15 April 2011 / Music Spin the black circle
So tomorrow is Record Store Day, and a bunch of artists will be releasing limited edition records to "celebrate the unique culture of independently owned record stores". Now, is it just me, or does the whole thing seem a little counterproductive? Implying that physical formats are only interesting when they're rare and/or collectable turns stores into eBay showrooms. For example, last year Blur released the Fool's Day EP, and rather than run home with it and treasure it, most people just slung it on eBay, where it was selling for £150.
"Come to our record store and fight over a 7" picturedisc that you'll never play and will end up selling for ten times the original price!" – is this really the message that record stores want to be putting out? They're hammering in the final nails themselves.
Surely a more productive way of boosting the record industry would be to address the fact that there are hardly any affordable record players out there. Aside from a couple of naff looking things in Urban Outfitters, you can't pick up anything to play your records on for under £100 – at least, not without having a bunch of other stereo equipment to attach it to. I would love an all-in-one record player on which top play my old Blondie LPs, but apparently that's simply out of the question. I'm tempted by this Steepletone model, but actually seeing one in the flesh is basically impossible. I was laughed at recently by a staff in a high street store (I won't say who, as they very nicely got in touch and apologised since then) for asking about – in their words – a "gramophone". Charming.
Sort out the players, and the format will sell. Excitedly emphasise the format's scarcity and … goodbye vinyl. It was nice spinning you.
Reader Comments (4)
Completely agree with your view on what happens on RSD. Creating 'limited editions' of anything will always create a black market, so I too think stores need to adjust their approach. We all like owning something exclusive, but for me the music should be the focus — not money.
Luckily enough I was given B&O Beogram 3300 a number of years back, so when they sort this little situation out she'll be ready and waiting.
Mat
I love the first paragraph, especially the part about implying physical formats are only interesting when they're rare. I was raised by a stereophile and I'm really happy vinyl seems to be making a comeback, but I would rather its comeback be due to its superiority rather than its relative hipness based on exclusivity.
Couldn't agree more with you. It is nearly impossible to find anything, and yes, people laugh at you. Worse is when they don't even know what you're talking about (which has happened to me a while back).
I think the saddest thing of this all might actually be that you would have to be dependent on Amazon to purchase a relatively affordable LP player. As if you would want to be throwing any more money in their direction! It would be great if small record stores were able to offer decent 2nd hand players and affordable new ones. I know I surely need one!
I can understand the frustration by not being able to find an affordable record player in 2011, but the reason is that it's a dying technology with low supply, so a "good" record player which is affordable isn't something that's going to be easy to find. That's not to say I condone the price.
To be honest, I think records are becoming less of a format which people actually use and more of an ornament or collectors item, despite the rich sound they produce. That's why, when you go into shops like Urban Outfitters they're selling LPs alongside LP frames and I have to be honest here, I've been tempted to grab one before because they do look fantastic stuck up on a wall.
It's a huge pity that the format has been reduced to this and that record companies and bands are selling them as expensive collectors items but it has become just that, an unused an expensive collectors item.