"Billboard" says RSD saved vinyl format

I, too, have been buying a few records on past RSDs, although my turntable was essentially in storage in a closet. The Beatles mono release got me to dust the thing off, and I've been on a vinyl frenzy ever since; and especially glad to have scored a few RSD releases that came before I woke up my sleeping turntable.

 

The article is not super clear explaining its theory of how RSD brought back vinyl. I don't think the article is saying that RSD got consumers excited about buying vinyl, boosting the demand side of the equation.

It is saying that RSD boosted the supply side of the equation. Record labels had given up on vinyl and shifted their financial support to digital formats. RSD showed that if you make vinyl product, consumers will buy it. That gave record labels the confidence to put resources back into supporting vinyl product, knowing that there was a real market out there if they made the product.

 

I said "Percentage" as you had cited the Percentage of 18-25 years olds in vinyl sales. I said nothing about the absolute numbers which obviously had to be smaller in the 90s. I am not dissing Record Store Day. It is what it is. I am just not going along with the idea that it "saved" vinyl. Vinyl was on a steady upswing from 1992 and probably would be where it is today with or without RSD. RSD certainly helps vinyl's visibility in the music industry whether or not it really bumps up overall sales. It may well increase the percentage of new vinyl vs used vinyl purchases. Whether we like it or not, the music biz attitude is critical now because we are up against hard limits of record production unless new production lines are funded.

 

Rare subset - playing it ruins the magic

 

It sure as hell ruins the mystique

 

RSD in Canada took about 2 years extra to get going, yet vinyl sales were still crazy as they were south of the border.

 

blah

*edit* sorry this is in response to the thread title, not a reply to anyone in particular

 

I'm not into the "I own a rare, V1 pressing of Vee Jay SR 1062 'Introducing The Beatles,' and you don't" thing. It's childish.

The f*** you aren't. If you're really not, you're lying to yourself. Doesn't matter if it's an intentional limited edition or not. You've been guilty of collecting limited-edition records whether you know it or not.

Since I've been buying vinyl from jukebox jobbers and local shops since the '90s, I can't personally speak to the recent surge in vinyl sales... but it sure seems like a lot of my friends I endlessly preached to about buying vinyl back in the day are suddenly asking my advice about acquiring records... and this makes me happy. I'm also making a killing selling extra copies of vinyl Lps I bought in the mid-00s.

I think RSD may have increased the awareness of paying for an artist's work, yet not owning a physical copy, and nothing more. Imagine paying $20,000 for a painting, and getting a .jpg.

We've been saying this for years: "CDs are cold and vaculent. Vinyl is warm and friendly."

I think us vinyl nuts are finally being proven right after thirty years of the digital assault. It is the preferred format... because you actually own it.

RSD releases are just a sign that vinyl is actually being appreciated for the works of art they are, fad or not.

 

That is an opinion that vinyl disciples like to treat as a fact. Play your records and ignore the digital format.

 

I will!

Seriously, out of all the points I made in that post... that's the one you attack?

Okay. Enjoy your bits and bytes.

 

I would just like to point out the fact that a vinyl record will last longer than a compact disc, or any other digital format....


I prefer to invest in a format I know won't suffer from digital rot, call me crazy.....

 

If that is what they are contending in the article then I would agree. RSD has surprised the industry by the positive reaction and put vinyl on Their radar screen. That will have little meaning unless production capacity is increased from current restricted levels. But that will require them to make a real investment as opposed to chump change for a small RSD issue.

 

And there's a real conundrum here. All the presses are at capacity, and nobody is manufacturing new presses (or new lathes for that matter). Unless I'm mistaken, in which case, please enlighten me!

 

I think that's a pretty accurate description of what happened. The industry's annual trade show/convention was a few weeks after the first Record Store Day and we indies were asking each other "what just happened?" and the labels were all "what did you just do?" It totally felt like something had just changed. As you point out, RSD got the parts of the industry who had forgotten about vinyl thinking about it again. The resurgence of vinyl really was fan-driven, but RSD made it so the less-connected industry folks couldn't dismiss it.

RSD's big contribution, besides proving people will buy large quantities of records, was that it got the general public talking about records again. You saw records covered on network news, in USA today, etc.

URP, which has at least one employee who has a presence on this forum, plans to bring a bunch of new presses online in 2015. That should help a bit, but I think their capacity will get eaten up pretty quickly and we are back with your conundrum.

As we see more and more non-music companies start to sell records as fashion acessories, it becomes much harder for the labels to keep their records in stock at music stores. If anything is going to kill off the resurgence of vinyl, it's going to be making people chase all over the place for limited edition punk pop records while the real music sellers (including online) don't have core alternative rock albums in stock. It's only a matter of time before you see an auto parts store with an exclusive limited edition of something on "Bondo-colored vinyl."

