Sunday, January 30, 2011

Vinyl Record News & Notes, Did You Know?

What gimmick will they think of next?  This from Ion Audio.com

COMING SOON!

Hear your music from another angle.


Catch the eye, and ear, of everyone with ION VERTICAL VINYL wall-mountable turntable. VERTICAL VINYL gives you a great way to save surface space in your living room, office or dorm room with its wall-mount design. A fun, new way to experience your records, VERTICAL VINYL will also impress your friends and guests by defying gravity when playing records sideways!

Instantly listen to your music using the built-in speaker with volume control. Play any record you own by choosing between 33 or 45 RPM platter speeds and using the 45 adaptor included with VERTICAL VINYL. VERTICAL VINYL is also battery powered so there are no wires climbing up the wall for a clean, modern appearance. Also acts as a tabletop horizontal record player. For a turntable that's sure to turn heads, look no further than ION VERTICAL VINYL

Check it out  ionaudio.com

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an interesting feature from our friends up north....

Calgary's preserver of pop art past

You can't blame Jerry Keogh for being nostalgic. The poster shop owner is surrounded by rare remnants of the past, which just happen to be wise investments in pop art culture.

By Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald

The modern-day Jerry Keogh would probably not approve of how a young Jerry Keogh began his collection of rare and colourful concert posters as a youth in Edmonton.

Now the owner of Calgary's Heritage Posters, which deals in rare and colourful concert posters, Keogh had a less formal mode of acquiring these items in his youth.

"You would see a poster stapled to a wooden telephone pole," he says. "So you stop and look at the poster and say 'That's great.' And you'd rip it off. That's how I started collecting all these posters. Just ripping them off telephone poles."

Read more at the CalgaryHerald.com

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Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz celebrating 50 years of preserving American roots music.

By Jim Harrington
Oakland Tribune

Chris Strachwitz can't seem to go 10 minutes without playing music.

As he tells the fabled history of Arhoolie Records, the El Cerrito-based label he founded in 1960, he finds it necessary to mix music with his words. He sits in his small, crowded upstairs office in the back of his record shop Down Home Music on San Pablo Avenue, and splits his attention between a vinyl turntable, a digital database of a near-infinite number of songs and some of his favorite music videos on YouTube.

Read the rest of this story HERE

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an interesting read from the UK:

Reggae: the sound that revolutionised Britain

Punk may have got all the headlines, but reggae proved vital in ending the rift between black and white teenagers and introducing cross-pollination to the charts

Neil Spencer The Observer

It was punk's "summer of hate", 1977, and the required pose was a sneer, a leather jacket and something hacked about – a spiky haircut, a ripped T-shirt, a sawn-off school tie. And, of course, no flares, the despised flag of hippiedom. But at the cold, concrete roots of Britain a very different aesthetic was also in the ascendant, one calling for an oversized tam, dreadlocks and a display of "the red, gold and green", the colours of Rastafari. Flares? Fine!

The two looks represented the different worlds inhabited by young white and black Britain, worlds which a year previously had been remote from each other but which by the summer of 1977 were unexpectedly and often uncomfortably rubbing shoulders.

Read more at guardian.co.uk

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CHILDREN OF BODOM: Limited-Edition 'Was It Worth It?' Picture-Disc Single Due Next Month

"Was It Worth It?", the new limited-edition 12-inch picture-disc single from Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM, will be made available on February 28 exclusively through U.K.'s What Records. Limited to only 500 copies, it features the following tracks:

Side A: "Was It Worth It?"
Side B: "Angels Don’t Kill" (live at Bloodstock)

"Was It Worth It?" comes off CHILDREN OF BODOM's new album, "Relentless Reckless Forever", which will be released on March 8 via Universal Music.









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Independent retailers get ‘significant boom’ after banner year for vinyl sales

By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer

DAYTON — Vinyl record sales boomed in 2010, and several area independent music retailers are benefitting from the trend.

Vinyl was the fastest-growing music format in an otherwise distressed year, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. The throwback format increased 14 percent, selling more copies in 2010 than any other year since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.

Read more HERE

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Did You Know?

yet, more useless stuff we should all know....

The only real person to be a Pez head was Betsy Ross. (I thought KISS had some made, anyone know?)

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans!

Humans blink over 10,000,000 times a year!

The fear of vegetables is called Lachanophobia....

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. I do.....but I'm not telling

And in the great state of New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile. Ya think? And, do they really need a law for this?

and in music

In 1956 - Elvis Presley recorded his immortal version of "Blue Suede Shoes."

On this day in 1961, good ole Buck Owens' debut album was released by Capitol Records.

The Beatles performed live for the last time on the roof of the Apple Building in London in 1969. The performance of "Get Back" was filmed for the movie "Let It Be."



In 1973 - KISS played their first show under their new name at the Popcorn Club in New York. Their old name was Wicked Lester. The band performed 2 sets at the club that night for a crowd of under 10 people.

And if you see Joe Terranova of Danny and the Juniors, wish him a happy birthday! (1941)




SXSW 2011 Confirms Record Pressing Super Panel


SXSW 2011 Confirms Vinyl Record Panel for Saturday, March 19th “Vinyl Records 3.0 – Challenges and Rewards”

Industry Leaders in Mastering, Production, Printing and More Will Tackle The Question: Are Vinyl Records Surpassing All Other Music Formats in the Music Industry Market Today?

