Is it worth whille releasing anything on vinyl these days?

I still buy vinyl, and will buy it until its stopped being pressed, simple as. The only difference between now and say 5 years ago is that I am a lot more selective about what I buy.If i'm dropping 7-8 quid on 1 12" then it's got to be worth it. Digis included are a nice touch, but not the end of the world as I don't own any sort of digital player.

I think that most of the people who are new to mixing are starting on digital formats and thats why its dying out. If you start mixing today and look and the price difference, its bound to put you off vinyl.
 
So thats a no then lol

Some good pointers here and some silly ones, good points from blumarten. Btw, to clear up i have never ever been in this to make a pound note, it would just be nice to generate some revenue to pay the artists on releases.
Thanks guys for some good points
 
Not trying to troll here so please dont take this the wrong way and think im trying to bait people out here

But why are the pro vinyl heads all saying that vinyl releases should come with free digital as standard? surely if you want the vinyl then play the vinyl no?

Personally I think that labels clinging onto the hope of selling wax is one of the main things holding the scene back at the min as labels that are pressing vinyl still know they only have a very small market who only really want a certain sound so they are constantly churning out the same stuff to appeal to the vinyl market rather than releasing what they are feeling they are pushing play it safe music to try to hit sales targets

Vinyl distros are a night mare for this as they are the ones spending the money and earning a living off the wax so they are controlling the labels and pretty much telling them what to put out its been going on for years and is even worse now

Regardless of people wanting to actually buy wax record shops are closing every week and this results in less sales for the distros - No shops = harder for people to buy to they switch to online but why wait for the postie when you can go digital and get instant access

also with no djs playing wax out in the clubs the music buyers will ultimately copy what they see their idols and peers using so things like serato and cdjs are the norm now - I can not even remember the last time i saw a dj in this country playing wax

As a label owner i had a choice - bow down to pressure from the distros and release "safe" music on vinyl or go digital and release what we want I chose the latter as personally I dont give a fuck about sales but I do care about what we release on 36 hertz

Dropping vinyl was the best thing we ever done in the 8 or so years the labels been running as the label is not constantly in debt with pressing costs and we can release a lot more music (if we want) - As an artist when you get statements from your distros telling you your labels -2k in debt cos you got a fuck ton of stuff being manufactured it does make you start thinking about making big tunes and guaranteed sellers - me personally I dont want that shit on my soldiers when i go in the studio

If you care that much then the option to cut dubs is there and trust me we ALL had to do that back in the day to get the music we wanted on wax to play in the clubs as 1 year wait (at minimum) for the proper vinyl release was not good enough

Or with serato you can get the best of both worlds

Dont get me wrong here I aint on a vinyl hate up here ( I got 18+ boxes of it sitting in my hallway from the past 25 years(for sale lol)) so spent many years buying it and hunting it but in this day and age as a medium we are well past that both sonically and technologically

Just my 2cents worth from a label owner and producer point of view to be honest these days if i get asked for a release of remix the first thing i ask is if it is getting pressed as i wont even do releases on wax any more as its a money pit and a waste of time
 
Personally I think that labels clinging onto the hope of selling wax is one of the main things holding the scene back at the min as labels that are pressing vinyl still know they only have a very small market who only really want a certain sound so they are constantly churning out the same stuff to appeal to the vinyl market rather than releasing what they are feeling they are pushing play it safe music to try to hit sales targets

Not all labels are doing this, and we don't seem to have to do this to achieve decent sales. Maybe this is more applicable to straight floor tunes but as you rightly point out, people aren't really playing wax in clubs, so there's little point trying to cater to club DJ's on vinyl. The more experimental 170 based music is the music that is actually selling better on vinyl. We may have a small market for this, but 95% of digital only labels have a much smaller marketshare despite the ease of the process due to clutter and lack of quality control. Our distro has never talked us out of a release and we have been releasing some pretty experimental music for the last few years.

There's no denying the functionality of digital media for DJ'ing in 2014 but is that all this music is for? People still love tangible products and still like to spin them at home, again probably not the straight floor tunes but there is much more to this genre than that.

I know you said you're not trolling, but I feel the opening line here is a bit misinformed. I can't see any way a bunch of labels releasing music on vinyl that sells well are possibly holding the scene back. People have the choice, and they're still making it by buying records whether they play them in a club or not.
 
