Vinyl Sales Soar — and Even CDs Rebound — as U.S. Recorded Music Industry Posts $15 Billion Year-End Revenue: The U.S. recorded-music business continues its upward swing, posting a near-record $15 billion in revenue for 2021, driven by a surge in streaming, solid vinyl and even CD sales, and the inclusion of TikTok music revenue for the first time. In fact, all major formats of music posted growth over the prior year, except digital downloads. Paid subscriptions continued to be the biggest growth driver, resulting in the sixth consecutive year of growth for music revenues. At wholesale value, 2021 revenues were up 22% to $9.8 billion. While the $15 billion number is itself a record, when adjusted for inflation, it’s actually nearly 40% lower than the previous record of $14.6 billion in 1999.
London, UK | Pioneering Peckings Records honoured with Blue Plaque: Peckings Records was one of the first labels to import and distribute Jamaican music in the UK. Peckings Records was awarded a prestigious blue plaque outside the original label and shop address in Shepherd’s Bush. The landmark record label and record shop was founded in the 1960s by George ‘Peckings’ Price, who was one of the first to import Jamaican music into England, before there was a Reggae music scene in the UK. The plaque was unveiled yesterday afternoon at 142 Askew Road, Shepherd’s Bush, where the iconic record label and shop first opened its doors in 1974. For the past six decades, the label and record shop has continuously been at the forefront of promoting Jamaican music in the UK and around the world. When George Price died in 1994, his sons took over the iconic family business and continued the Peckings legacy. Tony and Trevor continued with the shop, whilst the two younger brothers – Chris and Duke – took the Peckings Records label to another level, and solidified its place in Reggae history – as one of the most influential record labels of our time.
Denver, CO | Twist & Shout owners make it to the finish line: Defying all industry trends, Paul and Jill Epstein have made it to a very unlikely finish line—gainful retirement in the embattled record-store industry. Saying “the time has come,” Epstein has announced the couple’s retirement after 33 years running Twist & Shout, one of Denver’s most iconic record stores. Ownership of the store at 2508 E. Colfax Ave. will transfer to longtime manager Patrick Brown, who says very little will change in the day-to-day operation of the store. “We believe that Twist & Shout has become part of Denver life, and if it were to disappear, a huge hole in the cultural and musical life of our city would appear,” Epstein wrote in his farewell message. Epstein said he began to think seriously about standing down in the early months of the pandemic, but that his retirement would have to dovetail with a solid succession plan that would keep Twist & Shout operating far into the future.
Aberdeen, UK | Powerful blend of music and coffee is a smash hit for Aberdeen’s only record cafe: As someone who has battled with anxiety and panic attacks for most of his life, Nick Duthie knows the importance of finding a safe space where you can relax and put your worries to rest. That is exactly what he has created with Red Robin Records Vinyl Café, a hidden gem of a café tucked away in Correction Wynd where home roasted coffee, the sweet sound of music and a listening ear is the order of the day. Busy chatting away to one of his regular customers, a social worker who brings his clients to the café for its friendly and chilled-out atmosphere, it’s clear that Nick’s café is quite literally at the beating heart of the local community. “A lot people come in themselves and they just want to chill out as they’ve got other things going on in their lives,” said Nick, 40, a proud born and bred Aberdonian. “One guy who comes in lost his job through the downturn in the oil industry and his father is really sick with dementia so he comes in himself, has a coffee and tries to offload.
Missoula, MT | Roxy Record Swap returns with thousands of records, CDs, more: Dig through crates and you shall find at the Roxy Record Swap this Sunday, March 13. Around 12 to 15 vendors will be selling tables stacked with thousands of LPs, CDs, DVDs and more, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit community cinema. “The interest in vinyl records is just so high,” said Mike Steinberg, the Roxy Theater’s executive director. Regardless how long you’ve been collecting, the swap presents an “opportunity to find a rare weird record tucked in with the other stuff, or fill in your collection.” It runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Missoula Senior Center. Admission is $5 for early-bird access from 9-10 a.m., and $2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The head-start entry is worth it for serious collectors, as the “early bird gets the krautrock,” Steinberg said, referring to the German experimental music coveted by fans. They’re also accepting donations of “gently used media and equipment items” at the Roxy during business hours.
SA | Back to basics: Meet Pranav Bhagaloo, a young passionate vinyl record collector: His immersion in a vinyl adventure has seen him go to great lengths to technically measure up mediums against one another. He was born a millennial and is a part of the streaming-generation, however Pranav Bhagaloo is an audiophile and the primary yr legislation pupil says nothing matches the depth and soul that vinyl information carry to life in music. His immersion in a vinyl journey has seen him go to nice lengths to technically measure up mediums towards each other. Bhagaloo concluded that past the scratchiness of a report, there’s little or no distinction in high quality between retro and as we speak. Bhagaloo can be a musician and loves his guitar. He mentioned that few pleasures examine with musical discoveries just like the Beatles.
A guide to record cleaning and the best entry-level methods: TLC for your vinyl. Delving into the world of record collecting, and hi-fi listening, is filled with many moving parts. Building the perfect turntable speakers, and amplifier combination is a considerable task on its own. For the vinyl aficionado, few feelings compare to creating a system that makes your records sing. That said, while you may have the hi-fi set-up of your dreams, records that are not properly cared for, and cleaned regularly, can hinder the overall sound quality. No matter how well you store your records, elements such as dust, dander, mold, and oil from your fingers can all affect the longevity, and overall quality of even the newest of records. While hearing surface noise – like hissing, cracks, or pops – during your listening sessions can often be tell-tale ways of knowing whether or not your records may need cleaning, this isn’t always the case. An unclean record can also damage your needle, resulting in reduced and distorted sound quality over time, even when playing debris and oil-free records. As such, regular cleaning is essential.
The Batman Score Getting 3XLP Release Through Mondo: The arrival of any new superhero movie comes with a lot of anticipation regarding a number of components, from performances to direction to story, but in the case of Batman, fans also have high hopes for a film’s music. Whether it be the Adam West version of the character from the ’60s, the Danny Elfman scores from Tim Burton’s films, or the ominous themes in Hans Zimmer’s work with Christopher Nolan’s films, there’s a proven legacy of the character’s big-screen exploits. That trend continues with Michael Giacchino’s impressive work on Matt Reeves’ The Batman, with the film’s score getting a 3XLP vinyl release through Mondo. The Batman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) features the music of Academy, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, whose credits feature some of the most popular and acclaimed film projects in recent history, including The Incredibles, Coco, Jojo Rabbit, Ratatouille, Star Trek, Jurassic World, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and War for the Planet of the Apes. It’s the fifth film Reeves and Giacchino have collaborated on.
Leslie Jones Gets Revved Up by Vinyl, Live Tweeting and ‘Euphoria.’ …My dad was a D.J. forever, and he used to collect albums. I think he had up to 2,000 albums and when he passed, I had to sell the collection because I had nowhere to keep it. I was broke at the time. So now I’m collecting a lot of albums back. I got my little private record player in my office. Then I got one for the house that I could play over the speaker. It’s been so fun to have people send me albums because when you see them again, you go, “Oh my God, I thought it was a dream.”
