Guest Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 REPRESSED: HOW INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND LABELS ARE GETTING SQUEEZED OUT BY THE “VINYL REVIVAL” A pretty crazy look at how deeply Record Store Day is effecting THE HOBBY!!! UK indie labels Howling Owl and Sonic Cathedral released a statement denouncing what they feel Record Store Day has become: “just another event in the annual music industry circus… co-opted by major labels and used as another marketing stepping stone. U2 have already shat out their album into our iTunes, why should they constipate the world’s pressing plants with it too?” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewlucas Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Lock?! Klefki and Duff 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Lock?! Don't fear, I'm here. futures, ghjghj, McCandless and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out of Breath Records Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Don't fear, I'm here. Damn, but for real, fuck RSD tape and RockPuppetz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Lock?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slushy Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 It's kinda lame to hear from Mike Park on this topic considering Asian Man was one of the labels to stop releasing vinyl when vinyl wasn't selling, but then jump right back and go harder than most with all the variant shit in when there was more $$$ to be made. Duff and 74R 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caninesapien Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Damn, but for real, fuck RSD A local(ish) record store is completely opting out of RSD this year. Instead they're offering a flat 20% discount on everything in the store. This is a way fucking better idea than stocking a bunch of super limited shit for no reason. There's a fucking James Last 7" (500 copies) coming out this year... for fucks sake. jack8urt0n, hobbesthecat and Breezus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
̮ ɤ ̮ Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 There's a fucking James Last 7" (500 copies) coming out this year... for fucks sake. These will last a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hickey Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Don't like it, don't buy. For me, there's actually stuff I want, so I'm going to pick it up. The store still makes money, which is really what the day was all about to begin with. clerk3745, albert and stl_ben 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futures Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Don't like it, don't buy. For me, there's actually stuff I want, so I'm going to pick it up. The store still makes money, which is really what the day was all about to begin with. Yes but the smaller guys are having their stuff delayed at the plant bc of RSD. It's not just a retail / moral issue about where you spend your money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eight1echo Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 This is exactly what happened in that movie with ashton kutcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futures Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 dude wheres my car? McCandless, BuzzersonKillwell, GalacticMelt and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesecrets0308 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Butterfly Effect? GalacticMelt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tape Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Jobs? GalacticMelt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsgoodtobefree Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 It sucks for independent labels, but the major ones aren't going to stop producing their own releases so the smaller ones can get theirs in. The only solution is more pressing plants. clerk3745 and Duff 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caninesapien Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Don't like it, don't buy. It is more than that though. I do get kind of sour if there is an interesting RSD release, which means if I do want it for a reasonable (lol) price I have to queue up for a store I visit every week anyway. Also, I don't know if this is down to the individual store, but when there were a couple of releases I wanted last year, I asked the shop if they could reserve them for me as I was out of town at the time. They said they were "not allowed" to do this, and I'd have to go in on the day. Granted, this might have just been the particular store being difficult, but I have heard of a few people having similar experiences in different places. Just seems counter-intuitive to the whole "independent store" idea. Can you reserve items for me? = guaranteed sale plus investment in your customers. Anyway I'm probably late to this Fuck RSD party. Bollocks to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aflycon Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 It is more than that though. I do get kind of sour if there is an interesting RSD release, which means if I do want it for a reasonable (lol) price I have to queue up for a store I visit every week anyway. Also, I don't know if this is down to the individual store, but when there were a couple of releases I wanted last year, I asked the shop if they could reserve them for me as I was out of town at the time. They said they were "not allowed" to do this, and I'd have to go in on the day. Granted, this might have just been the particular store being difficult, but I have heard of a few people having similar experiences in different places. Just seems counter-intuitive to the whole "independent store" idea. Can you reserve items for me? = guaranteed sale plus investment in your customers. Anyway I'm