30 replies to this topic

[Bodhi]

Did anyone catch this article in The Age? Seems like the local vinyl scene is healthy and growing! - http://www.theage.co...0606-1zuv7.html

Cheers,
Bodhi

[Yamaha Man]

Great stuff and an interesting read, thanks for sharing.

[O.Sydney]

that was a good read, I like "They began Thornbury Records last year without any music or hi-fi retail experience"

just people having a go !

[Bodhi]

I agree....just great to see a grass roots store start up with a passion to help support local artists & put their music on vinyl. Love Zenith Record's 70's cutting machine

Edited by Bodhi, 07 June 2012 - 12:13 PM.

[emesbee]

Interesting article. The total volume sales of vinyl are still much less than for CD though.

[4heckssake]

Interesting article. The total volume sales of vinyl are still much less than for CD though.

I don't know if its true but I have seen it in print to say that vinyl sales now top CD sales as vinyl is on the up and cd's plummeting due to digital download popularity.

[Sam1]

Would be interesting to see the vinyl stats once they take into account records bought from overseas and imported into Aus.

[hired goon]

G'day,

I don't know if its true but I have seen it in print to say that vinyl sales now top CD sales as vinyl is on the up and cd's plummeting due to digital download popularity.

I don't know that it's true, either. The linked article states the following:

The number of vinyl albums sold in Australia topped 65,000 last year, up from 18,000 only four years before. The figures do not include the unsigned bands and small record labels that have their records pressed here and overseas. CD sales in Australia reached 30 million last year - down from almost 50 million four years before.

I don't think that 65,000 (or maybe a wee bit more) is anywhere near 30,000,000 ... and I doubt that analog is ever gunna be more than a niche market for audiophiles and hipsters, nor sell more than digital (CD, MP3, hi-res FLAC, etc). Nuh gunna happen.

--Geoff

[Flamenco_diego]

The real figure is probably double the measured new sales of 65000. I've read several times in american magazines, newspapers, that many 'music shops' have physical stock that is 75% LPs ! Just check out Acoustic Sounds.com and look at count of titles by Genre.
eg: http://store.acousti...om/g/5/Pop/Rock click bottom left hnd crnr to see genre, look top rh corner to see 'titles count by media'

The recording companies are re-embracing LP not because they sound better, more natural (and they do) but because they can sell stock that they are confident will not (or CANNOT) be copied without significant losses. ie they get to move some discs. Lets face it, digital has eroded the music recording industry and its profitibility. CD format was designed and sold to the public before the internet, contains not encryption, no copy protection and inferior sound.

I cant put a % figure on it, but i think vinyl sales will continue to rise rapidly - to an ASTONISHING level by 2015 - the recording companies are encouraging it for obvious reasons. Even when downloadable 64 bit / 768k hi res flacs become available, LP's will continue to sell, and be pushed by the market players. DRM encryption will be commonplace, but clever hackers will still try to 'crack' them, share them.

[holdencaulfield2007]

An interesting and complimentary article is also worth a look. It is about a fellow who runs Zenith Records which actually presses the records.http://www.smh.com.a...0606-1zwny.html

[Bodhi]

Would be interesting to see the vinyl stats once they take into account records bought from overseas and imported into Aus.

Good point!

[Bodhi]

An interesting and complimentary article is also worth a look. It is about a fellow who runs Zenith Records which actually presses the records.http://www.smh.com.a...0606-1zwny.html

Thanks for posting the link Holden What a life huh? Spending your days pressing records, chain smoking & drinking strong coffee all day long

[mikizee]

Good times for the state of vinyl, for sure.

Here's hoping it only gets bigger. (again)

[cheekyboy]

Good times for the state of vinyl, for sure.

Here's hoping it only gets bigger. (again)

I'd go along with that mikizee, but you'd expect me to say that! I heard Chris Ross interviewed by Derryn Hinch this afternoon on 3AW and he probably could have put his case better, but the questions weren't the most insightful though.

Cheers,

Keith

[mondie]

Cassettes still outsell vinyl and we all like to think vinyl is on some kind of sales resurgence! Dunno who is buying them or from where.

