Can Those Involved in Physical Goods Survive the Big Distribution Debacle? I can remember Jim Caparro, former president of PGD and WEA distribution, making a comment in the early 2000’s that some day all distribution from the majors would most likely be out of the same warehouse. The reason? A cost savings by each, with not having to have their own back room and staff. He was a bit ahead of the game but in April of 2019, this became a reality. Direct Shot, a third party warehousing system, already distributed Universal Music and Sony. This also included goods from their independent arms, the Orchard and In-Grooves. Around the beginning of the year it was announced that WEA and its independent distribution arm ADA would join the club and also be distributed through Direct Shot. This was after a year of offering buy out packages to staff involved in physical goods and a good 50% of them taking the packages, as they were not guaranteed jobs if they stayed.
Norfolk, UK | Seven of Norfolk’s best record shops: Vinyl is now well and truly back with British record stores selling over 4.5 million records per year collectively. These are the best places to go crate-digging in Norfolk. Soundclash: The county’s only independent record shop selling new vinyl, expect to find a wide variety of music from the latest indie, punk and psychedelic rock to funk and soul. The shop is the only one in Norfolk to participate in Record Store Day, making it a must visit for the event’s exclusive releases. Soundclash also has a wide range of reasonably priced secondhand LPs and singles as well as a selection of new CDs. Fine City Sounds: One of the best in the county for secondhand records, spread across two floors, Fine City Sounds mainly focuses on rock and pop with specialised sections for punk, metal and 60s LPs on its top floor. On the ground floor there is a plethora of singles from a wide array of genres along with used CDs and box sets. The shop also sells second hand record players and other related equipment…
Bury, UK | HMV opens up its Bury store to unsigned acts: When you walk into a record store great music is just what you expect to find. But one Bury outlet has been mixing things up by bringing talented unsigned artists to the masses in a series of in-store gigs. Bury HMV has just wrapped up its first season of an innovative initiative — opening its doors and its shelves to underground bands and musicians in a bid to help them boost their exposure and land their big break. The Live and Local campaign not only offered seven artists the chance to have their releases sold and promoted in-store, but also saw them play unique, free to attend gigs in the shop. Steve Toolan, HMV Bury’s store manager, said: “The response and support that we have had from our customers and general public has been phenomenal and surpassed our expectations.
Wausau, WI | Cover Art Was Part Of The Thrill: One thing that is not available for today’s music consumers is the fabulous cover art that was found on LP’s. Great photography, graphic design, liners notes etc were all part of the music listening experience. CDs couldn’t compete and MP3s or downloads?…fuggidaboutit. I mention this because it was Nov 21 of 1967 that the 3rd Lp from The Who appeared. It was called Sell Out and featured pictures of the band using real products in humorous ways on the front and back covers. I dont remember how this album came into my possession but it was a really intresting musical step for the band. It included a stone cold classic in “I Can See For Miles” along with some other tunes that grew on me like Armenia City In The Sky and Tattoo. The album also included fake radio jingles and commercials around the songs making it sound like a radio broadcast of the day.
Best vibration isolation platforms for turntables: Unwanted vibrations can significantly affect the sound quality and seriously degrade the performance of any hi-fi system. Although many of these are small, they can induce noise into the signal and will be magnified through the amplification chain. Based on the way they reach the equipment, they fall into three categories: structural, airborne and self-generated. Structure borne vibrations enter the component via its feet through the shelf or platform upon which it rests. Airborne vibrations are the results of air currents generated by speakers, which vibrate the chassis of the component. Self-generated internal vibrations are caused by the equipment itself, in the case of turntables by the motor, belts, and bearings. Because the cartridge is essentially a very sensitive vibration sensor, which can detect the smallest variations in the record grooves, turntables are one of the most sensitive audio devices in a hi-fi system.
Sacred Bones to release LP of soundtrack to Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which is so metaphorical: Early next year, Sacred Bones will release Jong Jae Il’s soundtrack for Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, one of the best films of the year. A tragicomic social commentary thriller about family and class struggle, Parasite won the Palme d’Or — the top award — at this year’s Cannes and should at least be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, before ultimately losing to Joker or Green Book 2: I’m Not a Racist, But or whatever. The soundtrack will be released on three different colored vinyl variants. “Green Grass,” “Peach,” and — for Sacred Bones Record Society members — “Scholar’s Rock.” So, if Parasite isn’t playing anywhere near you, doesn’t end up on any streaming service you subscribe to, or you’re one of those ignorant weirdos who doesn’t like foreign films because you’re also an ignorant weirdo who hates reading — in which case, what are you even doing here? — good news! You will still be able to experience greatness of Parasite via a vinyl copy of its soundtrack. But really, you should see it. Least of all because you’ll be able to understand the references to the film made by the vinyl colors.
