In Shift to Streaming, Music Business Has Lost Billions: There is plenty of good news in the music industry’s latest sales report released this week. Streaming is up. Vinyl has continued its unlikely renaissance. And did we mention that streaming is up? But a closer look shows that the big sales numbers that have sustained the recorded music business for years are way down, and it is hard to see how they could ever return to where they were even a decade ago.
Sainsbury’s changing the record by selling vinyl: Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s are getting in tune with their customers – by stocking vinyl records. The firm is selling vinyl LPs in its 171 stores – including Bolton – for the first time since the 1980s. A mix of contemporary and classic records are now on sale in the Trinity Street store, which is already top of the charts for its vinyl sales putting them ahead of, Livingston, Crayford, Bridgend and Alton.
The compact disc is dying, but it deserves a comeback: A longtime friend recently gave me an unexpected gift — a stack of scratched, barely playable burned CDs she found in her basement. Pretty exciting, huh? To me, yes. You see, the early- to mid-2000s were a magical time. The Pixies reunion had yet to wear out its welcome. Music festivals with strong lineups were still an exhilarating novelty. And, if you were a close friend of mine, you’d receive, whether you wanted it or not, a monthly mix CD loaded with painstakingly curated songs reflecting my unique musical sensibilities. Or whatever happened to be big on Pitchfork at the time.
Massive record sale in Edmonton draws big crowd: What’s old is new again, judging by the crowds at a massive record sale in Edmonton on Friday. Tens of thousands of records are up for grabs — and for no more than a couple bucks each — at the three-day sale at the Kenilworth Community Hall. Hosted by the Dead Vinyl Society, the event features more than 50,000 albums, EPs, singles, 45s, 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs. 22-year-old Angela Mackay believes she’s part of a growing trend and said she hoped the first day of the sale on Friday would be a good opportunity to add to her modest collection of 15 to 25 albums.
Vinyl Finds Are Everywhere At the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market: The two-day event, named one of the Best Flea Markets In America by the Huffington Post, boasts over 200 vendors since its inception back in 2013. The market is filled with interesting finds—from t-shirts to rock-inspired coasters and even a 3-D printer where Buddha-esque statues are printed on command (the coolest one being of the Notorious B.I.G.). Food trucks line the outdoors of the venue, where attendees can grab anything from loaded tater tots to lobster rolls. For vinyl enthusiasts, though, the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market can be a surprisingly great adventure.
25 record shops you should follow on Instagram: …in a world where the all encompassing Discogs delivers direct to your door, stores are finding new ways to bring some of that good ol’ fashion brick & mortar vibe to the digital realm. Enter Instagram. More than ever a record store’s Instagram feed represents the ideal vantage point to observe the nitty gritty of day-to-day operations and (more importantly) to source valuable insight direct from those who would know. They are the front-line – helping to cut through a swathe of cuts to deliver ever-dependable recommendations on a daily basis in picture form, from putting a spotlight on the best new releases, to flagging-up rarities when they show their heads.
