Has anyone collected/bought vinyl long enough...

[Guest genericinsight]

... to remember the period during the mid-90's when vinyl records purchased from indie labels were actually cheaper than CD's?

This came up on another forum I post at and it got me thinking.

I still have some paper mailorder catalogs from the likes of labels such as Epitaph (or when Anti- handled all their mailorder), Fat Wreck, Tooth & Nail, Victory, and a couple others all from 1996-2000. If you compare the prices, it was usually as such:

Average price of a CD: $10-$12

Average price of a vinyl 12" LP: $8

7" prices were still $3-$4 so they haven't gone up by much.

It's just funny to compare to now when the average price of a (new/not used or discounted) 12" LP these days can be anywhere from the $10-$18 range. Granted, no doubt this has to do with vinyl being more costly to press than CD's and possibly due to it's rise in popularity over the years, but it's just ironic when you see/read about how much money folks on this board alone drop on records now. I for a fact know one of the reasons I started buying vinyl as a teen was because it was cheaper than CD's.

Just something interesting to think about.

[hardrockzombies]

Somewhat related and probably more so if I were to look at it more, but I was cleaning up my room Sunday and I found a mailorder catalog from No Idea from like 2000-ish. I'm sure there is evidence of the pricing differences in there.

[andrew13]

i didn't collect back then, but yeah i remember. fat is still that way thankfully. other than lp + cd, which still is a great deal.

[Guest genericinsight]

i didn't collect back then, but yeah i remember. fat is still that way thankfully. other than lp + cd, which still is a great deal.

That's true actually. I don't order vinyl much from Fat anymore; last I did was for the Strung Out - Another Day In Paradise repress earlier this year, but I did notice that their prices still haven't gone up for vinyl. Good job Fat (if I ordered from them more often I would have realized this).

[eddieruckus]

thats what got me to start collecting back then, I quit for a few years, but thats what got me into it

[andrew13]

all i remember is back when hopeless was good, they had colored vinyl for d4, weakerthans, AAA, scared of chaka, AAHP, and some others forever it seemed like, and i didn't listen to vinyl then so i never ordered any. still kicking myself for that.

[cadetapplesauce]

i remember buying paint it black's paradise at the record store for only $9 new. and that wasn't too long ago...

and i do remember when colored fat vinyl would stay for weeks, even sometimes months.

[billynomates]

You wanna worry, LPs in the UK average is £12 to £15 ($25 to $30)

[timpopkid]

I remember being able to read a review, stick 3 dollars in an envelope and get a new 7" back a few weeks later.

[patrick]

I remember when No Idea had new LPs for either $5 or $6 PPD. When the local record store had a collection traded in or sold to them, I would be able to score alll kinds of great stuff for $1.50 a 7", 4.99 for an LP.

[kouka]

I remember when No Idea had new LPs for either $5 or $6 PPD. When the local record store had a collection traded in or sold to them, I would be able to score alll kinds of great stuff for $1.50 a 7", 4.99 for an LP.

I remember this too.. some of my 7"s from back then (Radon, Spoke, etc) still have the $1.95 stickers on the poly bags.

[flood]

yeah when i had my distro wholesale on lps was like 4.50-5.00 and cds were like 7.50-9... blech

[alphanumerica]

This will get wose in the next few years too. not just the gas increases and what ever but because as major start making more vinyl and the download thing takes hold, (if this happens) they will increase the prices to cover the extra production costs. once this happens smaller labels will be able to follow suit. and will, not nessecarily cause they want to but because they barley make any money now.

another thing. local shows still only cost $5. thats the same I've been paying for the past 17 years. poorer and poorer.

[rtw88]

My record store prices nearly all their NM records at $6, which is pretty cool. I've gotten tons of good scores there just from picking up stuff that looked interesting or that people talked about because it was cheap.

Also, during the no idea christmas sale last year, I bought like, 12 records. In the case of people like me, it pays off for people to price their records cheap, because I'm likely to buy anything for $5.

[mxv]

Not only do I remember that, but i remember when there were no CDs, and even when there were 8 Track Tapes! I am a geezer!

[hickey]

I remember being able to save a good chunk buying an LP vs. a CD. I started buying vinyl in the early 1990s. In stores, you can still get new release LPs for cheaper than CDs in some cases. The Internet drove LP prices up, because now they're accessible to everyone (which is both a blessing and a curse).

[adamlikesmusic]

Most of No Idea's LPs are only $7 or so, which is the same price as their CDs. Both are pretty damn good prices, I say. (Not double LPs, obviously)

[rtw88]

Not only do I remember that, but i remember when there were no CDs, and even when there were 8 Track Tapes! I am a geezer!

Congratulations on using the internet!

[tobinownlife]

Most of No Idea's LPs are only $7 or so, which is the same price as their CDs. Both are pretty damn good prices, I say. (Not double LPs, obviously)

I was about to say I thought No Idea was still pretty good about vinyl. One of the best places to order 3 or more records. Maybe the best actually.

[kirbypuckett]

Inflation.

[forgeagain]

Before eBay it was a LOT harder to sell vinyl. It all comes in cycles. Right now vinyl is way up there in terms of popularity due to the collectors' mentality. The problem is that labels are more and more willing to sell their shit for $17.99 or 19.99 so they can have 16 foot gatefold silver-dipped layouts for a fucking EP rather than put together a nice tight little package for $7.99 or $9.99. MSRPs on vinyl are definitely out of control. I myself have never purchased an LP new in a store for more than $12.

[xjustinxschwierx]

my first musical purchases were tapes(I'm not old, but definitely gettin' there.)...and yes I remember the days of vinyl being cheaper than CDs!

[melikecheese]

Yeah I remember.

This is one of the reason I bought vinyl. I would go to a show and the CD would be 12 and the LP would be 10! Miss those days...

[playshisrecords]

but look at what your records look like these days compared to what we were buying in the 90s. recording quality, vinyl quality, packaging...its a whole different product.

[xjustinxschwierx]

it's not 100% the internet driving up prices, Plastic is made from oil people.