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Time to give up vinyl for CD!
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| Airbase |
Okay, before shouting at me, please read what I have to say, more of you might agree than you think!
By now I've released over 15 singles, and had over 30 remixes published.
And the thing that pisses me off the most is the thousands of e-mails I've received thru the years of people asking where they could buy my music on CD.
People in this business always complains that mp3s are ruining the business. Its not, right now mp3s are helping. Because with the use of vinyl as media for the music, and internet as the place to sell it, almost no additional marketing put in what so ever, trance labels and artists involved, would be totally gone a long time ago. If it wasnt for mp3, listeners wouldnt know of 95% of all the artists and tracks they know about now, and there are still a dedicated group of people that uses mp3 for prelistening new stuff, then buys the records they like.
Who are they then? These are people with an immense intrest in this music genre, and they most certainly own a turntable.
Unfortunately, this group of people are very very small. I'd say not more than 10% of modern people have a turntable these days? How many has a CD-player? Well, if not everybody, then pretty damn close.
I dont know how labels promoted themselves back like 10 years ago, but it must have been better than nowadays, because they survived it. Without mp3s today, no one would know about anything going on. I mean, you dont see labels buying ads in papers, running radio commercials or tv commercials or anything at all. For a label today, promotion means giving away 50 copies to the biggest djs around, when 10, 5 or 0 of them actually play them, and even if they do, no one knows what a track they havent heard is. And also, sending out newsletters with info. This isnt enough. Instead of making 10 records in a year do very well by promotion, most releases 100s instead, and let them sell enough to cover it all + a few extra dollars.
But its not about blaming the label for not reaching out that is the main problem.
Because even if the reach out, around 95 % of the recipents cant get the music, because they have no turntable, and buying a vinyl online and getting it sent home costs about as much as a what you have to pay for a regular CD Album, and add to this, vinyls seldom even have a decent cover. Its low price records sold to incredible prices with huge postage fees for people who cant buy them because they cant play them.
So when will everybody realise that the whole trance scene (and house, techno etc) would benefit from making the switch to CD singles as the primary form of distribution. Everybody can play them, they are way cheaper to produce for the label, and the fans can buy them at better prices, and again, they can PLAY the record. Not until this happens, trance will grow to the size it deserves. People love trance, more people than we realise ourselves, but as long as its not being distributed in a format people can deal with, it aint gonna break into the big market.
By this, I am not saying that we should totally diss the whole vinyl concept. I still believe we need vinyls for the DJs and the dedicated fans that wants to collect these... lets call them "items", but vinyls should be produced additionally to the main release of the CD-single. Lets say they print 1000 CD singles, they save a huge amount of money compared to vinyls by doing this. And add to that, a production of vinyls, lets just say 100 of them for instance, and use them for sendouts to djs, and the rest goes on sale on the usual vinyl stores (most online ones I believe)
So what do you people say? If we need to get the labels we love, and the artists we admire to keep going, isnt it really time to do what has to be done so that people who enjoy whats being made actually can support it.
Regards
Jezper Söderlund aka Airbase
www.airbase.nu
P.S. MP3-sales like audiojelly is one step closer, but its not enough. The regular teenager that just got into trance wont find his way to a online MP3-store, nor will he have a creditcard to pay with.
P.S 2: This is in no way aimed at any specific label, its as general to business standard as it can be, so dont be offended unless you (as a label representative) find what I write striking true to what your label infact is doing. |
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| hadi burpee |
| ive been thinking the same thing since i started buying vinyl. i guess these labels are stupid for not putting them on cd. they complain about mp3 downloads but how many in people have a record player. who wants to buy a song on a medium that wears out. i would rather have it on cd, becuase its easier to back up and it cant get wrecked as easily. |
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| rooibos |
| Seems everybody is making the jump to CD. Good. The psychedelic trance scene has been doing it for years, and is hardly loosing money over it. |
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| trewqy |
I'm saving up for cd decks.,..yep...
vinyl's future doesnt look bright |
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| Aristronica |
| metallica has phrased my opinion - sad but true |
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| |cEbLu3 |
| quote: | Originally posted by trewqy
I'm saving up for cd decks.,..yep...
vinyl's future doesnt look bright |
i concur, I'm saving up too |
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| Helen DJ SYLK |
People will feel pressured to move on with technology, everyone should stick too what they enjoy using and not follow others, or get branded as 'stuck in the past' I love buying vinyl, the feel will never be beaten. But if people are going to follow the crowd, then MP3's MUST be made legal or its going to wreak the music industry, and the producers especially.
If your on about cd singles though, then that is a great idea and shoudl have been done AGES ago!! But i will jsut stick too mainly vinyl, thats what i choose, and am hoping i dont get called @stuck in the past' :-( |
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| Simcut |
| ing excellent post Jezper, just hope the likes of Tony Burt etc. read it and understand it =| |
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| rooibos |
| quote: | Originally posted by Helen DJ SYLK
(At £5-7 a vinyl plus p&p - harsh and £1-4 a MP3, isnt that loosing money? not sure where all the money goes...but what would that effect financially..?) |
No, no money is lost beacuse the cost it is to produce vinyl is more. |
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| Helen DJ SYLK |
| quote: | Originally posted by rooibos
No, no money is lost beacuse the cost it is to produce vinyl is more. |
Oh right, so the extra few Quid is the cost in making it?i see.
There will be alot of mixed views on this, people who disagree will be the ones who are addicted to vinyl (no probs im one of those) or the disrespectful ones who like to save themselves money (illegal downloads)with no thought to the future of the industry and to the people who MAKE THE MUSIC, its hard enough getting what you deserve being a music producer, so if stocking up shelves with CD's along with Vinyl is going to help the Artist, the record company, people with out decks,etc.... then what is stopping it happening????
IF THIS IS GOING TO DECREASE ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS DOOOOOO IIIITTTT!!!!!
IT MAKES SENSE!!! |
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| Gholy Host |
When they release a single on CD and on Record, then it's all good. It's when they only release one that things get hairy. The DJ's want a record to spin, or the fans want a single they can play on their computer/diskman. So yeah, I agree, make with the CD's people.
And I'll get flamed for this, but Armin, GDJB, and the rest of the lot are getting the word out. It doesn't help that the most popular (TATW, GDJB and ASOT) all play the same tunes, but they do get the word out on some tunes. Internet radio is a great way to find tunes, assuming you know where to look. |
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| Gordy |
Vinyl will never die..........
that is all |
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