Go - Bon Iver
8. Boys And Girls - Alabama Shakes
9. 21 - Adele
10. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

The surprise here is that both Mumford & Sons and Bon Iver both had two records in the top 10, and that Abbey Road is still popular after all these years.

Whole Foods Now Selling Vinyl

We know that vinyl is making a comeback, but this might be a sign that the trend has peaked. It seems that hipster food retailer Whole Foods has introduced a vinyl section in five of its 340 stores (all in Southern California) for a test run.

You'd have to wonder why this would be a match, since there's no way music could contribute much to the bottom line of a $12 billion retailer, except for the fact that the people who shop there have made a lifestyle choice, and a vinyl record sort of plays into that lifestyle.

It appears that there's around 150 records available, which is a pretty good selection, and it ranges from Eric Clapton, Daft Punk, Paramore, Bob Marley and CCR to even some of Pitchfork's best new music picks. As you'd suspect, hip hop and metal are not well represented.

Of course, there is some irony in the fact that they're selling a petroleum-based product that's pretty far away from green, but who knows, maybe there's some sort of biodegradable record on the way that we don't know about yet.

----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

Follow me on Forbes for some insights on the new music business.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Music Sales Up This Year

While music sales in the US have been rather flat for the last few years, it appears that the music industry has now climbed past the plateau.

 According to Nielsen Soundscan, digital albums are up 15% this year so far and individual digital track sales are up by 6%. In fact, Americans have already purchased more than 1 billion downloads this year and are on a pace to to break the 2011 record of 1.3 billion.

On top of that, vinyl record sales are up 16.3%, although that only equates to about 3.2 million units, a drop in the bucket compared to other music products.

So what can we contribute this surge to? Decreased piracy? Maybe. There's been great strides made against torrents this year and as a result fewer illegal downloads have been tracked.

Better music? This could also be the case. Adele's 21, for example, is still going strong, and a Grammy win in the beginning of the year helped propel that album to heights we've not seen in a while. Plus there have been fewer weeks where the #1 record was below 100k in sales this year.

What do you think?

-----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Don't Forget To Celebrate Record Store Day!

 Today is the fifth annual Record Store Day when music lover everywhere head for their local record store to buy some vinyl and help surport a dwindling, but absolutely necessary part of the industry.

A number of artists are celebrating the day by releasing special vinyl records, including Katy Perry (with 12" pink vinyl), David Bowie (with a picture disc of "Starman"), Arcade Fire, Flaming Lips, Paul McCartney, and even some never before heard songs by James Brown.

Most record stores are small independent "mom and pop" stores these days and they really do need our help to survive. Head out to a store today. Look through the albums and CDs, and maybe even buy something.

Support your local record store. You'll be glad you did.

-----------------------------------

Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.