Not all labels are doing this, and we don't seem to have to do this to achieve decent sales. Maybe this is more applicable to straight floor tunes but as you rightly point out, people aren't really playing wax in clubs, so there's little point trying to cater to club DJ's on vinyl. The more experimental 170 based music is the music that is actually selling better on vinyl.


Completely agree with you there. vinyl sales seem to vary massively between the sub genres. All the jump up/dance floor kinda stuff seems to be in massive decline due to that side of music maybe being a bit more disposable, and the increasing use of cdjs in clubs.

It seems that the areas in dnb/jungle doing well are the more experimental/deeper side of dnb (samurai/hidden hawaii/critical), the golden era jungle vinyl (sci wax/green bay wax) and the more classic dnb sound (GLR/ some recent metalheadz bits)


this release (http://www.discogs.com/Bay-B-Kane-Spandangle-Selection-Volume-1/master/631525) was a guy who managed to get hold of 4 old bay b kane jungle bits. He asked on the forums, set up a bigcartel page and it ended up getting funded completely before the pressing, it took 2/3 months and now its completely sold out and 46 people want it on discogs 2 weeks after receiving it on vinyl.

Sci wax consistantly sell out of their retro series within days and are now amongst the most valuable vinyl i own. you struggle to find normal priced copies of any of the releases a month after the release date.

obviously everyone knows you dont sleep on the Horo series/modulations/hidden hawaii

Maybe certain styles of dnb are almost floating in the same direction as indie music? there have definitely been a few albums that have come out recently that i can just sit back and listen to (mosaic/flowers of destruction/scope/kiyoko ep) just as much as my new boards of canada/tycho albums for example.

Our distro has never talked us out of a release and we have been releasing some pretty experimental music for the last few years.

this is interesting. this is a recent status from utopia music who had the same distro as you..

Selling vinyl has never been so much fun! Restocks of back catalogue at Redeye Records Ltd and Chemical Records this week. To have the power back in the hands of the label rather than the distributor is very refreshing. Thank you for your support at this interesting time.

We are very close to opening our very own store - think vinyl, teeshirts, slip matts and ltd edition 'things' that are solely available from our shop. There is also the next podcast which is being worked on this week. Feel free to submit any music to utopiamusicuk@gmail.com. We listen to it all
 
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What's that s'posed to mean?
I've been mixing since 1981 just because digital has come along doesn't mean it's better.. in an ideal world i wouldn't even use digital personally, but i just adapt to what's supplied.
At the end of the day digital sounds shit compared to analogue.
As does a 303 emulator in comparison to the actual TB 303 box...
and yes, i've got one
 
What's that s'posed to mean?
I've been mixing since 1981 just because digital has come along doesn't mean it's better.. in an ideal world i wouldn't even use digital personally, but i just adapt to what's supplied.
At the end of the day digital sounds shit compared to analogue.
As does a 303 emulator in comparison to the actual TB 303 box...
and yes, i've got one

lol i may be wrong but i think he was joking with you cos you have the text "Warning: Heavy sarcasm may be present" in your signature so he was trying to work out if you were being serious or not




...unless your last post was sarcastic.










hmmm...
 
So if you want to make it as a DJ, dont spin on vinyl?

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On point, especially digital copies as standard.
I have no way of recording my records and sometimes I want the tunes on my phone when im travelling.
Get yourself a CD Recorder mate and burn them direct from your turntable...
instant 44.1K quality there and then:thumb:

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lol i may be wrong but i think he was joking with you cos you have the text "Warning: Heavy sarcasm may be present" in your signature so he was trying to work out if you were being serious or not




...unless your last post was sarcastic.










hmmm...

lol You could be right there mate, i wasn't too sure if he was larking about, but i ain't, i'm being completely serious man:thumb:
 
Nice to see Samurai Music taking a massive shit on the peeps saying no to vinyl.

