Here’s how music consumption has changed over the last decade: …Few people will argue that it hasn’t been a difficult decade for physical music. It started the decade on the decline and has been unable to regain any traction throughout. According to IFPI, at the start of the millennium physical music was responsible for almost the entire recorded music industry revenue. By 2010, it was losing its dominance although it was still responsible for $US9 billion of industry revenue but it has recorded a decline every year since. In 2015, digital music (including streaming) finally took over from it and it has increased its lead significantly since. Physical now makes up $4.7 billion of the market… It’s not all bad news though. There has been one unlikely hero of the decade in vinyl. The resurgence continued throughout the entire 2010s with the IFPI reporting that in 2018, vinyl recorded its 13th consecutive year of growth, nabbing a 3.6% share of the market. Locally, it has also grown every year this decade. In 2010, 39,000 units were sold as compared to 896,000 in 2010. As the SMH reported, this year income from vinyl is predicted to overtake that from CDs for the first time since 1986.
Las Vegas, NV | Elton John purchased more than 11,000 records from this tiny Las Vegas shop. Here’s why: Elton John is working on his record collection. For new vinyl, the 72-year-old English pop star goes to London’s Rough Trade Records. But for rare and collectible stuff, he visits a converted surf-green stucco house on the west side of Las Vegas. A place called Wax Trax Records. “It’s like walking into Aladdin’s Cave,” John told British radio DJ Paul Gambaccini in a 2017 interview about his love of vinyl and the shop at 2909 S. Decatur Blvd. In 1991, he sold his extensive vinyl stash that included every single released in England since around 1959 to fund his AIDS charity. He’s been since replacing the more than 50,000 records, and this Las Vegas shop has been helping him find the pieces — more than 11,000 so far. “I’ve been spending a fortune,” John said.
San Antonio, TX | Explore the 3 top spots in San Antonio’s Donaldson Terrace neighborhood: Janie’s Record Shop. Janie’s Record Shop, a spot to score music and DVDs and more, is another top choice. Yelpers give the business, located at 1012 Bandera Road, 4.5 stars out of 10 reviews. This shop was recently named one of the best record shops in America, according to MySA. The store offers vinyl records and DVDs, with a focus on Tejano music.
Jannali, AU | Sutherland Shire is home to a new vinyl record store: The owner of a new record store in Jannali is banking on new figures that show vinyl record sales are on the rise and set to overtake CDs for the first time in 30 years. Shane McGlinchy, who turned his love of music into a career, recently opened his second bricks and mortar record store after outgrowing his previous premises. Figures by the Australian Recording Industry Association show vinyl records made up 5.1 per cent of recorded music sales in Australia last year while CDs accounted for 12.4 per cent. This is expected to grow to 5.9 per cent this year (compared with CDs at 8.4 per cent) and 6.56 per cent next year, overtaking CD sales, projected to be 5.4 per cent. An avid music fan and collector since his teens, Mr McGlinchy, of Como, already ran an online music store before deciding to branch out. “About five years ago a friend and I did several local markets where we sold records and CDs and found that the shire had many collectors that shared our passion for music and collecting,” he said.
Top Christmas gifts for music lovers: As much fuss has been made about gaming and the “golden age of TV” over the last few years, music is better than it’s ever been right now, too. There’s a whole new generation of both musicians and music lovers out there, and if you have a music fan on your list, it’s important to know what gifts will bring out the most smiles. We’re lucky these days that there are so many different ways to listen to music, whether you just listen to everything on Spotify or Apple Music, trek out to the record store to pick up some vinyl or just pull up your favorite songs on YouTube. No matter how your loved ones listen along, it’s not only valid but there are myriad gifts that can enhance their listening experience – and we rounded the best ones up here. From headphones to speakers to turntables, we’ve found the best Christmas gifts for the music lovers in your life, so you can spend less time trying to decipher what “ohms” means and more time picking up the perfect gift.
Springfield, MO | For the first time since the ’80s, Ozark Mountain Daredevils release an album on vinyl: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils haven’t released an album on vinyl in the United States since 1980. This month, Springfield’s signature Southern-and-country rockers decided to do it again, reissuing their most recent album, “Heaven 20/20,” in the throwback format. The first pressing is a limited edition of just 500 copies. It’s not just any vinyl, said John Dillon, longtime Daredevils singer and guitarist. It’s virgin vinyl, the highest-grade vinyl that contains few impurities, producing great sounds “when it goes into those big fat grooves,” Dillon said. “There’s just that place in the back of your mind that remembers vinyl,” Dillon said. “It’s hard to beat the old technology of a needle sliding across a groove. There’s something that picks up more of the sound that way.”
Eminem’s Expanded “Slim Shady LP” Gets Vinyl Release Date: Slim Shady’s about to slide down the chimney. In what can only be deemed a surprising, Shyamalan-esque plot twist, vinyl records have become a modern-day musical staple. Between the appealing visual design and notably warmer sonic quality, there’s much to gain from securing a record player and decent speaker set-up. And if you’re worried your favorite album won’t be available for purchase, give it time. Artists are beginning to catch on to the appeal and reissuing beloved works accordingly. Case in point, Eminem has officially revealed a release date for the physical copy of his Slim Shady LP: Expanded Edition, which was released ealier this year in a strictly digital fashion. The thirty-song project will be available on both vinyl and CD, as confirmed by an XXL report. Apparently, the vinyl version will arrive with three discs, while the CD version will remain a double album …Are you interested in securing this classic for your collection? If so, the physical version of SSLP hits stores on December 13th.
