National Record Store Day

Since clemenza brings it up, here's what I wrote two years ago (with a couple typos corrected), which I still agree with:

I buy loads of records in thrift stores and garage sales, so maybe I am part of the problem. Usually they are way cheaper and more interesting in those places. But I'm still not partaking in this event today. Maybe that makes me lame. Independent stores deserve to survive, and I hope setting aside a special day for them pulls lots of young kids into the habit -- especially kids pointlessly addicted to getting music the day it comes out, a habit that has never made any sense to me. But braving the crowds seems silly. And I've never been somebody to buy records just because they're rare -- especially when they're created for the sole purpose of their rarity. Seems artificial to me somehow, and none of the records above strike me as all that enticing. (I thought something similar when baseball card companies got self-conscious about their collectability, and it bugged me then, too. Not that it's especially anything new with record labels -- see also: SubPop Singles Club or whatever.) Anyway, more power to the stores -- whatever pulls in customers. I hope they all make tons of money. A friend of mine who runs a store in Philly said Record Store Day last year was his best day in years, and I hope this year he does even better.

― xhuxk, Saturday, 18 April 2009

Should it be mentioned that none of these collectibles are priced so that the stores actually make much money off of them?

xhuxk's where I'm at, in essence, and I might have already said it. Were it not for the fact I was helping friends move all day yesterday I would have likely swung down to a nearby store I know run by a good guy who's been doing this for twenty years in two locations and picked up something, but it would have been just something random in the used section, where I normally look anyway.

Actually (having come to my senses during a morning bike ride just now), I should amend one thing I said in that post -- I don't really think garage sales and thrift stores (or library-overrun stores or guys' houses who put signs up on the street or twice-a-year record conventions) necessarily usually have more interesting selections or even cheaper prices than record stores -- That was just stupid; I obviously go to record stores all the time, way too much probably, to sift through 50-cent bins, dollar bins, even two-dollar bins if I'm feeling especially reckless. It is one of my favorite things to do in the world. I just don't relate at all, though, to the mindset that says have you have to pay ridiculous sucker-bait Record Store Day kinds of prices to find interesting music. That makes no sense to me. And I also don't relate at all to the collector's mentality where you buy records just to resell them, rather than listen to them -- In fact, I barely ever get around to re-selling records at all, even though I've probably got some really collectible stuff on my shelves. That's my problem. But Record Store Day still strikes me as the one day of the year I'd rather not be in record stores, just like New Year's Eve is the last night of the year I'd want to go out drinking. But like I said, I still hope my friends who run stores (hi Scott!) made lots of money yesterday, and maybe reeled in a couple new regular customers who won't wait another 365 days before they visit again.

I bought a CD yesterday - I was in Target on other errands and grabbed the new Radiohead because I happened to see it out of the corner of my eye and it was $10. But I don't own a turntable, so buying limited edition vinyl rarities (most of which are by bands I hate anyway) is out of the question.

xp That said, I did hit Breakaway Records for a few minutes yesterday (since I was at the coffee shop next door anyway) and picked up a 1988 LP by Da Krash for a dollar. The store was way busier than usual, but not insanely. It was kind of cool that I wasn't the only shopper there, for a change. But I really had no interest in checking out what was going on at Waterloo or Antone's, which are way less out-of-the-way, location-wise.

i had a decent day yesterday. even without selling the record store day stuff. and we had a fun show last night. dancing around drunk with the members of the flaming dragons of middle earth to prince's purple rain album was probably the highlight of my day. and it didn't have anything to so with selling records.

i agree totally with chuck's two years ago post.

i sold country records and movie soundtracks and rock and jazz and funk and classical records yesterday. even a conlon nancarrow album of avant garde piano rolls! so i was happy. i was foo fighters-free.

sold the cruising soundtrack. and the warriors soundtrack. CAN YOU DIG IT!!!!???? (met a guy who works at stop & shop and he said "hey, your boy is named cyrus? so is my son! we named him after cyrus in the warriors." thought that was so cool.)

that rules!

picked up a nice used copy of Tangerine Dream's Ricochet. Also played a show at Village Green Records, great little record shop/house venue in Muncie, Indiana.

I wanted to buy the Thrill Jockey records (black twig pickers/glenn jones split, the Phil Manley/Guitarist from Earthless "Norcal Values" thing, and the Liturgy/Oval split), but I couldn't find any of them anywhere :(

we at least have the glenn jones/black twigs and "norcal values" still available, maybe the liturgy record as well. if you still want 'em you can e-mail me and I can figure somethin out dr dot carl dot sagan at gmail dotcom

p sure they had liturgy at fingerprints: http://www.fingerprintsmusic.com/

my overall RSD haul (i went to a few different stores over the weekend): sonic youth live thing, vanguard psych thing, mute compilation. thing i wanted that nobody had: the oxbow king of the jews reissue: http://tinyurl.com/3o28p7d

Oxbow record was delayed apparently. I'd have a phone round this week and get a shop to put it by for you when it does come through.

it'll be available through the website in a few days.

jbr, how do you feel abt the vanguard psych comp? i didn't pick it up, rather let a customer buy it, but I loooooooove the Serpent Power; that whole record is awesomeness.

funny thing is about this is that i was fairly pumped for the weeks preceding to nab that kate bush set, and then realized there was, like, nothing redemeeing about it. aside from resell value.

so you can infer that i didn't even bother waking up til noon saturday

What's all this about an unreleased Elevators single, though?

Can anybody speak to the relative profit margin of LPs versus CDs? I've noticed a lot of records now sell for $20, $25 and even up to $45—granted for deluxe, multiple-LP editions, but still. I'm wondering how much the extra mark-up on LPs is offsetting the general decline in music sales.

