Tag Archives: albums

Ars Technica On The Growth Of Vinyl

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United Pressing vinyl records nashville That coupon you see here is from United Pressing, the record plant in Nashville Tennessee. When Ars Technica reported earlier this month that United Record Pressing was expanding its operation to move from 30 pressing machines to 46, it included a tantalizing factoid about the growth of vinyl and how record sales are recorded and reported:

Nielsen’s SoundScan reported that 6.1 million vinyl records were sold in 2013, up from 4.6 in 2012 and under 1 million in 2007. But as The New York Times reported last year, “manufacturers, specialist retailers, and critics argue that SoundScan’s figures represent only a fraction of actual sales” and perhaps only account for as little as 10 to 15 percent of total vinyl sales, because Nielsen tracks records sold, rather than records pressed, and many vinyl manufacturers don’t print bar codes on their record sleeves, so sales from independent shops that don’t report to Nielsen don’t get counted.

If you have ever wondered about the hows and whys of vinyl records as a viable business–and I don’t just mean selling them–that quote says a hell of a lot.  For most businesses, tracking sales and recording related, relevant data is a big part of critical decision making that helps the business survive. But what can you do when the most basic business intel is incomplete?

Well, if you’re a record vendor, the answer is “make a profit”. Vinyl ain’t your typical MBA-run industry.  (It’s actually pretty lazy writing to classify an entire marketplace as “vinyl”. But you know what I mean–the business of recording, pressing, selling and promoting music on a physical record.)

That’s actually one of the most appealing things ABOUT vinyl–the fact that a nice little chunk of the business isn’t subject to the usual corporate nonsense. Of course, there are people who will try to shove the square peg into the round hole and force our beloved vinyl business into some kind of rinse, lather, repeat model. But thanks to indie retailers and what seems to be a general allergy to that sort of thing among musicians and record sellers alike, we keep getting news stories like the Ars Technica piece.

Though I will say, bar coding DOES make tracking your inventory a hell of a lot easier…

An Amusing Story About Two Great Soundtracks

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Danny Baker shares an anecdote on the television show Q.I. (Quite Interesting) from the superstar Anthony Newley about the soundtrack for the James Bond film, Goldfinger. Stephen Fry provides a brief description of Anthony Newley. Jeremy Clarkson mistakes him for the film’s writer.  Bill Bailey and Alan Davies listen in.

Further investigation has revealed, though the two songs are alike, most of this story is not correct on many levels.  The Goldfinger soundtrack did not win the statue for either soundtrack or song at the 1965 awards show.

Perhaps these events happened when  Newley was holding the Oscar for a friend.  He was nominated for a song in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in 1972, but not the winner that year.

Apparently, the connection between two songs is an open secret. How long did Henry Mancini know about this and his choice of action is lost to time.

Anthony Newley was quite a character, known for his energy as an all around (stage/screen/music) entertainer.  Look at the delight Newley’s  mention brings  the two (Stephen Fry and Danny Baker). One of my favorite performances from him is in the film The Cockleshell Heroes, an underrated war film from the mid ’50s.

The soundtrack for Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) was almost three years old by the time the song Goldfinger came on the scene. Mancini looks like a class act in this situation.

Both soundtracks are classics among collectors.



Turntabling loves to hear great music and soundtrack yarns. Unfortunately, they aren’t always true!

Jen Kilzer

Vinyl Road Rage: Austin, Texas Record Shops

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More views from the Vinyl Road Rage Austin Texas stop. There were seven fabulous record shops hit in a single day: Waterloo Records, Breakaway Records, Trailer Space Records, Backspin Records (which is sadly closing down soon) the super awesome End Of An Ear, the equally great Friends of Sound, and Antone’s.

I’m sure there are other equally cool shops here in Austin, just haven’t found them yet!

Breakaway Records is firmly into soul, R&B, classic rock, and they have a gigantic selection of 45s, which makes the shop pretty impressive. Add to that their collection of turntables for sale and you have a recipe for greatness. I’m personally no fan of classic rock, but collectors–take note.

One of my new favorite record stores is Friends of Sound. Were they named after a Mission Giant CD? Unknown. But the shop is indeed awesome.

Note the prominently displayed album by The Feederz, “Ever Felt Like Killing Your Boss?” There will be a test later…

There’s nothing like a good scream contest. Just ask Harry Nilsson and John Lennon. Vocal chords are SOOO last century.

Hands down, my all time favorite category for recorded music. EVERY record store should have a group of records in a “Drug Sections” file.

Check those sensitive, singer-songwriter titles…it makes your heart weep with compassion.

Vinyl Road Rage Day One

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by Joe Wallace

Vinyl Road Rage Four is well underway–the cross country indie record store vinyl blogging trip started in Chicago and I’m now camped in a Super 8 Motel just about 40 minutes from Nashville Tennessee.

The first stop was Bloomington, Indiana for another look at TD’s CDs and LPs, plus the always wonderful Landlocked Music. Both shops are definitely worth your time if you’re anywhere near Bloomington Indiana. I’ll post more details on the first day tomorrow–it’s been a very long day, but for now, feast your eyes on my grubby little v-blog on the day’s vinyl finds. (See the Youtube clip below).

As always, I’ll be blogging about the highlights of the day and saving the in-depth record store reviews for a bit later on when I’ve had time to catch my breath. Suffice it to say that today was a long, wonderful and wonderfully weird journey. Stay tuned for the details on that…here’s the vid clip.

On these videos, bear with me, it’s a work in progress and the flaws are PAINFULLY obvious.