Vinyl Revolution – without pretence: The idea behind Vinyl Revolution is to make record buying a non-judgemental nor intimidating experience, Parker wants to make you feel at home when you set foot into their shop. Everyone knows the stereotype of the anoraky record shopkeeper, the one who insists it’s the B-side / earlier releases which are far superior to any of the newer stuff; not to say that Brighton’s record shops are on the whole not known for that, but it’s nice to have that intention re-instated for the newcomer ashamed of being caught out as a fraud (everyone’s a muso-fraud anyway, don’t worry).
Vinyl sales slump quality blamed: A move to making vinyl records from digital files instead of the original analogue recordings is causing concern in the industry with sales slumping in the first half of 2017. In the first half of 2015, sales of vinyl records jumped 38% compared to the same period the prior year, to 5.6 million units, Nielsen Music data show. A year later, growth slowed to 12%. This year, sales rose a modest 2%. “It’s flattening out,” says Steve Sheldon, president of Los Angeles pressing plant Rainbo Records. While he doesn’t see a bubble bursting—plants are busy—he believes vinyl is “getting close to plateauing.”
These two new record cleaning “turntables” can also show off your photography: Record cleaning experts Keith Monks Audio have announced the arrival of two new record cleaning machines, The discOveryOne Redux and discOverymicrOlight, reports VF tech guru The Audiophile Man. Resembling turntables, the arm removes dirt from the record’s surface like a tiny vinyl hoover, rather than playing the record. Given how much debris, mould, dust and oil can accumulate in the tiny grooves of vinyl, regularly cleaning your records is an essential for any collector.
‘The thrill of the hunt’: Vinyl enthusiasts drawn to ABC record sale: t was like something from a big city post-Christmas sale at the ABC South East record sale fundraiser in Bega last week, as shoppers swarmed towards milk crates loaded with over 50 years worth of musical history. With the popularity in vinyl making a comeback with the wider public, a variety of qualities caught the eye of record hunters. “There’s three different kinds of collectors, people who make a quid, people who enjoy the music, and people who enjoy the thrill of the hunt,” Milton’s Geoff Spawlding said. “For them it’s the thrill of finding something rare.”
Record fair returns to Harpenden Public Halls in Southdown Road with ‘music for all tastes’: The idea of hosting a record fair came out of a conversation between Public Halls manager Glenn Povey, who freely admits to spending far too much on vinyl records than is really necessary, and fellow collector and Halls patron Nick Turner. “The first record fair was a great leap of faith as we had no idea if there would be much interest,” says Glenn. “Nick spread the word about through his contacts and within a very short time I’d sold all of the tables – mostly to very reputable dealers but also to private individuals who were having a spring clean. Even Empire Records in St. Albans had a table, which was a great endorsement.”
