Save Vinyl

<post written by Paul Corey>

The Recording Industry.

I was asked to write this article at the end of 2007 by Nitzan. Since then I’ve procrastinated a little bit and seen loads of related blog articles preempt what I want to say. In light of this I’ve decided to give my personal perspective on what’s going on. This is, therefore, a bit of a stream-of-conciousness ramble.

As a radio show host for the past three-and-a-half years, the first three online, the last six months additionally on FM, albeit local community broadcasting, my principle contact with music now comes through what I am sent by labels, distributors etc, and what I grab off the internet from so-called “mp3 blogs.” I realise this isn’t very PC but I’m promoting the artists on my show or through my blog. In addition to this I simply can’t afford to buy all the new releases I want. I’ve got a family and my children are eating their way through my retirement. At the moment I envisage my winter years plugging away on the till at Tesco. Anyway, I digress. I simply can’t afford vinyl anymore, and I don’t have much space left to store it.

Record shopping used to be what I spent most of my waking hours doing, either purchasing or propping up the counter just listening and enjoying the ambience. I suppose the one thing I miss most about the experience is just the “being there.” It didn’t matter how big the shop in question was, I’d always create an untold amount of browsing time; and the more time spent in the shop the more time to hear undiscovered gems by chance. I’ve spent a king’s ransom on stuff I’d never heard of before walking in a shop, but thanks to the staff playing new releases as they arrived I’d buy automatically.

I don’t miss much more though. I’ve lived in Cambridge since September 2001 where record shopping started off thin on the ground and then disappeared completely. The last vinyl emporium, Streetwise, shut it’s doors last year to concentrate on it’s burgeoning online business. Black Wax came and went in the twinkling of an eye and Joe’s shut it’s doors to be taken over by a pine furniture showroom. Surely the ultimate insult? Record shopping either takes place in London or online, and with transport costs and time to consider online usually wins out.

In fact I’d say it’s a year since I was last in Phonica, an experience I found more than a little bit agreeable but in spite of this, I have to concur with Ronan Fitzgerald and echo his time there recently. It’s a wonderful shop, certainly as good as it gets in this country, but upon entering and expecting to be surrounded by stuff I’ve never heard of and want to part cash for, I’m always a little bit deflated. Record stores have no secrets to let me in on any more. I’ve already got the jump on what’s going on thanks to surfing the Internet. Next.

I’ve been a radio show host for almost four years now. Luckily I have a large collection so a lot to draw on, but it doesn’t really matter unless I’m doing an oldies show. I still have to consume and be at the cutting edge. I get stuff sent to me of course, but not enough, and the last thing I want to be is at the beck and call of two or three agencies or distributors. Not that I’m not extremely grateful, but most of the labels I respect have, so far, been conspicuous by their absence insofar as sending me their product is concerned. I’ve written to loads with my details, making it clear that I’m genuine and not a file sharer on heat, but I’ve invariably been ignored or politely told that “we don’t send promos out” which I know to be bullshit. Consequently I peruse “mp3 blogs” without a shred of guilt. I can’t afford the music anyway. No one’s losing any money as I wouldn’t be buying anyway and I’m in the business of promotion. But where to draw the line? It’s now not home taping that is killing the music industry but mp3 blogs. I am of the opinion though that, on balance, they do far more good than evil and that most of the people using them are being exposed to new artists they wouldn’t come across in a month of Sundays and that the price of music is anyway, prohibitive for the majority. However, this in itself is an obviously worrying development especially when the consumers who matter the most, “young people” have evolved to the level that, to a large extent, all but discounts the artist from the product.

Music is made by artists, and no form of music seems as well-adapted to the virtual world as electronica. There is something very natural about consuming the genre from your computer in the comfort of your own home. But in order to become really successful, or to at least be taken seriously, vinyl sales, however small, still matter. Mp 3 sales are, to a degree, begat by those of vinyl. But in a world where now shifting just a thousand units of vinyl is considered successful what next? I’m relatively pessimistic about vinyl’s chances of survival, and I’m amazed it’s still here with us today. It’s nicely ironic that in the world of electronic music, especially that which is club - based, vinyl is still a staple for so many djs, but for how long? Apparently a lot of diehards are migrating to Serato Scratch. Successful DJs can, of course, still afford to buy vinyl, or they get it sent directly to them for free I have to applaud all the German labels that are still carrying a torch for it, especially those who are still trying to make it something special, in the form of limited coloured editions. Mojuba springs to mind as a good example of this. There are others, and not just from Germany who will carry on pressing, but I personally don’t see much longevity in this, but l sincerely hope it continues.

Filed under: thoughts by Nitzan