What the new rise of vinyl sales means for artists in 2023: Vinyl sales are rising yet again, which means some change is coming for many independent artists and labels. …This question has had analysts and writers scratching their heads for years. Why is vinyl making a comeback? It seems counterintuitive. After all, CDs offer longer-lasting sound quality and portability. And music streaming gives you almost every album ever recorded in the palm of your hand for free or for very little money. So what explains this rise in sales? It’s not nostalgia. The numbers show that it isn’t Boomers driving vinyl sales. It’s Gen-Z, with artists favored by Gen-Z — Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, etc. — leading the way in vinyl sales. Honestly, when you read interviews with Gen-Zers, it comes down to intangibles.
UK | Major New Project to Document the Cultural Impact of UK Record Stores & Black Music: A major new project that explores the cultural impact of UK independent record stores, specialising in Black music from 1950 onwards, has been launched. 2Funky Arts has been awarded a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, to explore this fascinating subject. ‘The Record Store & Black Music, A UK History’ will link in with Black History Month 2024. The project is being rolled out in the Midlands by 2Funky Arts, an organisation that celebrates Black music, develops new artists, and runs festivals & events that showcase talent in the community. This ground-breaking, national initiative will work in partnership with the Sound/Image Research Centre (University of Greenwich, London) and Brighter Sound (Manchester). For the Windrush generation and Black diaspora, the early independent UK record store was a music-fuelled vehicle for resistance against systemic racism.
Toronto, CA | Kissa: New vinyl listening lounge opens next week in Toronto: A new vinyl listening lounge has arrived in Toronto, and it’s got major speakeasy vibes. Inspired by 1920s-era Japanese teahouses, Kissa has taken over 619 King Street West, a spot formerly occupied by Goldie and The Hartly. Split into two spaces, the new lounge is in soft opening mode and features a downstairs listening hub, perfect for tuning into a classic record. While the locale is decidedly jazzy and moody with stacked shelves of vinyl records, vintage sconces, suspended disco balls, and velvet furniture, it’s not the first lounge of its kind to open in the last few years. Kissa will join the likes of 915 Dupont, The Little Jerry, Boxcar Social Laneway and other “listening lounges,” all offering a space to tune in and tune out to your favourite vinyl. Here, the venue is decked out with a vintage sound system, and there’s even a built-in DJ booth to keep the party going long after the album’s finished.
Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal Launch New Label, RumbleStrip Records: Celebrated singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash alongside six-time Grammy Award-winning producer John Leventhal, has announced the formation of a new record label. Today, the pair shared details behind RumbleStrip Records, a project resulting from three decades of partnership and collaboration. …RumbleStrip Records joins stalwart Thirty Tigers for distribution. “I have listened to Rosanne Cash’s music ever since Seven Year Ache came out, and I was working in record stores,” offered Thirty Tigers founder David Macias. “She has continued to grow and push the boundaries of her creative powers. I respect her immensely. She is a vital artist, and I am so thrilled that she has agreed to team up with Thirty Tigers.” Cash added, “John and I are excited about starting our own label, and we are tremendously grateful to be partnered with Thirty Tigers, who know how to get it done!”
Richard Wright’s debut solo album to be reissued on ‘deep blue transparent marble’ vinyl: Pink Floyd keyboardist’s debut solo album, ‘Wet Dream,’ is to be reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1978, this time in deep blue transparent marble. Richard Wright’s debut solo album, Wet Dream, is to be reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1978, this time in deep blue transparent marble. It will also be available on streaming platforms for the first time ever, and a new Dolby Atmos mix on CD and on Blu-ray, including a 5.1 mix and never-before-released personal images and videos from around this period of his life. Releasing July 28 — the actual date of Wright’s 80th birthday — it will initially be made available on CD and all streaming platforms, with the vinyl and Blu-ray editions releasing on September 29.
Third Man and Blue Note team up for Detroit-focused 313 vinyl series: Focusing specially on Detroit music. Third Man Records and Blue Note Records have teamed up for a 313 Series Partnership. Featuring five Detroit-recorded albums from the Blue Note catalogue, the collection was specially selected by Blue Note president Don Was. The five releases include Thad Jones’ Detroit-New York Junction (1956), Donald Byrd’s Electric Byrd (1976) and Elvin Jones’ Genesis (1971). Multidirection by Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quintet will receive its first-ever vinyl reissue and Grant Green’s Live at Club Mozambique will be on vinyl for the first time. “There’s no better way for us to celebrate the abundance of Detroit talent on the Blue Note roster than this 313 collaboration with our hometown brothers and sisters at Third Man Records,” says Don Was. “Spin your turntables, close your eyes, and listen as the sweet analog sounds of Detroit Jazz roll thru your mind like the cool, clear waters of the River Rouge.”
Buddy Rich’s ‘Birdland’ LP To Be Re-Released On Limited Edition Translucent Red Vinyl: It will be released July 21 through Virgin/Universal Music Group. Lightyear Entertainment and Lobitos Creek Ranch, in association with Scabeba Entertainment and the Buddy Rich Estate, have announced the release of a special limited-edition version of the best-selling live album “Birdland” featuring Buddy Rich and his Killer Force Band at the peak of their performing years. The new release will be a 180-gram audiophile translucent red vinyl collector’s edition. It will be released July 21 through Virgin/Universal Music Group and will temporarily replace the original black vinyl version, which has sold out after multiple re-pressings. The “Birdland” album was seen in the Academy Award winning film “Whiplash,” in the hands of the young star Miles Teller, who played an extraordinary drummer who idolizes Buddy Rich.
Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Ongaku Zukan’ To Be Reissued: Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 1984 album Ongaku Zukan is being reissued by Wewantsounds. Set to be made available in both vinyl and CD editions, the reissue will mark the first time that the album has been released outside of Japan. All of the record’s tracks have been remastered especially for the new release, which will also include three bonus tracks, original artwork and new liner notes. The updated edition of the album has been put together in connection with Sakamoto’s management and Midi Inc., the Japanese label which originally put out Ongaku Zukan. It marks the first reissue of Sakamoto’s material since his death in March. You can listen to the remastered album cut ‘Tibetan Dance’, which opens the record, above. Wewantsounds will release Ongaku Zukan on September 29, 2023.