 

Billy Miller of Norton Records made a Facebook post about a month ago stating their October releases had all been delayed because the pressing plants were too busy doing RSD releases instead. He then quipped that being a steady customer for over 20 years didn't get you anywhere.

 

Of course not because money buys loyalty and the big labels have the moolah, or at least more than the indies. Unfortunately what I predict is that the big 3 labels will shove everyone else aside and commandeer available vinyl production capacity. The only crunch for them will be if vinyl demand still outstrips their (enlarged) production.

 

Probably and a shame because most of what the majors have to offer isn't very interesting.

 

How do you own your vinyl but I don't own my cassettes, CDs, digital files on my hard drive, etc.?

I'm confused, I must be missing something. Apparently I'm listening to/purchasing things that don't belong to me.

 

Complete ********.

Records were selling again well before Record Store Day existed and Billboard ever noticed.

 

Definitely you own cassettes,but a lot of people believe you don't really own music,unless you own a physical format.Hard drives crash,wiping out whole music libraries.This is currently a big topic of discussion among libraries and archives these days.

 

Oh, you own your cassettes. I'm not referencing my previous post for this comment, sorry... but you do own those. Apologies. If I said you couldn't own a cassette, then I do apologize. I, myself, still use cassettes and reel tape quite frequently. On a daily basis, come to think of it....

Now, as for the digital files... you do also own them, but... it's not really tangible, is it.
Can you hold your digital files in your hand? No... no, you can't. Did your digital file come with a 12 x 12 cover, complete with liner notes? No.

Since posting in this thread, I've reminded myself of the rules of this board, and one of the rules is "do not crap up the boards with arguments over analog / digital."
I understand why that rule is in place now. Also, I was drunk when I posted that. I like to drink, so... take what I post with a grain of salt from here on out.

Look... I'm a DJ by trade. I would be a fool not to admit that every time I hit the air, or do a live gig, that I use digital files exclusively these days. There is a convenience that comes with being able to carry 2TB of music with you wherever you go. I clearly remember the days where you would leave the house to do a gig with $2,000 worth of (VERY HEAVY) vinyl in the trunk of your car just to do a show... plus the coffin with your turntables and mixer. I certainly wouldn't want to go back to those days!

However, c'mon... you have to admit that something in the experience has been lost.

Vinyl: "Thumb through the rack, find the album, slip the inner out of the sleeve, slip the record out of the inner, clean the record with a cloth, place the record on the table, adjust the tonearm weight, clean the stylus, adjust the rake, blah, blah, blah...."

MP3: "Find the track you're looking for, press play."

Yes, you do own digital tracks, but... can you really enjoy them? That's up to your own personal standards. It all comes down to how much you ritualize the listening experience, I guess.

The analog / digital argument has been going on since the '70s. We're not going to settle it here. Honestly, it will never be settled. Whatever sounds good to you... go with it.

Still, digital rot. That honestly scares me.

 

Ha, ha!!
Selling vinyl one day a yr [RSD] saved wax!!!
Right!

Bullboard.

DJ's savED vinyl way B4 "RSD".
"Indie Rock" savED vinyl way B4 "RSD".
Kids buying used vinyl too play on garage sale turntables; cause their parents played CD's, savED vinyl BIG time B4 "RSD".

What the heck does "Billboard" think people played their one day vinyl on?!?!
Their one day tables???

 

Well here's a newsflash that I posted in the quoted message in another thread. The announcement is annoyingly vague though about the New presses to be used by GZ. Are they being produced on a new manufacturing line or are they just calling refurbished presses New?? And if truly new then where did the funding come from??

 

They think people played their records on Crosleys,which is BS,but that is all Billboard can count as sales.I know that the vinyl revival is being driven as much or more by vintage equipment as by Crosleys.I know this from talking to people in their teens and twenties at record stores,and from all of them that are flocking to the other turntable and phonograph message boards and Facebook groups that I spend much more time at than I do here.They are buying everything from Dual and Pioneer turntables from the 70s to Zenith Console stereos from the 60s to old Califone and Newcomb school record players,whatever they can get.In the last two years,anything resembling an old turntable or record player has become very hard to find at the thrift stores,flea markets,and Craigslist here in Albuquerque.When they do turn up,people ask prices above ebay for them,and get it.

 

what a load of rubbish it was the fans and collectors who saved it ! they kept on buying it ! well done to them too! not bowing to commercial interests !