Vinyl Records Are Now Outselling Digital Downloads in the UK Marking a 100 percent year-over-year increase in sales: Thanks to vinyl-minded events like Record Store Day, albums have been on the uptick in recent years around the globe. Vinyl sales have steadily grown over the past decade in the U.S., with 12 million units moved in 2015, according to Nielsen data. With Spotify, Pandora and other digital music streamers paying relatively small royalties to artists, that’s good news for musicians.
B-Side Records receives triple its fundraising goal in 24 hours: Aside from the obviously great news that B-Side is staying open, there are a few other strong takeaways from this holiday season miracle. One is that this was an exuberant, if not defiant, demonstration of strength from Madison’s music scene and its fans. One of the best parts of B-side records is it’s unbridled support of local artists, proudly placing the works of local artists alongside those of national acts in its display. B-side has always had Madison’s music scene’s back, and this time the opposite happened.
Was This Man Robbed And Beaten For His Rare Vinyl LP? Christopher Mapleston, 29, was found with a fractured skull at 3am on Sunday 20th November lying on Arbuthnot Road in New Cross. He had been carrying a limited edition LP – Awakening by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sato featuring Wendy Matthews – which is worth over £100. That has been missing since the incident, along with his iPhone 6.
Vinyl albums remain popular locally, worldwide: Reports also show that vinyl sales surpassed revenue from YouTube for UK artists. One local record shop in the Oregon district saw a surge in last week’s records sales. “Each year we do better than the last year,” said Alex Staiger, owner of Omega Music. “Something about vinyl. It’s something people can have and say that they own.” “Everything has a peak,” Staiger continued. “Vinyl sales may peak soon, it may peak next year or it could continue to rise. We’re are not sure.”
David Bowie mosaic made from vinyl record pieces to be sold for NSPCC: A mosaic portrait of David Bowie has been made from hundreds of fragments of vinyl records to raise money for a children’s charity in the run-up to Christmas. Manchester-based artist Ed Chapman created the mosaic Ziggy Stardust for the NSPCC’s Little Stars Dream Auction (www.little-stars-auction.org.uk). Next month marks what would have been the late musician’s 70th birthday and the auction runs until midday on Friday December 9.
‘The Revenge of Analog’: See It. Feel It. Touch It. (Don’t Click): In his captivating new book, “The Revenge of Analog,” the reporter David Sax provides an insightful and entertaining account of this phenomenon, creating a powerful counternarrative to the techno-utopian belief that we would live in an ever-improving, all-digital world. Mr. Sax argues that analog isn’t going anywhere, but is experiencing a bracing revival that is not just a case of nostalgia or hipster street cred, but something more complex.
The ‘Death Stranding’ trailer music is headed to vinyl: Hideo Kojima has the video game industry in a frenzy. The Metal Gear creator released a new teaser for his latest project, Death Stranding, to rapturous applause on Friday night at The Game Awards. It’s deliciously weird, featuring one-time Silent Hills collaborator Guillermo del Toro, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and a vanishing baby. The trailer, like its spooky predecessor, features the music of Low Roar, which specialist record producer Mondo is now planning to release on vinyl.
