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The Death of the Vinyl Revival

I largely buy classical and have zero interest in vinyl reissues. Second hand, CD or usually very well recorded SACD for me.

I know there’s some good stuff but if I bought DSOM live for example, I’d only play it once and then it would just sit there. The only new vinyl I buy is either a nice colour (always been a superficial sucker for not black) or signed.
 
Well the new vinyl I buy most often is Mark Knopflers albums. Quality is excellent, certainly not at all flat.
 
Alex S said:
I largely buy classical and have zero interest in vinyl reissues. Second hand, CD or usually very well recorded SACD for me.
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If I was a classical listener I imagine I'd be the same Alex. I suspect 98% of classical listeners gave up on vinyl decades ago so the record companies haven't churned out the usual nonsense - Mozart's Requiem on pink vinyl with a scratch n sniff cover limited to just 50,000 copies etc etc...
 
There is still a classical vinyl niche market right at the very top-end of the market, e.g. the most sought after ASDs, SAX, SXLs etc can still go for crazy money, many well over £1k, as can even earlier mono titles from specific performers, plus Electric Recording Co can always sell-out their limited runs of £400 reissues. It is the low to mid level that has collapsed. No one wants those lovely Philips, DGG etc pressings from the 1970s etc beyond a very tiny and usually modern, minimalist, music concrete and electronic subset of titles.
 
AudioAl said:
For some it never went away , That includes me :)
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Same.

Just bouncing this post as yesterday was the first time I've seen sealed albums by well known acts like Sleater Kinney and PJ Harvey being knocked out for £2.50 each. I'd understand it if it was all RSD Chas & Dave reissues but it was decent gear they were apparently happy to clear at a fraction of retail.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Same.

Just bouncing this post as yesterday was the first time I've seen sealed albums by well known acts like Sleater Kinney and PJ Harvey being knocked out for £2.50 each. I'd understand it if it was all RSD Chas & Dave reissues but it was decent gear they were apparently happy to clear at a fraction of retail.
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and they say there's no recession (yet).
 
paulfromcamden said:
Just bouncing this post as yesterday was the first time I've seen sealed albums by well known acts like Sleater Kinney and PJ Harvey being knocked out for £2.50 each. I'd understand it if it was all RSD Chas & Dave reissues but it was decent gear they were apparently happy to clear at a fraction of retail.
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That is suspiciously atypical! Record fairs can be very strange things and some stalls can have shall we say ‘questionable’ supply chains. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was someone trying to clear a load of stolen records or whatever. All the stuff you describe is highly sellable, it would fly out of Rough Trade, Piccadilly etc at full price, Discogs or eBay at close to that. There is more to this one, I guarantee it!

PS Some RSD stuff is comedically overpriced, 7’ singles for £15 etc, but any sealed PJ Harvey album is going to be worth at least £20 all day long every day. I’d buy a skip-full at £2.50 a unit!
 
It's a weird one alright. There always used to be the odd stall selling off sealed records cheaply. Recently I'd say it's become 1 in 4 stalls at the bigger fairs - just loads of boxes of unsorted brand new records normally £10 a pop. I'm assuming it's distributors dumping unsold stock but obviously no way of knowing for sure.

On the other hand lots of the £3 a pop boxes of random used vinyl seem to have been replaced with £10 a pop boxes of what in my mind are still £3 records...
 
The thing that surprises me is other traders hadn’t picked that stall dry before the doors opened. That’s usually the case. When I used to do record fairs (none in easy travel distance now sadly) I always used to pay extra for early access and I’d usually have more than I could carry before the regular punters even got in.

I don’t get this one at all. Even if prices are about to drop, which I personally see zero evidence of, there is still a minimum of £5-10 profit a unit on the stuff you mention. They’d fly out at £7.50-£12.50, and no dealer is going to turn that down.

Have you checked matrixes etc in Discogs? There is maybe a chance they are pirates.
 
Tony L said:
Have you checked matrixes etc in Discogs? There is maybe a chance they are pirates.
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I left the Sleater Kinney and PJ Harvey as my OH already has them. It's entirely possible they were iffy I guess.

The stuff I picked up, Wolf Eyes for example, I would be very surprised if anyone was bootlegging.
 
I don't think the price of new vinyl is 'outrageously high' although it's more than in the 80's. I always laugh wheh I see people everywhere vaping and smoking and I think about my ever expanding record collection. Who's laughing?

I wouldn't want to hazard a guess on how many records I've bought in the last year but it runs into £100's.

If a new record comes out I want I just buy it. I suppose the most I've spent on 2 records is almost £500 as they were rare but most are around £20 on average, about £5 more than a cd in the 90's.

Vinyl for me never went away and not quite old enough to take a break from it for 34 years as in the article.

This is my hobby and interest, other people I know are into other just as expensive things.

Of course, since the adventure of 'streaming' society in general have become used to not actually paying for anything, a monthly subscription is what, £10? I wouldn't know exactly but I bought a cd today where the postage was more than that from the Netherlands.

The less and less we spend the worse the situation will get with regards to quality, to the point where it is non existent. Only confirmed by the constant and justified complaints from the artists themselves.

The only real way for music from the past to remain relevant is by physical media. My music knowledge has expanded greatly by music passed onto me that sometimes has been left unplayed for a while but then played out of curiosity. My 9 year old happily listens to music from the 60's and 70's and is something that can be passed on. My Dad had given me lots of music over the years that I never would had considered playing if not for actually having the media in my hands.

Without this interaction, music is forgetful imo.
 
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kjb said:
I agree with much of this...


...but I still love buying records

And please resist calling them vinyl(s) - they're RECORDS, as opposed to CDs, tapes or digital files.

Does anyone know where this re-naming of a record originates? It makes no sense to me.
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It's the general dumbing down of society.

I've even noticed on 'Discogs' being referred to as vinyls.
 
I was in the Trafford centre last week and popped in a "music Store" which sells LPs, guitars (don't touch!) and t-shirts, etc. They were selling a lot of well known LPs as a minimum of £30 per copy.
 
paulfromcamden said:
If I was a classical listener I imagine I'd be the same Alex. I suspect 98% of classical listeners gave up on vinyl decades ago so the record companies haven't churned out the usual nonsense - Mozart's Requiem on pink vinyl with a scratch n sniff cover limited to just 50,000 copies etc etc...
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Maybe a hook up with Gwyneth and Goop... would sell like hot cakes.

Peter
 
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