Vinyl records make a comeback in Chile: A Chilean company is busy bringing vinyl records back to life after they disappeared from this South American country more than 35 years ago. The vinyl record had been a mainstay in this country since 1951 when it made its debut as the great sound invention of modern times in the form of the “LP” or long play record. But vinyl factories ended up being dismantled in 1983, after succumbing to the arrival of the cassette. Since the late 1980s not a single label was interested or even dared to once again manufacture vinyl records in Chile. And like in many other places, vinyl became more of a collector’s item than a go-to choice for music. However, a small group of young people clung tight to this form of musical reproduction…
Vinyl Sales Have Grown 66.6% In Canada This Year Alone — Among Other Huge Gains: When it comes to the music consumption habits of Canada, some interesting trends have emerged during the first half of 2018. In particular, vinyl records enjoyed a surge of 66.6 percent, according to Nielsen’s mid-year report. In 2017, there were 300,000 vinyl LPs sold, but that number jumped to 400,000 vinyl LPs in 2018. Just last week, we reported that sales of vinyl records were up 19.2 percent for the first half of the year in the United States. It’s speculated that as customers look for a “tangible product” instead of CDs, that records are filling that void. And as that demand continues, upgraded vinyl solutions like HD Vinyl are likely to blossom.
‘It’s an antidote to streaming culture’ – meet the people reconnecting with vinyl in Ireland: On Monday, Mark Whelan woke to a lovely message on Facebook. “It was the most intimate experience I think I’ve ever had listening to an album – it truly blew me away.” The note was sent from someone who had been at a vinyl-listening party organised by Whelan and held in Dublin’s Liquor Rooms the night before. The album in question was Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Whelan says a number of people there – the vast majority of them Floyd obsessives – told him afterwards they had heard sonic detail on the album that they hadn’t encountered before.
Hallmark Pacts With WMG To Offer Cards Packaged With Vinyl 45s: This summer, Hallmark is expanding its collection of Vinyl Record Cards with birthday cards featuring songs from Warner Music Group (WMG) artists such as Tina Turner and The Cars. Each card includes a 7-inch vinyl record with two songs from each artist built into a sleeve on the card’s cover. Available in card shops and online at Hallmark.com and Amazon.com, the first in the co-venture program started Valentine’s Day when three were issued featuring songs from Atlantic Records artists Bruno Mars, Aretha Franklin and INXS. The century-old Hallmark Cards company is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, employing more than 28,000 worldwide and with revenues of about $4 billion annually.
There’s Still One Blockbuster Store Left In the United States: In 2004, Blockbuster had more than 9,000 stores. Now, that number is down to 1. ‘Blockbuster video stores have been officially closing around the country’ sounds like 2003 headline. But in the intervening 15 years, a few have been hanging tough. Now as two stores close in Alaska, just one store is left standing. That store resides in Bend, Oregon, giving customers one chance to step inside the iconic video rental store before it too closes down for good…Incidentally, physical record retailers appeared doomed to a similar fate. But a resurgence in vinyl, as well as nostalgia for the record store vibe, helped to keep a lot of record shops alive. No such luck for video rental stores, who never enjoyed nostalgia for VCR tapes of DVDs.