What's all this about an unreleased Elevators single, though?

It's "Wait For My Love", the aborted Stacy Sutherland single from early '68. I forget what the flip is, but basically Charly released the "single that never was".

Ok, thanks.

The flip is "May The Circle..." and both sides say "remastered by Sonic Boom" though I can't really hear any difference.

jbr, how do you feel abt the vanguard psych comp? i didn't pick it up, rather let a customer buy it, but I loooooooove the Serpent Power; that whole record is awesomeness.

haven't listened yet! i'll report back when i do.

xpost My understanding is that the profit margin for the stores themselves is still pretty shitty, all said and done.

I suppose that makes sense, given that stores sell vinyl for roughly the same price as labels or artists direct do.

There is no innate difference in profit margin for stores between vinyl and CD. We do find that there is more leeway in terms of what customers will pay for a nicely done piece of vinyl compared to CDs, but any difference in mark-up that we choose to try and make is only very slight.

stores around here will sell new vinyl for about $19.99 a pop. new CDs run between $9.99 and $13.99, depending on the store.

So do you think bands and labels are turning more of a profit on vinyl (especially lavishly packaged vinyl), or is it a wash for them, too?

There is a lot of new & reissue vinyl available in the $10-15 range; though some folks opt for excessive and lavish packaging, it's not something that's ever going to become the industry standard. there are many people who just won't pay $25 for a single LP just because it's in a heavy-stock jacket.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljvb9eFONb1qiwz3go1_500.jpg
neil young on record store day

ha shit he's holding one of the all time used record bin records

Haha, yeah, he's probably like, "man, if I finally open this up and acknowledge its existence it'll stop popping up all the time".

Great pic btw.

it's not something that's ever going to become the industry standard. there are many people who just won't pay $25 for a single LP just because it's in a heavy-stock jacket.

― one dis leads to another (ian), lunes 18 de abril de 2011 14:57 (12 minutes ago)

to which I say THANK GOD, been thinking abt starting an ILV thread to ridicule stupidly priced new releases & reissues. latest FE update has some in the $30-35 range w/no extra packaging whatsoever.

I also love the NY pic, thanx tyler

ha, yeah, it'll be a weird day when i have a lot more money that i even consider buying a record for $20. when i was a kid in the 90s i got into buying vinyl because it was cheaper than CDs.

Yeah, I bought the new Weedeater for $17 while I was out for RSD, but kind of disappointed in the packaging. I mean, its Southern Lord, so its not awful, but there wasn't a whole lot to it. Wish they'd included a digital download cose tho.

i got into buying vinyl because it was cheaper than CDs.

Totally... I could get two new release full lengths on vinyl at Aron's for the price of one CD!

lots of local label stuff i buy still does nice quality pressings and covers on vinyl albums and manages to sell it for 10-12 bucks. AND they are only pressing like 500-1000.

how much the extra mark-up on LPs is offsetting the general decline in music sales.

Since vinyl constitutes only an infinitesimal fraction of total music sales (albeit a somewhat bigger infinitesimal fraction than a few years ago), even if the mark-up was significant, there's no way it could offset music retail's overall decline. It's just too small a drop in the bucket. (Though for select individual, independent stores where vinyl actually sells, it might make a difference.)

like it's ridiculous to see ppl paying huge bucks for weirdo garage reissues and then say this brand new amazing Michael Yonkers/Blind Shake record is readily available for $10 on 180g with MP3 download

http://learningcurverecords.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/cold-town-soft-zodic-lp-cd

i don't actually know what it costs to press 500 or more records and have full cover art, etc. its more than a cd costs to make obviously. it was nice in the 90's to get a new full-length on vinyl for ten bucks and know that the cd was gonna cost you 15 or more. felt like a bargain. hardly anyone was buying new vinyl in the 90's. which was great in the 2000's cuz lotsa 90's vinyl could be sold for a ton cuz nobody bought it back then and the pressings weren't very big.

if my crystal ball had been working i would have bought WAY more pearl jam and guided by voices records in the 90's and stashed them for later.

would have bought all those 2 dollar copies of the dead man soundtrack that 3rd street jazz in philly couldn't give away. (and don't even get me started on the zillion copies of paul's boutique on vinyl that strawberrys in philly had in their dollar bin forever.)

huh, didn't know that about 90s vinyl. are you saying my butterglory LPs are worth crazy ebay buxx?

haha maybe not butterglory but yeah big name stuff from the 90s is worth tons...I think 1994 was the lowest production year for vinyl, so like the labels did say, Siamese Dream, in low quantities on vinyl to keep billy feeling cool and shit but yeah i saw that for 90+ at my local shop.

i think about all the prog records and folk records i could have bought in the 90s and weep myself to sleep.

did anybody get the New Order 7"? i've got lots of stuff to trade if you're interested.

I was at a Fry's today and they had Plant & Krauss-Raising Sand on vinyl (a double) for $14.99. Which I thought was surprising, given most major title vinyl I see is around $30.00. Fry's does mark stuff down, but I guess the price is also low because it doesn't come with an MP3 code or cd, which I think inspires a heavy markup.

Also, one of the important things about some 90s vinyl is that as the format wound down as a consumer format, pressing quality started to dip. I remember my big sister picking up Stevie Ray Vaughan's The Sky Is Crying on vinyl the day of release in '91*. She took it home and put it on only to discover several skips on both sides. She takes it back, gets another one, same problem. She goes back and the store people tell most of the copies they got were similarly screwed up. She gets it on tape and on x-mas 93 we become a CD family. That can't be the only story like this.

*I wanna say this was the last SRV lp released on vinyl stateside for some time.