In rotation: 4/5/19

AU | Australia’s recorded music biz enjoys ‘very healthy’ gains, posts fourth year of growth: It’s official: Australia’s recorded music market is flying. And it’s tracking well ahead of global trends. Earlier today, ARIA published its 2018 wholesale results with revenue blowing past $526 million during the period, up 12.26%, for the fourth successive year of growth. In a week which saw Josh Frydenberg unveil the federal budget and the IFPI issue its Global Music Report, ARIA provides arguably the cheeriest news. The ace in the market is, of course, music streaming platforms which generated total, combined gains of 41.2% in revenue over the previous year. Without the likes of subscription services Apple Music, Deezer, Google Play and Spotify, and on-demand platforms such as YouTube, there is no growth. Zip.

Calgary, CA | 12th annual Record Store Day taking place in Calgary this April: On Saturday, April 13, vinyl record enthusiasts are invited to celebrate independent record stores all over the world as part of Record Store Day. Here in Calgary, vinyl collectors can look forward to parties, in-store performances, and special releases from bands old and new. Now in its 12th year, Record Store Day gives music fans the chance to celebrate their local record shops that continue to pay homage to the magic of pressed albums and hopefully walk out with the record they came in for, and maybe with something totally new as well.

Incredibly rare purple vinyl copy of Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) up for auction! One of only a handful of copies ever pressed (some sources say as little as 5 copies were produced), here’s an unbelievable chance to own one of the rarest Bowie records in existence; the UK 1980 RCA purple vinyl copy of the superb album Scary Monsters (BOW LP 2). Presented in outstanding condition, the record is Ex+. Witnessed under high intensity LED lights, there are a couple of extremely faint, minor and exceedingly wispy markings that are noted. With extremely clean and sharp labels showing no spindle markings indicating this copy has been played sparingly. Matrix/stampers: BOW LP2 A3 TOWNHOUSE I CANT THINK…. B3C & BOW LP2 B3 TOWNHOUSE …..OF ANYTHING A1AX. Complete with the original UK picture sleeve (as this copy would have been housed with) presented in VG+ condition with a couple of light creases.

Stroud, UK | Sean and Tom welcome customers to Sound Records’ new home – in pictures: Vinyl connoisseurs in Stroud now have even more space to find their favourite music gems after a record shop has expanded into new premises following a successful first year of trading. DJs and record dealers Sean Roe and Tom Berry have moved out of their old shop in Gloucester Street and set up in the iconic building which used to house Inprint right in the centre of Stroud. The positive move came just before the anniversary of first year of business for the pair, who set up Sound Records last April. “We’ve had a brilliant time in Gloucester Street since we opened, but the shop simply became too small to stock all the records we want to provide,” said Tom.

Pekin, IL | Fond recollections of oldies, at 45 rpm: At age 8, Jon Lamb heard a hit and he had to have it. One night in 1974, while riding in the backseat of his parents’ Rambler in his St. Louis-area hometown of Granite City, he heard “The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace. Lamb had suddenly discovered pop music. “I was hooked,” says Lamb, 53, of Peoria. “I had to hear it again.” His older sister had the 45. But she told him to keep his paws off it. “That’s what older siblings do,” he says. “So, I would sit by the radio and wait for it to come on, call up the station and request it, or try to sneak into my sister’s room to listen to it. Finally, at the five-and-dime store, I bought it for a buck and brought it home. I listened to it over and over, all night.

Streaming Is Now Nearly Half of Record Revenue: The 2019 IFPI record industry report claims revenue is growing again. Paid and ad-supported streaming now makes up nearly half of all global revenue from recorded music and downloads continue their slow-motion car crash, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s much-read Global Music Report. The 2019 edition (covering 2018) has a topline boasting of over $19.1 billion in global music sales, an increase of 9.7% over 2017. This was driven by a 34% increase in subscription streaming. The biggest news is streaming’s continuing cannibalization of overall industry revenue. Barely registering on revenue charts 10 years ago (for example – the chart below from the IFPI report), audio streaming now accounts for 47%, or nearly half, of all recorded music revenue. A quarter of streaming revenue comes from ads on free streams.

Nanaimo, British Columbia | The vinyl countdown: Nanaimo Record Show just days away. Dozens of dealers, private collectors will offer huge variety Sunday at city’s biggest record show. Maybe it’s the sound quality of vinyl. Maybe it’s the album cover artwork or perhaps it harkens back to a way of life gone by, but the Nanaimo Record Show is proof of the rising popularity of vinyl records on the Island. The fifth annual Nanaimo Record Show happens Sunday, April 7, at Bowen Park activity centre. “We have 312 feet of records, maybe double that if you go two boxes deep,” said Jack Tieleman, show organizer. “So it’s 34 tables with dealers from everywhere from Powell River to Victoria to the Lower Mainland coming over.” Tieleman said this year’s show has doubled in size over the one held in 2018. Why are vinyl records so popular? Tieleman said it’s the experience of holding a record in your hands.

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  • SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL INDIE SHOPS SINCE 2007


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