On Saturday, March 19, 2011, the SXSW Music Conference will host the panel “Vinyl Records 3.0: Challenges And Rewards,” bringing together six music industry professionals to discuss the current state and future of vinyl records in the marketplace. Within the past five years, vinyl record sales have steadily been on the rise. According to Nielsen Soundscan, 2.2 million units were sold in 2009, marking a 33% increase from the year prior, which was already a landmark for the medium with sales increasing nearly 50% in 2008. However, vinyl record production is a multi-tiered process; independent artists looking to break into the medium for the first time and those labels reacquainting themselves with the process are still faced with a unique set of decisions and challenges. The “3.0” panel will address such concerns by moderating audience questions and discussions throughout the entire event.

Panelists will discuss in detail the initial audio preparation, mastering, submission, manufacturing processes, print and packaging, design aspects and other details required to successfully release an album on vinyl. Emphasis will be placed on staying within budget and on schedule, while creatively expressing the musiciansʼ vision. A complete list of panelists is below. For more information, visit http://www.sxsw.com/  or any of the panelist websites.

Panelists Include:

Oliver Goss, President, Record Pressing (panel moderator)

Oliver Goss has 20+ years of music industry experience, including executive production, promotional event planning, manufacturing, distribution, licensing, legal affairs, marketing, and management. In addition to establishing the independent record label Cosmic Flux Musiq, Goss founded Record Pressing, the first vinyl record manufacturer with Internet presence, and raised the bar in the quality of records released in the U.S. Goss has previously appeared on panels at CMJ, California Lawyers for the Arts and the Vinyl Symposium of the Mission Creek Music & Arts Festival. For more information, visit http://www.recordpressing.com/

Pete Lyman, Co-Owner & Founder, Infrasonic Sound Recording Co

Pete Lyman is the Co-Owner and Principal Mastering Engineer of Infrasonic Sound Recording Company, a CD and vinyl mastering suite in Los Angeles. Lyman broke into the industry studying alongside acclaimed RCA mastering engineer Richard Simpson and has since mastered material for artists like No Age, Best Coast, People Under the Stairs, Shooter Jennings, Ben Harper, Male Bonding and Jason Falkner to name a select few. He is one of the few engineers worldwide equipped to record and master directly to vinyl lacquer, thanks to the unique setup of Infrasonic Soundʼs recording studio and adjacent mastering suite. Lyman is also the recipient of the Shadow Hills Twin Falcon Award for excellence in mastering on the critically acclaimed Nouns (Sub Pop) by No Age. For Lymanʼs complete discography, visit http://www.infrasonicsound.com/

Jennifer Freund, Founder CEO, DoradoPkg

Jennifer Freund is the CEO of DoradoPkg, manufacturers of premium quality album covers, vinyl record jackets, CD and digipak covers, posters, tour books and numerous other music industry packaging and print products. DoradoPkgʼs clients include labels, distributors and independent artists worldwide. Dorado Pkg is a division of Corporate ImpressionsLA Inc., printers and packagers of business and marketing materials. For more information, visit http://www.doradopkg.com/

Steve Sheldon, CEO, General Manager Rainbo Records

Steve Sheldon has spent virtually his entire professional life in manufacturing for the entertainment industry. He started his career in the music business on the production floor of Rainbo Records while attending college in 1971. Sheldon was named CEO & General Manager of Rainbo in 1986 and President in 2003. Along with Jack Brown, founder of Rainbo Records, Steve has led Rainbo from a strictly vinyl record pressing plant in the 70ʼs, to a leading independent cassette manufacturer in the 80ʼs, incorporating compact discs in the 90ʼs and DVDʼs in the early 2000ʼs. For more information, visit http://www.rainborecords.com/

Nina Palmer, Sales, Marketing Manager Ross Elli

Nina Palmer was born into the music industry. Her father designed and manufactured vinyl record pressing equipment. She has been the marketing director of Ross Ellis for 30+ years, and owned her own vinyl pressing company prior to this. For more information, visit http://www.ross-ellis.com/

Jay Millar, Sales and Marketing Manager United Record Pressing

After several years of working at the now defunct Detroit record chain Harmony House, Jay Millar joined PolyGram Records in 1995. Since then, heʼs spent time with BMG (who moved him to NYC), Sony, BMG, and Universal. In 2007, Jay brought his knowledge and passion for vinyl to the industryʼs largest manufacturer, United Record Pressing, where he serves as Sales and Marketing Manager. Jay also runs vinyl reissue label Microfiche Records, with his wife. For more information, visit http://www.urpressing.com/

I would love to attend, I wonder if they could make it interactive via the Net, then they could hear from vinyl record consumers.....

Music Charts


USA
Albums:

1. Cake - Showroom of Compassion
2. Cage The Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday
3. Taylor Swift - Speak Now
4. Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Holligans
5. Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
6. Soundtrack - Country Strong
7. Steel Magnolia - Steel Magnolia
8. Rihanna - Loud
9. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
10. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

UK
Albums:

1. Bruno Mars - Doo Wops & Hooligans
2 .Rihanna - Loud
3. White Lies - Ritual
4. Plan B - The Defamation of Strickland Banks
5. Ellie Goulding - Lights
6. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
7. Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy
8. Adele - 19
9. Eliza Doolittle - Eliza Doolittle
10. Rumer - Seasons Of My Soul


Europe
Albums:

1. Take That - Progress
2. Rihanna - Loud
3. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise
4. Shakira - Sale El Sol
5. Pink - Greatest Hits ... So Far
6. Bon Jovi - Greatest Hits
7. James Blunt - Some Kind Of Trouble
8. Susan Boyle - The Gift
9. Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
10. JLS - Outta This World