Vinyl revival puts Nagaoka styluses back on track: Styluses are back in demand in Japan as analog records attract renewed attention from musicians and consumers, long after vinyl lost music market dominance to CDs, which then gave way to online distribution. Nagaoka Co., the leading stylus manufacturer, is boosting its production to meet demand from a new generation of fans. Based in Higashine, Yamagata Prefecture, Nagaoka began stylus production in 1947 and its monthly output peaked at more than 1.2 million units.
Vinyl’s not dead! Six great Ottawa record stores: Despite many reports of their impending demise, vinyl records, and the record stores who love them, remain more relevant than ever. Listening to music on vinyl may just be one of those things that are timeless. Music from past decades is not the only thing being registered on vinyl. Countless new artists and bands are putting their albums on vinyl now, whether it’s to get a fuller sound, or just to have more space for cover art. Ottawa is filled with record stores, and each of these is full of hidden gems and worth hours of browsing time. Here are 6 record stores located in Ottawa for the music enthusiasts or the vinyl-curious…
Eco-friendly vinyl is soon to be available: In the south of Netherlands the company Symcon group is currently researching how they can create an eco-friendly vinyl record that’s costs efficient, faster to create with better quality. In the conventional pressing method a puck of vinyl plastic is placed between two stampers and steamed to heat the vinyl to 180 degrees while the two stampers are pressed together for about 8 seconds and cooled for another 16 seconds. The vinyl fills out the stampers and any excess material that spills out is cut off. The force used in this process causes wear on the stampers, which can be used for 1,500 to 2,000 records each on average.
Amanda Palmer’s David Bowie Tribute To See Vinyl On Record Store Day: Amanda Palmer’s recent David Bowie Tribute EP Strung Out In Heaven to will see a vinyl version release on the upcoming Record Store Day Black Friday event. After the deaths of David Bowie, Palmer and her frequent collaborator Jherek Bischoff recorded some Bowie covers with special guests Neil Gaiman, Anna Calvi and John Cameron Mitchell. Later on in 2016 when Prince died they connected again and recorded ‘Purple Rain’. Both songs were released internet-only, and this RSD release is the only appearance of this collection in physical form. Features beautiful original artwork by various painters done on commission for the digital projects.
