Overpriced Vinyl

You can blame your tastes

 

i didn't mention the latest Neil young release i preordered!

 

I know, right, if Kevin J didn't have good taste in music released recently (or 20 years ago in the case of BTS) he wouldn't have been able to buy all those records at reasonable prices.

 

Given my income today versus my allowance when I was a child, I think $35 or so for an album I really want to have isn't that much to ask for. Worth buying if the music is worth it!

-Richard

 

A lot of vintage vinyl is grossly overpriced, while there's no guarantee there would be VG+ condition, forget EX or NM. I see no other reason than brazen online vendors trying to take advantage of desperate vinyl collectors. For example, the UK original of the Dark Side Of The Moon costs up to$1500. Now, think of me whatever, but I am not shelling out $1500 for ONE FRICKING PIECE OF VINYL, no matter what's on it!

 

And yet amazing as it seams I found a NM- MFSL pressing of Steely Dan's "Katy Lied" at Ameoba Hollywood for $6! The cover was only VG- at best and had an owner's name inked on it at a large size, but the record was in great shape. So you never know!

 

In the case of the SH/KG Rumours LP the 33rpm sounds very good, the 45 rpm sounds amazing. In this case everything that's touted about the superiority of 45 rpm albums proved true, this one is worth the extra money.

 

The record companies are often making a very conscious choice on the different masterings offered on the CD and vinyl pressing of an album. Take for example the recent reissue of the Rolling Stones's "Sticky Fingers". I own both the deluxe CD and single LP vinyl, the latter sounds very good IMO, much better than the loud but not awful CD. I mainly bought the $18.99 deluxe CD for the bonus disc which for me was fine as a CD and not worth the extra money on vinyl. I also bought the CD as a promotion item at Target with a coupon for a free pressing of the vinyl record, so for once a true bargain was to be had. Happily the French MPO pressing was flawless and arrived undamaged.

 

here's another one, courtesy of today's fake holiday:



The Jesus And Mary Chain - Barbed Wire Kisses
2-LP Limited edition of 8,000 copies on 180-gram blood red vinyl, $34.98

not sure why this one has to be $35 - we've had plenty of the original pressing of this one over the years, but the thing that takes the cake is this was already re-released in 2014 at a most reasonable $15.98 list price!

 

Was only one record when released last year, no?

 

It was only one record in every previous version so not sure why one year later it needs to be two records other than to jack the price.

 

Black Friday brings new vinyl to Canadians, but at what cost
http://www.thestar.com/entertainmen...-new-vinyl-to-canadians-but-at-what-cost.html
The one light in the distance for Canadian vinyl fans is the possibility of new record-pressing plants at home. “It’s our hope that a local manufacturing solution would allow us to pass those savings back to our customers,” says Warner’s Kane. One operation, Canada Boy, has already opened, in Calgary.

 

I just hope anyone paying $20 to $50 for new vinyl are getting a higher quality product than what I remember buying in the 70s and early 80s. Every now and then you'd get a really good pressing and hold out hope that it would start a trend but no it never did.
I am not even sure if the swan song Direct Metal Mastering improved things, does anyone know the history of DMM?

 

I try to buy my new vinyl from overseas, at least I can get the UK pressing, which is usually a bit better (usually)

 

Just catching up on this thread -

Great addition - by the 80s many US labels were pressing in Canada because of the favorable exchange rate, which continued into the CD era.

Interestingly, one of the new pressing plants in the US, in New Jersey, got their presses from a very recently defunct Montreal pressing plant.

 

At least in the 70's and 80's you were getting analog sourced releases - unlike the digital durge of today - whilst paying 30 or 40 dollars for it.

VP

 

A $7.99 album in 1980 would cost $24 today based on the rate of inflation.

 

34.00 for us frost bitten Canadians

Glad I kept my 7.99 specials from 1980!

VP

 

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Twice Upon A Time on vinyl is suddenly going for 80 bucks and up.

 

I have the original. paid about $7 for it...NM

 

Maybe I should sell mine!!!

 

A rough survey of Record Store Day remaining stock locally showed plenty of the overpriced stuff starting to collect dust in the bins.

 

We have a small local chain (Dimples) that has a single store that is vinyl only and they have a large section now of sealed vinyl that hasn't sold well. The discounting varies but there is quite a bit of "new" vinyl selling for discounted prices. Is it push back from the consumers or has it just reached an equilibrium?

 

Or perhaps it is one store in one location whose customers are not making specific purchases.

 

Overpriced lps? (Almost) anything on Friday Music vinyl. That covers a lot.........