David Bowie is the best selling vinyl artist of the 21st century: …As revealed by a recent evaluation from Music Week’s chart analyst Alan Jones, David Bowie is the best selling vinyl artist of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. Bowie has sold 582,704 individual vinyl records since the year 2000, putting him just above The Beatles in terms of total sales. The Fab Four weren’t that far behind, racking up 535,596 sales. When it comes to the first two years of the 2020s, Bowie was once again the top seller, having notched 134,237 sales over a two-year span. The Beatles once again show up in second place, having sold 113,613 records of their own. Credit should go to Bowie’s monumental reissue campaign, which has seen an increase in releases over the past 2 years.
Bloomington, IN | Ameliorate Records showcases Indiana life pressed on vinyl: “2 Minutes in Indiana” is a curated album by Ameliorate Records on a $25 vinyl record supported through a crowdfunding campaign. With 19 days left, 11 more people need to purchase the record to get to their goal of 100 buyers before it’s released physically. It will be digitally available in early February after the campaign ends. “I put out an open call to artists on social media with this challenge: to create a new solely instrumental composition that lasts exactly two minutes,” Ameliorate Records owner Andrew Gustin said. “The theme is to capture what living in Indiana feels like to you.” Gustin said he wanted 20 Indiana artists to make a track of what it feels like to live in Indiana. He said he included 20 artists because a vinyl is 40 minutes long.
Omaha, NE | Vinyl pop-up shop in Omaha hits successful tune: Eric Ziegler began spinning his love of vinyl into a solo career three years ago. “Vinyl transcends genres, and generations of artists,” Ziegler said. “And vinyl never really went away. Contemporary artists and classic artists have always released vinyl.” Ziegler, the E-Z of EZ Records, has always collected music. After more than two decades working at Homer’s Music, and before the isolation of COVID-19 drove many in search of their past through music, he became an independent music man. Ziegler has tapped into his extensive collection to sell online, at events, and at pop-up vinyl sales like the one at The Switch in Omaha Sunday. “This is probably half of what I have at home,” Ziegler said of the boxes of vinyl records he displayed at the sale. “And it’s a mix of everything, blues, jazz, rock, country, folk, hard rock, heavy metal, punk, indie, all kinds of stuff.”
House Of Marley Stir It Up turntable review: The king of reggae would surely have approved of this impressive record player from House Of Marley. This year marks the 45th anniversary of Bob Marley’s Exodus, an LP recorded while the reggae legend was exiled in London following an assassination attempt in his home country of Jamaica. Featuring classic tracks such as Jamming, Waiting In Vain and Three Little Birds, it’s an album well worth checking out if you haven’t already – and what more apt piece of kit to play it on than a record player designed in collaboration with the late musician’s own family. House Of Marley has been making eco-conscious audio products since 2012. But the company’s first – and so far only – record player wasn’t launched until 2017. Crafted from sustainable materials, the Stir It Up ($300/£219.99) is an automatic, belt-drive turntable that comes with a built-in pre-amp, along with USB connectivity for converting your favourite vinyl to digital files. Technically, House of Marley has made two turntables as there’s also a wireless version of the Stir It Up that costs $340/£249.99.
How I am fighting a fatal brain disease with vinyl records: I just finished my vinyl countdown. And I’m alive. Do those two things correlate? Not obviously, but probably. Five years ago, after receiving the diagnosis of Lewy body dementia, an incurable degenerative disease that has similar traits to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, I vowed to review my 678 vinyl records in a blog before I died. With my post today of ‘Tres Hombres’ by ZZ Top, I have fulfilled my vow. The blog is www.myvinylcountdown.com Three ways the blog helped me slow my progression down…
UK | ‘What’s the matter with you?’ Elvis Costello fumes at Dan Walker over blunder: Elvis Costello took a swipe at BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker after the presenter made a blunder about the award-winning musician’s latest album. …During his interview on BBC Breakfast, Nugent asked the singer about the importance of having his latest record on vinyl. He replied: “It’s great to be able to have the convenience of playing songs you want at any time, but it’s also nice to hold something physically that tells you the story the artist is intending. “The instantaneous access to songs and walking around with them as you do when you travel through your working day is a luxury. “We didn’t use to have that, we were tied to a space, but there is also something to putting a record on with someone you love or with someone you want to play it for. “And the physical object of a record is still a really lovely thing and it gives you the chance to have something really substantial in your hands.”
