How Adele Opened Way For A $32 Million Business – And Why Vinyl Is Surging: “Physical media absolutely isn’t dead. It always amazes me that we start off with quite an apologetic standpoint. Physical album sales are only down by small amount, which is a fairly shallow decrease to what people thought the album business would drop by. If anything, it is some downloads that have seen sharp declines. Figures suggest physical has 54% of all sales but this includes streaming. If someone streams 100 tracks or downloads 10 tracks, this counts as an album sale, but of course you might just have listened to the same Ed Sheeran track, which is misleading. Take these out of the data then physical is closer to two thirds of album sales.”
Darien bookstore owners seek to create a hub for book and music lovers: Paul and Robyn Garrison hope the Frugal Muse, a Darien store where gently used books, music recordings, movies and games are resold, can also be a gathering place for avid readers and new performers. The couple, who bought the business in June 2014, plan to host trivia games, movie nights and open mic performances. The store already attracts people who like a bargain and those who would rather recycle books and compacts discs than throw them away. The Frugal Muse, which has been in the shopping center on the corner of 75th and Lemont Road since 2000, carries more than 200,000 movies on DVD and VHS, music on compact discs and cassettes, audiobooks, music memorabilia, greeting cards and collectibles, Paul Garrison said…”I’m a big fan (of vinyl),” Mazur said. “It has a better atmosphere.”
New record pressing plants opened on five continents last year: It’s no secret that the vinyl resurgence has been under way for some time now. Although much of this is attributable to classic album re-issues, vinyl as a medium is as popular within the electronic music sphere as it has been since the turn of the millennium. Needless to say, the results of the major records labels cashing in on the public’s rediscovered penchant for all things vinyl has often had an adverse effect on pressing times where smaller, independent labels are concerned (we’re looking at you, MPO). However, with more plants opening up we’re hoping that such delays will now be a thing of the past.
A soundless ‘Art and Vinyl’ at Fraenkel Gallery: Art exhibitions about non-art subjects tend to fall flat. Knowing that, I approached “Art and Vinyl,” an exhibition at Fraenkel Gallery through March 3, with some skepticism…Which brings me to “Art and Vinyl.” On the one hand, there are few galleries as dependably smart about the art they present as Fraenkel, which signaled its commitment to the subject by investing in a lavish, 464-page book to go along with the show. On the other, music album covers — which make up most of the exhibition — are basically packaging. Google images of “package design” and you’ll see hundreds of examples, each more colorful and innovative than the next, of everything from acne medicine to truffle oil. Great graphic design serves a function different from art. It intrigues. Explains. Motivates. But its value is synergistic rather than intrinsic.
Pro-Clean from Vinylene UK: Vinyl cleaning service: The company stated that, “All records are handled with great care in a specially controlled environment. Prices vary from a very reasonable £3.00 down to only £2.00 per record if you take advantage of the quantity discounts available.“ Apparently the Pro-Clean process is alcohol and solvent free and includes full antistatic treatment. Vinylene UK is run by boss Jeremy Morley who has announced limited period Pro-Clean offer that provides every new customer the opportunity to have three vinyl records cleaned free of charge, “Although this is primarily a mail order service, records can be dropped off by appointment during normal working hours if preferred,” said Morley.
The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper entering “Guinness World Records” book thanks to UK chart achievement: Parlophone/Capitol Records/UMeThe Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has made its mark on the music world in many ways, and now the influential 1967 album will be heading into the Guinness World Records book thanks to a recent chart achievement. The album is being recognized for the longest gap between stints at #1 on the U.K. chart, uDiscoverMusic.com reports. Bolstered by a deluxe 50th anniversary reissue that came out in late May, Sgt. Pepper returned to the top spot of the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart on June 8, 2017, 49 years and 125 days since the last time it held the #1 position—on February 3, 1968. The album with the next longest gap between stints at #1 in the U.K. is The Rolling Stones’ 1972 record Exile on Main St., which returned to the top spot after the release of a deluxe reissue on May 29, 2010, 37 years and 353 days since it had previously been at #1.
Record Show Hails Resurgence Of Vinyl: There’s something about good, old-fashioned, long-play records that speaks to music lovers everywhere. The crowds that flocked to the East Hartford Holiday Inn on Sunday, Jan. 7, for the first vinyl record show of the New Year, was a potent reminder of the resurgence of vinyl. “Vinyl records have become more popular than CDs and downloads in the last five or six years,” said James Engelhardt, of Sky Marketing, who has organized the early January event for the past four years. “There’s a reason stores are selling more turntables. Records offer the true sound. They are not compressed or digitalized.” Engelhardt said the annual East Hartford show draws people from throughout New England, as well as New York and New Jersey, and from teenagers to senior citizens. The day-long show featured vinyl LPs and 45s, box sets, CDs, concert posters, and other music memorabilia representing nearly every music genre.