probably late to this Fuck RSD party. Bollocks to it. Yeah, the point is that RSD just isn't about independent stores, no matter how much Jack White (fuck him), Chuck D or Dave Grohl want to insist that it is. It's about the money. somethingvinyl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCandless Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 This is exactly what happened in that movie with ashton kutcher It's a classic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out of Breath Records Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 The whole point is was to revive and support local record stores. Go in more than 1 day a year instead, don't let WMG/UNIVERSAL tell you to go in to go buy their Ghostbusters glow in the dark crap. Major labels pressing a 12" picture disc single of some U2 song limited to 1000 copies fucks over smaller bands and smaller labels (where all the good music is anyways). It's kinda lame to hear from Mike Park on this topic considering Asian Man was one of the labels to stop releasing vinyl when vinyl wasn't selling, but then jump right back and go harder than most with all the variant shit in when there was more $$$ to be made. Vinyl costs a lot of money, plus it's the dude's living. Asian Man is by no means a major label, very much DIY at heart still. Vinyl has lived on throughout the years due to independent artist/label support, where there is a demand, supply follows. I understand the motive behind majors cashing in on the vinyl craze, but the amount to which they saturate the market and slow down pressing is ridiculous. It sucks for independent labels, but the major ones aren't going to stop producing their own releases so the smaller ones can get theirs in. The only solution is more pressing plants. Pirates Press (don't recommend them at all for outsourcing foreign workers) recently funded a new press to be built. But the fact is most plants are using ancient equipment that would be REALLY REALLY expensive to design and manufacture new from scratch presses. There is a finite number of old presses in the world. ok. and tonyfranciosa 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 It's kinda lame to hear from Mike Park on this topic considering Asian Man was one of the labels to stop releasing vinyl when vinyl wasn't selling, but then jump right back and go harder than most with all the variant shit in when there was more $$$ to be made. Would you rather the label have folded? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caninesapien Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Yeah, the point is that RSD just isn't about independent stores, no matter how much Jack White (fuck him), Chuck D or Dave Grohl want to insist that it is. It would be ace if more independents just boycotted RSD completely. I'm totally on board with other events like instores or discounts or whatever, it's the sooper-limited 25 copies pressed only of a Jack White curated Earliest Known Farts of the Blues Greats that fucking ruin it. Duff, Dicky Greenleaf, thesecrets0308 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfranciosa Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I'm still on board because my favorite store in town says that he can pay his rent for the next 8 months based on what he makes this one day, so that's cool. People are still buying into it and there are a lot more newbs showing up every year. There used to be maybe a dozen of us in line at the early RSD events - now the line stretches around the block well before opening. I'm losing interest, though. This year is the first where I don't feel the need to have any of the releases. I'm still going because I love Repo Records and want to support them, but the selection seems to be getting weaker (or it could be that my want list is getting more narrow). jonnywreck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caninesapien Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Yeah I think this year's list is very poor. I'm only interested in the Topic repress of the Anne Briggs debut. I have the 4MWB press, which sounds "okay" to me, but the Topic represses are very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caninesapien Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Just took another look at the list. SEVEN Springsteen albums? UK price is £21 each! I've seen all of these albums at £3 maximum in the last couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slushy Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Vinyl costs a lot of money, plus it's the dude's living. Asian Man is by no means a major label, very much DIY at heart still. Vinyl has lived on throughout the years due to independent artist/label support, where there is a demand, supply follows. I understand the motive behind majors cashing in on the vinyl craze, but the amount to which they saturate the market and slow down pressing is ridiculous. I get all this. I am talking about the article using Mike Park as the example of "the only clients keeping these few pressing plants in business through the darkest and least popular era of the vinyl format’s lifespan", when Asian Man did in fact stop pressing vinyl when it wasn't in fashion. It would have been better to talk to Todd C or Jesse Lucious or Var or someone from one of the several independent punk labels that continued pressing vinyl even though it wasn't selling that much. And it's even more ridiculous when you look at how Asian Man was very much into the creating of instant collectables, limited edition culture of record pressing. Would you rather the label have folded? No, I just think Asian Man is a terrible example to use in an article like this as they are guilty of the same shitty tactics, albeit on a smaller scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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