How The Vinyl Record Value Chain Is Being Digitally Transformed: Artists and labels can finance the production of their vinyl through Qrates’ crowdfunding platform, or they can use other platforms like Indiegogo or Kickstarter. For production, the company has made agreements with high quality pressing plants located in Europe and Asia, developing supply-chain processes that shorten order-to-delivery from typically four-five months to six-eight weeks. Qrates is planning to start production in the U.S. this fall.
Erika Records Brings Specialty Vinyl to the Masses: From the time Erika Records cut its first record, nothing about the company fit the mold of a typical vinyl-pressing plant—especially not its founder. Determined to enter the business on her own in 1981, Liz Dunster—a 27-year-old, bleached-blond mother of two—found most plant owners and manufacturing executives didn’t quite know what to make of her.
This Guy Found 50,000 Records in the Trash—and Kept All of Them: Taylor Wallace doesn’t remember the record he saw first. He’s pretty sure, though, it was one of the following: Lionel Richie’s Dancing on the Ceiling, Jane Fonda’s Abs, Buns and Thighs, the soundtrack from Zorba the Greek or something from Kris Kross. What he does know is that he decided to keep each of them — including all 10 copies of Dancing on the Ceiling. And that he’s kept everything else he discovered on that June afternoon and the days that followed. Legendary stuff from Sinatra, The Beatles and Ray Charles. Not-so-legendary stuff from the Booty People, John Travolta and Jabba the Hutt’s band from Return of the Jedi. And something called Bob Wiseman Sings Wrench Tuttle.
From the Bee archives: Swan song for last local Tower store: The Bee originally published this story on Dec. 22, 2006…Tower Records played its last song in Sacramento on Thursday. As employees snapped photos, Elk Grove resident Thomas Stevenson purchased 15 jazz and rap compact discs at the Tower store on Watt Avenue. As he headed out into the rain, an employee locked the door, and Tower said goodbye to the city that gave birth to the legendary music retailer 65 years ago. Closing one day after its fabled sibling on Broadway, the Watt store was the last Sacramento outpost of a company that once defined an era in American retailing.