[Show]

At the rate the industry is churning out rubbish that they pass off as music, I am hardly surprised more and more people are going back to re-explore the good ol' oldies. I suppose one of the affects of the resurgence in the classics are the purchase of the classics in their native platform.

Seriously... has anyone here heard the "music" of the current era? Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Justin Bieber... for those fortunate enough to have never heard of them, google them at your own risk.

[emesbee]

At the rate the industry is churning out rubbish that they pass off as music, I am hardly surprised more and more people are going back to re-explore the good ol' oldies. I suppose one of the affects of the resurgence in the classics are the purchase of the classics in their native platform.

Seriously... has anyone here heard the "music" of the current era? Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Justin Bieber... for those fortunate enough to have never heard of them, google them at your own risk.

That is only the muzak that is dished up for mass consumption. But honestly, do you just passively sit there and only listen to what is thrown at you? Of course not (although I daresay there are a lot who do). Dig deeper and you will find a lot of music that you probably didn't even know existed, just don't expect to hear it on the radio. (Does anybody bother listening to the radio any more these days?)

[Show]

That is only the muzak that is dished up for mass consumption. But honestly, do you just passively sit there and only listen to what is thrown at you? Of course not (although I daresay there are a lot who do). Dig deeper and you will find a lot of music that you probably didn't even know existed, just don't expect to hear it on the radio. (Does anybody bother listening to the radio any more these days?)

Exactly what I'm saying. Most people listen to what is dished up for them. The people who are (potentially) audiophiles are those who do dig up music that they actually like and are not just succumbing to popular music/"peer pressure". Of course the reverse order is not always true (that everyone who listens to good music are audiophiles).

I still listen to radio but mostly for the talk show because they are hilariously uninformative and usually misguided (with exception of ABC and a few other serious channels) even when it comes to critical issues (although the host usually isn't even aware of the gravity of the topic).

[turntable]

At the rate the industry is churning out rubbish that they pass off as music, I am hardly surprised more and more people are going back to re-explore the good ol' oldies. I suppose one of the affects of the resurgence in the classics are the purchase of the classics in their native platform.

Seriously... has anyone here heard the "music" of the current era? Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Justin Bieber... for those fortunate enough to have never heard of them, google them at your own risk.

You are sounding like your father slagging off the " new" evil crappy music. I know I used to hate my father deriding my musical taste in my teens as to me it was awesome

My 11 and 14 year old daughters luv Nicki Minaj, Taeo Cruze, Chris Brown and almost every other similar dance/pop artist. The current Bieber single is quite good. This is the audience that a lot of record companies/radio stations are marketing themselves to for better or worse. Some of it is pretty good, lots is crap imo like any music. No difference to the commercial top 20 stuff of the past 30 years, except you are not growing up on it and living it every day like all the teens are now. In time, my daughters music tastes will mature with age and no doubt they will go back a cherry pick older music that appeals to them.

You really need to get out and listen to new music, as there is a LOT of fantastic music being released - you just need to look under the surface.

BTW, audiophiles are probably the worst bunch on average to be following for musical superiority. Why else would musical dribble like Diana Krall and alike be on the heavy rotation list of audophiles - oh that right - its sounds good and justifies the $$ spent on my hifi. oh please..

off my soapbox now

And it is great that some new vinyl brick and mortar store are opening up again

Edited by turntable, 08 June 2012 - 02:59 PM.

[snowdownunder]

Personally in the last year I've bought 3 CD's that aren't available on vinyl. In the same time I've bought at least 50 new vinyl Lp's and about 100 second hand LP's. Of the new Lp's, all purchased from OS. I haven't bought a record in Australia for about 3 years and even then I reckon I've only bought about 3 LP's locally in the last 15 years. I've got a good deal going where the vinyl I buy from OS gets opened inspected and de-dish if required.

