US music fans throw more money at vinyl, CDs than iTunes downloads now. Streaming is king though, bringing in 75 percent of the US recording industry’s revenue. How the mighty have fallen. Digital downloads, typified by the 99 cent iTunes tracks that ruled the music industry as recently as four years ago, now make less money for US labels than CDs and vinyl records. Downloads represented just 11 percent of US labels’ revenue last year, a music industry trade group said Thursday. Physical sales — the term for music formats you can actually hold, which are mostly CDs and vinyl at this point — booked 12 percent. Instead, streaming music has been asphyxiating demand for downloads. Streaming sales were 75 percent of revenue last year, according to year-end data from the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA.
Leeds, UK | The world’s best record shops #141: Tribe Records, Leeds: Leeds has quietly been cultivating its under-the-London-radar dance music scene for decades. Cosmic Slop, Outlaws Yacht Club and KMAH Radio are just the tip of the iceberg in a city that gave us Back 2 Basics, Iration Steppas and Nightmares On Wax. Among them, and equally as vital, is Tribe Records – the brainchild of Simon Scott, who founded the shop in 1995. “We opened the shop in the Corn Exchange, which went on to be the foundation for such UK institutions such as Subdub, Outlook and Dimensions Festival, all of which have flourished under Scott’s stewardship,” says Tribe’s Alex T, who also DJs on Rinse FM. “Subdub is now the longest running sound system party in the country.” If that nugget of musical history isn’t enough to entice you inside, then their selection of house, techno, electro, reggae, dancehall, disco and everything in-between, will. “We cater specifically for club and radio DJs,” says Alex.
Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Queen highlight Record Store Day releases: Record Store Day, the annual event celebrating independently owned brick-and-mortar music outlets, has unveiled its list of this year’s limited-edition releases. With nearly 400 (mostly) vinyl options available, there’s seemingly something for every music fan. Some of the many artists contributing work include Bob Dylan, Prince, Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, John Lennon, Roxy Music, R.E.M. the Rolling Stones and many more. “We’ve got amazing support from all the labels again this year,” proclaimed Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz. “It’s sort of separate from the music business in general, which is pretty much all streaming now, with some effort being put into vinyl.”
Jack White’s Third Man Records Announces 3-Inch Singles Box Set. The Record Store Day release features six tiny singles from the White Stripes’ back catalogue. After teasing the release of a 3-inch single from the Raconteurs back in January, Jack White’s Third Man Records has revealed that its Record Store Day 2019 plans will feature an entire box set of the tiny records, in addition to an accompanying turntable. To mark the day of vinyl celebration on April 13, White’s label will offer up a box set of six 3-inch records containing select singles from the White Stripes’ back catalogue, in addition to four other Third Man singles in mystery sleeves. A new Third Man Records-branded “Triple Inchophone” turntable will also be available, as you can see above. The box set will contain White Stripes singles “Let’s Shake Hands,” “Lafayette Blues,” “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” “Hello Operator,” “Lord, Send Me an Angel” and “Conquest.”
Record Store Day UK 2019: the best 137 releases you can buy: The list of Record Store Day 2019 releases has been announced… and we’ve taken all the crap out. …For those of us who aren’t interested in making a quick buck at the expense of actual music fans, RSD is a day to lay claim to some limited edition vinyl, while stamping your feet in the pre-dawn cold and muttering about how this is the last year you’re ever going to put up with this kind of thing, honest. This year, some big guns are wheeling out releases. Pink Floyd’s Saucerful Of Secrets gets a mono reissue. There’s three releases from The Rolling Stones, including a live version of She’s A Rainbow on sexy 10″ coloured vinyl. There’s a lavish-looking double 7” picture disc of Overkill and Bomber by Motorhead in a gatefold sleeve. The new Struts album makes an appearance on coloured vinyl. There’s reissues from Queen, The Groundhogs, Jethro Tull, Yes, Dio, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, and many more. Way too many to list here.
“Buffy” Musical Episode Coming to Vinyl: The “Once More, With Feeling” soundtrack reissue comes with liner notes by series creator Joss Whedon. The original cast recording from “Once More, With Feeling,” the classic 2001 musical episode of “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” is coming to vinyl for the first time. The vinyl LP is available March 20 at 12 p.m. Central via Mondo. The reissue, pressed on 180 gram vinyl, comes with original cover art by Paul Mann and liner notes by series creator and songwriter Joss Whedon. Preview the record below. Mo Shafeek, Mondo Record Label Manager said in a statement: “We’ve been huge fans of “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” for decades…. Our obsession with the musical episode “Once More With Feeling” inadvertently presented a solution to a long standing problem of how to best entry point for us to celebrate the brilliantly singular, yet expansive series. It took a few years to get it perfect, but we couldn’t be prouder with the artwork that Paul Mann put together—including some truly inspired additional design by Chris Bilheimer and Eric Montes, who came up with the idea of the “Slaybill” lyric booklet.”
Decca Records celebrates its 90th anniversary with exclusive reissues, documentaries and exhibitions. The label founded in 1929 has been home to Bing Crosby, The Rolling Stones and Andrea Bocelli. Decca Records has announced a series of exciting musical events to mark its 90th anniversary. To celebrate nine decades of the label, Decca has put together a calendar of releases and events to take place throughout 2019 including a Pavarotti feature film, exclusive reissues and a first-of-its-kind Decca history book. Since 1929 Decca has been home to countless legendary musicians spanning various genres including David Bowie, Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Vera Lynne, Tom Jones, and The Rolling Stones…Decca President Rebecca Allen said, “Decca Records has been the soundtrack to many historical and cultural moments…Even as we celebrate our 90th anniversary, we continue to push the boundaries; to seek out artists who stand out from the crowd.”
Burning Men: Road movie evokes ‘atmospheric landscapes’: Burning Men, a story inspired by vinyl record collecting, was filmed in London, Norfolk and up the east coast. Northampton-born director Jeremy Wooding said the flat landscape of The Fens in Norfolk helped lend itself to the “dark eerie ambience” of the film. The movie premiered in London and will soon be out across the UK. Mr Wooding, who went to Northampton School for Boys, said: “The idea came years ago when I ran a record and CD stall in Camden Market. I knew all the other stallholders and also the buyers of vinyl and I thought it would be nice to concoct a story set in this world.” He then started writing an “original mix of road movie, buddy movie and psychological thriller” with Neil Spencer, a former editor of the NME. The “fun and unsettling adventure” tells the tale of two musicians chased across England after stealing a rare and “possibly Satanic” record.
