Mercury, a music label in the UK, is stopping the physical release of vinyl singles in the coming months (real meaning: anything that hasn't already been made/planned won't be released as a vinyl single). Apparently, physical singles count for less than 1% of all single sales weekly, with digital sales being the obvious main source of all of those millions of sales. Unfortunately for music fans in the UK, this means that artists like Arcade Fire, The Killers, and U2 will no longer be able to release vinyl singles, save for "rare occasions." Which sucks, because that pretty much means no more cool b-sides.
I'm assuming that those "rare occasions" will probably be the most wonderful day of the year. No, I'm not talking about Friday or Christmas (please watch the video that's linked, it's honestly one of the best mashups I've ever heard). I'm talking about Record Store Day (which might as well be christmas for a music geek like myself), and it's coming up on April 16th.
Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 and is quickly becoming a really big deal in the industry. Tons of artists release limited edition 7", 10", and 12" inch vinyl that is exclusively sold at independent music stores. This years releases range from a new single by The Flaming Lips to a re-release of Nirvana's "Hormoaning" EP. (You can see the full list of releases here.) Most independent music stores have huge events planned for the day, often involving live music and DJ sets, giveaways, etc. Last year, my brother and I got tons of cool stuff- a Them Crooked Vultures 10" picture disc, a pink Phoenix single, the Dessert Sessions on Vinyl, a Black Keys 12" single, a Queens of the Stone Age EP 10" picture disc, and more.
Record Store Day is what the industry needs, but every single day instead of the second Saturday in April. And not only because vinyl just sounds so much better, but because it's tangible. It proves you bought something, that you supported an artist, that you love what you've just spend a decent money on (because believe me, it's an addiction...our total last year ended up coming out to just short of $100 bucks). Plus, everything's special. Most of the releases are extremely limited- often only having a total release of 1000 copies (some are less limited with 5000 or 10,000 copies).
So, even though the bastards at Mercury aren't going to put out physical singles anymore, supporting record stores has actually never been easier. So go out on April 16th! I promise you'll come away with something incredible.
In light of less vinyl being produced, why is RSD a big deal?
ReplyDeleteBecause it proves that people are still willing to buy it even though record companies are cutting back on vinyl. Plus, it's much better quality. No matter how much bigger downloading gets, there will still be people that want a tangible copy of what they're buying, something they can hold in their hands and show to other people.
ReplyDeleteAnd it gives artists a good excuse to put out exclusive releases.