UK | Major label execs on the 2021 vinyl boom: Warner Music Group’s latest results underlined a trend in Q2: huge increases in physical music sales. Vinyl is, of course, a format whose growth we have been carefully tracking. A large part of that may be down to year-on-year comparisons with Q2 2020, when Covid hit physical music sales as stores closed. This time last year, physical album sales slumped by 45.1% year-on-year. But the latest figures are still positive news for artists, labels and retailers following the reopening of record shops, which had been forced to trade online or offer click-and-collect options during pandemic restrictions. Here, Music Week breaks out some of the key stats and exec insights from our subscriber-only Q2 analysis. Here’s a statistic you may not have expected to read in 2021: physical albums far outperformed streaming growth in Q2 with a year-on-year uplift of 34% to 4,479,081 units (streaming was up 10.4% year-on-year), according to BPI data.
UK | Love Record Stores announce vinyl releases for 2021: “Go and support our best and most beloved cultural institution – the record store!” said LRS ambassador Georgia. Love Record Stores is set to return for a second year running next month – see all the details below. The campaign’s inaugural event in June 2020 brought in over £1million in sales, with the initiative being launched to support record stores that faced difficult setbacks throughout the COVID pandemic. Supported by the Association Of Independent Music (AIM), this year’s Love Record Stores will take place on Saturday, September 4. Over 220 independent record stores will participate in the event, with 54 new vinyl editions available on the day. The special releases can be purchased in-store from 9am, while any remaining stocks will be available online from 9pm that evening. The full list of available vinyl – including releases from Arlo Parks, Shame, Sharon Van Etten, Sonic Youth, Soulwax and more – is now available to browse via LRS’ official website.
Vinyl Shortage Disproportionately Hurting Independent Artists: The independent music revolution in both country and in the greater music ecosystem in many was born off the back of vinyl record purchases. Where many mainstream fans only cared enough to stream the latest single, independent fans made that extra financial commitment and connection with their favorite artists by purchasing vinyl copies, or sometimes multiple vinyl copies, or copies they may not even play on a regular basis simply to help support the artist, or bundle packages with a vinyl record and a T-shirt. A vinyl record was an investment in the music of their favorite artists—a physical plaque of their appreciation and loyalty. But with the continued disruptions in the free flow of this important musical commodity, independent artists are getting squeezed disproportionately, and in many ways than one.
Mondo Restocking Vinyl Soundtracks to Four Beloved Animated Projects. Mondo has built a name for themselves with the exclusive and limited-edition items they release, with fans having to be quick on their shopping fingers in hopes of securing their releases, but for those fans who might have missed out on some of their more coveted vinyl soundtrack releases, this week you’re in luck. On Wednesday, August 4th at 12 p.m. CT, Mondo will be restocking the vinyl releases of Over the Garden Wall, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Coraline, and Kubo and the Two Strings, all of which are some of their most requested restocks and some of which will be earning new colorways. Get the details of the release below before they go on sale on Wednesday, August 4th at 12 p.m. CT on MondoRecordShop.com.
5 things to know about vinyl versus digital audio: Spectrum News 1 viewer Joe Silvia asked, “Dear Virtually Rick: Why is the audio quality better on vinyl disc than electronic format? Have a good day!” Have a good day? After asking the toughest question of all time? Oh well! Here are five things to know: Prepare for a massive oversimplification! Vinyl, or polyvinyl chloride records made from the same stuff as PVC plastic pipes have been around since the 1930s. A record player needle sits in the groove or tracks and vibrates picking up the pre-recorded sounds embedded on the left and right channels, sending those vibrations out of your speakers. Digital file sound cuts out the need for a record player or even a record and goes straight from your phone or computer to your amplifier and speakers. The quality depends upon how the digital file is created. So you can get both pretty awful and amazing quality audio. It’s like the difference between VHS video tape and 4K video…
