very comprehensive look at vinyl and the future in one man's eyes. i can respect his views
Vinyl Poised to Make Further Gains; Time To Ask, “What Does it All Mean”?
by Peter Kirn
At first, it seemed like it might be just a blip: amidst generally declining sales of physical music, down sharply from their 1990s boom, vinyl sales were trending up. The reversal started with a slight uptick in 2007 – already noticeable as the CD had begun its collapse. That slight uptick has turned into a small boom. From a tiny 300,000 units in US sales in 1993, the vinyl record is projected to do some 3.6 million units in sales.
Let’s put some of this in perspective. Even with explosive growth, vinyl remains at the margins, representing 1.6% of physical sales in the US. In fact, part of the fetish around vinyl is evidenced by the fact that people would make this headline news – fans of the vinyl record are understandably eager to hear their format of choice is doing well. As a point of comparison, in the last 30 days, just one independent band website, Bandcamp, has done US$640,513 in profit for its members. That’s profit, not revenue, and it’s often going directly to artists.
You can also, via Digital Music News, compare to vinyl’s years as the dominant format, which makes this all look very niche:
That graph doesn’t show per-unit cost, and anecdotally, artists seem closer to the record release process than they once were.
The Vinyl Comeback, In Historical Perspective
That said, vinyl’s significance in the new world order is arguably more about its cultural meaning than its numbers. (Getting away from numbers – cough, digital – is the point.) Cutting a vinyl record today is about making a physical artefact of a release. It carries with it prestige. Its scarcity is part of its value, with exclusive 12? releases again returning to the days when DJs were judged by the obscure gems in their collection, not the disposable digital hits.
And I can see any number of benefits to vinyl’s reemergence:
Please read the rest of this great post at createdigitalmusic.com
=============
Brutal Truth - New Album Cover Art Revealed
=============
interesting post for sinatra fans...
Ring-A-Ding Ding With New Bells and Whistles: A Sinatra Classic Gets a Much-Needed Upgrade
by Tony Sachs
Serious collectors of Frank Sinatra -- the ones who buy the endless CD compilations with one rare track, the under-the-counter bootlegs, the import LPs with different artwork -- are a notoriously tough bunch. They're happy to shell out the bucks for music they've already bought half a dozen times, but heaven help the reissue producers, liner note writers, and (especially) the Sinatra estate if someone screws up.
Read the rest at huffingtonpost.com
=============
Vinyl Redux
Artists display 250 works of art at the Russell Industrial Center June 4
By Robert del Valle
Well, the man behind that show has struck again - and this time with a new and equally intriguing choice in raw material.
On June 4, you can travel to the Russell Industrial Center and see how Detroit artist Mike Kelly and his friends have found a new use for the discarded LP's and waxen discs of the pre-CD era. It's called Vinyl Redux.
Read more at detroit.metromix.com
=============
Classic Rock Art Show Returns to Trump Plaza from June 23-26
Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino will rock the art world with the Classic Rock Art Show
- the largest exhibit of its kind in the world — Thursday through Sunday, June 23-26, on the casino level, Boardwalk at Mississippi Avenue.
Along with a rare collection of original art, lithographs, photographs, handwritten song lyrics, concert posters, gold records, album art, animation drawings and more from the greatest rock artists of all time, there will also be a special appearance by famed rock photographer James Fortune.
The four-day show is free and open to the public each day from 3pm-midnight Thurs.-Sat., and noon-6pm Sun.. All works are available for purchase.
For more information visit blogs.atlanticcityweekly.com
=============
and in music history for today:
In 1942, Glenn Wallichs launched Capitol Records in the U.S. The label became home to such artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Glen Campbell, Steve Miller, Dr. Hook, Bob Seger, Tina Turner, Heart and countless others. Wallichs was the man who invented the art of record promotion by sending copies of new releases to disc jockeys.
Janis Joplin joined Big Brother & the Holding Company in 1966.
In 1969, Johnny Cash's 'At San Quentin' LP was released
In 1975, the Rolling Stones become the first western rock band to receive a royalty check for songs aired in Russia.
In 1976, live recordings were made at the new wave venue GBGBs of performances from Blondie, Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, Laughing Dogs and Tuff Darts. The tracks featured on the album Live At CBGBS New York.
In 1983, the Police started a four week run at #1 in the U.K. with “Every Breath You Take” the group's fifth and final No.1 single. Taken from the bands album Synchronicity, Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance for the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards.
In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service announced the results of a poll conducted to see which picture of Elvis Presley should be used on a commemorative stamp. The young Elvis beat the older Vegas Elvis.
In 1994, Derek Leckenby, lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits, died of cancer at the age of 51.
It was announced in 1996 that Crowded House had split up.
The Metallica album "Load" was released in 1996.
In 1997, ex-Small Faces, Faces and leader of Slim Chance, Ronnie Lane died aged 51 after a 20-year battle with multiple sclerosis.
Also in 1997, Jeff Buckley’s body was discovered floating in the Mississippi River. A passenger on a tourist boat spotted the body near the southern tip of Mud Island. The singer, songwriter had disappeared when swimming on May 29th.
In 2001, John Hartford, the songwriter who wrote Glen Campbell's hit "Gentle On My Mind" and recorded a catalog of more than 30 albums, winning Grammy awards in three different decades, died after a long battle with non-hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 63.
In 2010, Billboard magazine reported that weekly album sales may have hit its lowest point since the early 1970s. According to the RIAA, album shipments in 1973 totaled an average of 7.47 million per week, while last weeks sales totaled 4.98 million units. One industry executive described the situation as "pretty scary."
birthday wishes to Michelle Phillips (67)