Makes me proud to be a patron of the label! :beers:
 
The more experimental 170 based music is the music that is actually selling better on vinyl.

that is true, for sure, but overall the units shifting are diminishing.
i think there's more than one variable at play in that equation as well, not just whether it's 'experimental' or not.
Is the artist well known or an unknown newcomer?
Does the label have a history or a pedigree?

here are some hypothetical situations:

(label / artist / tune)

brand new unknown label - brand new unknown artist - weird experimental 170 tune
established label with a history of quality - brand new unknown artist - weird experimental 170 tune
brand new unknown label - well known quality artist - weird experimental 170 tune
established label with a history of quality - well known quality artist - weird experimental 170 tune
brand new unknown label - brand new unknown artist - massive dancefloor tune
established label with a history of quality - brand new unknown artist - massive dancefloor tune
brand new unknown label - well known quality artist - massive dancefloor tune
established label with a history of quality - well known quality artist - massive dancefloor tune

i think that illustrates there are too many variables to say definitively that one thing or another is the case and shall apply universally for all artist and labels across all formats... In each of those cases a vinyl release will perform totally differently. There may be correlations - for example:

brand new unknown label - brand new unknown artist - massive dancefloor tune
may sell the same number of vinyl units as
established label with a history of quality - well known quality artist - weird experimental 170 tune

who really knows
 
that is true, for sure, but overall the units shifting are diminishing.
i think there's more than one variable at play in that equation as well, not just whether it's 'experimental' or not.
Is the artist well known or an unknown newcomer?
Does the label have a history or a pedigree?

here are some hypothetical situations:

(label / artist / tune)

brand new unknown label - brand new unknown artist - weird experimental 170 tune
established label with a history of quality - brand new unknown artist - weird experimental 170 tune
brand new unknown label - well known quality artist - weird experimental 170 tune
established label with a history of quality - well known quality artist - weird experimental 170 tune
brand new unknown label - brand new unknown artist - massive dancefloor tune
established label with a history of quality - brand new unknown artist - massive dancefloor tune
brand new unknown label - well known quality artist - massive dancefloor tune
established label with a history of quality - well known quality artist - massive dancefloor tune

i think that illustrates there are too many variables to say definitively that one thing or another is the case and shall apply universally for all artist and labels across all formats... In each of those cases a vinyl release will perform totally differently. There may be correlations - for example:

brand new unknown label - brand new unknown artist - massive dancefloor tune
may sell the same number of vinyl units as
established label with a history of quality - well known quality artist - weird experimental 170 tune

who really knows

in summary, good music sells yeah on any format? :)
 
I'm not sure Samurai is a good barometer tbh. Samurai has built a very strong brand because of their stance on vinyl. There's a certain segment of vinyl lovers that are going to buy anything they put out. I'm not dissing Samurai at all, they're a buy on site label for me as well (digital). IMO, BMTM is going to get sales solely based on the merit of the tune, not the strength of the brand.
 
I love it. The transformation that happens when a track is transferred to vinyl, the people I collaborate with, the history of the plant I go to for manufacturing, the creativity in designing out the artwork, all rewarding in the end. The first few records I put out were hard to sell, but a few years in and the bandcamp page mostly runs itself.
The only pain is I am finding less time to pack records and head out to the post office. I have had mixed feedback about turning to a distributor with the size and frequency I put records out (2-3 records, 150 pressings each year), so for now will continue with dyi.
 
It makes me a little scared knowing i am the only one who will be playing vinyl in the clubs i play at. Yet it never stops me. Its what i feel completely comfortable with.. Apart from the impending doom of any needle based disaster. But hey, could happen to a serato/traktor user too!

I feel confident when i play a set because i know exactly what is in my bag and a massive part of the nerves is trying to decide what to take, there is no looking back when you have left for the gig!

This to me is what i thrive off. I love the pressure and the awards that come from getting it right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What's that s'posed to mean?
I've been mixing since 1981 just because digital has come along doesn't mean it's better.. in an ideal world i wouldn't even use digital personally, but i just adapt to what's supplied.
At the end of the day digital sounds shit compared to analogue.
As does a 303 emulator in comparison to the actual TB 303 box...
and yes, i've got one

Nah mate, you're all good. I was just having a laugh because of your sig.
 
It makes me a little scared knowing i am the only one who will be playing vinyl in the clubs i play at. Yet it never stops me. Its what i feel completely comfortable with.. Apart from the impending doom of any needle based disaster. But hey, could happen to a serato/traktor user too!

I feel confident when i play a set because i know exactly what is in my bag and a massive part of the nerves is trying to decide what to take, there is no looking back when you have left for the gig!

This to me is what i thrive off. I love the pressure and the awards that come from getting it right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

you are in brighton right? You should link up with the simply vinyl lot
 
I've got a wager on vinyl being discontinued by 2016. The only thing that worries me is Reggae/dancehall. Everything else is more or less digital now.
 
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