I do record vinyl to digital, and for the last two years I've been going through my late sister and brother in law's LP's collection and have about another 2 years to go. I'm doing this as there 2 children have no interest in vinyl, so they're getting a copy of their parents record collection in Wav & MP3.
In some cases (to me anyway) digitised vinyl does sound better than the over-loud stock CD. So I don't see record being preferred by record company's because it's harder to copy, although not every one can to it successfully.
Also I have many so called bootlegs, where records are copy record to record, it may not be common but in the case of some bands, it's very common.

[mr-happy-pants]

An interesting and complimentary article is also worth a look. It is about a fellow who runs Zenith Records which actually presses the records.http://www.smh.com.a...0606-1zwny.html

A few years ago, a small group (6 or so) of SNA members went to visit Zenith for a guided tour.

It was a great afternoon, with some great insights.

We saw the whole process, including cutting a master.

It wasn't what I expected.

Maybe we should again ask if we can revisit.

I seem to remember the owner being quite eccentric.

Graham

[GAT474]

I'd go along with that mikizee, but you'd expect me to say that! I heard Chris Ross interviewed by Derryn Hinch this afternoon on 3AW and he probably could have put his case better, but the questions weren't the most insightful though.

Cheers,

Keith

Heard that too Keith, as well as Dennis Walter talking about it in the afternoon. These two blokes have been in the 'industry' for longer than they'd care to remember, yet it sounded like neither had any idea about the resurgance of vinyl. At least Hinch said that he got a new TT from his Mrs for his birthday and when he played some of his vinyl they 'sounded better'.

[CP_]

My 4yo boys like One Direction (shudder!).

But another opportunity for the vinyl industry, I've still got some of my old story LPs, the ones where you got a 12" or 7", and a picture book to follow as the narrator reads to you with the odd musical interlude. My boys love it. They love the "spinning circle" factor, the large format of the book, they really get into it. I'd love to see this kind of songbook be utilised by producers. Sure there are astounding interactive books now on iPads etc, but I think there is a fascination from the youngest generation about turntables.

Long live vinyl!

PS who's buying cassettes!?

[MusicallyBiased]

Long live vinyl!

+1

[sligoriverblues]

BTW, audiophiles are probably the worst bunch on average to be following for musical superiority. Why else would musical dribble like Diana Krall and alike be on the heavy rotation list of audophiles - oh that right - its sounds good and justifies the $$ spent on my hifi. oh please..

Thumbs up for this, man! Like this:

Last year, when I was auditioning speakers I didn't take any music with me... If they grab me, they grabbed me and I'll go later with some of my stuff, if they don't I'm not gonna bother going there again anyway... When I say that Joni Mitchell was the only non "audiophile" record I'd heard during that time, I'm not kidding... I was sick of female vocals for quite some time after that. Warwick was the only guy that play some real music, and I told him that in person...
I guess thinking is that when you pay 5 grand for a cartridge, you're not gonna be listening to the Gories of the early Sonic Youth...

It is great to hear that the "real" record stores are opening again!!!

[Mr Tubson]

Personally, I think the main problem with the 'music of today' (available on Vinyl or otherwise) is that there are so many interesting things being released its hard to keep up!

[turntable]

Personally, I think the main problem with the 'music of today' (available on Vinyl or otherwise) is that there are so many interesting things being released its hard to keep up!

So true, and that's a fact jack..

[:) al]

myself have bought more vinyl than cds or digital downloads. so can totally understand the year on year growth of vinyl

[Bomber Rock]

Unbelievable. I have spent countless hours chain smoking and drinking coffee with Chris, discussing used oil refining equipment (my industry) usually with a view to buying a cheap pump or tank from his yard. Never in all this time did I learn of this double life he leads. I'm going to have to get him to show me around his factory. Will take some pics and post if interesting.

[sligoriverblues]

Will take some pics and post if interesting.

That would be awesome!

[mr-happy-pants]

Unbelievable. I have spent countless hours chain smoking and drinking coffee with Chris, discussing used oil refining equipment (my industry) usually with a view to buying a cheap pump or tank from his yard. Never in all this time did I learn of this double life he leads. I'm going to have to get him to show me around his factory. Will take some pics and post if interesting.

I really liked him.
He had a real 'no bull****' attitude.