DigitalDjigit said:
Yeah, vinyl is cool but if you wanna be all DIY why not just go with a CDR. You are about to sink a considerable amount of money into what could amount to a vanity project. Vinyl by now is a cult medium. You gotta have a tight group around you who will buy this stuff who are dedicated to the format. If it's really all about the music what's wrong with a CDR?
I love vinyl and all but I think the age of the vinyl dubplate is past.
The age of the vinyl dubplate has only just begun (4-5 years old now) - the age of the acetate dubplate is numbered, for sure.
I guess I may be biased because I run Dub Studio, but I think this is a valid point. After all from the consumer point of view, vinyl seems to be an expensive and cumbersome way of buying and playing music.
However, I believe vinyl is here to stay and will only increase in popularity over the next few years, otherwise I would seriously be considering setting up a CD duplication plant. Given recent developments in the music industry, investing in CD duplication equipment is a BIG mistake.
The trend we are seeing at the moment is a massive increase in downloadable songs (a sector the industry likes to call "digital singles" when compared to "physical singles" in their sales figures). So what we are seeing now is a parallel way of distributing music, digitally and physically. The problem with CDs is that no one actually likes them per se - yes they are convenient, yes they are cheap, yes you can record them easily, but how many people actually feel passionate about them? My guess would be not many.
In the UK in the last year, CD singles have dropped by 23% and CD albums will suffer the same slow decline as people soon realise they can compile their own download albums for the same price and get all killer and no filler. In short, CDs simply won't be able to compete in the future with the ease of digital downloads because they are comparatively too "cumbersome and expensive", and no one really liked them in the first place. Remember floppy discs? I cant stand the sight of them now, my guess is CDs will go the same way.
VInyl however, does have a place in people's heart. I don't need to go into the reasons why because everyone has their slant on it (of course some people would be glad to see the back of it, but not quite as glad, I feel, as they would be to see the back of CDs if and when they finally go).
However, perhaps the most important point is that with the new JOL scheme currently being pushed by the MCPS-PRS (where a website can apply for a blanket licence to sell music online) the sale of music will slowly start to be dominated by the major players, to the detriment of record shops and small independent labels alike.
I would therefore urge anyone thinking of setting up a record label to combine online sales where possible with a physical component such as vinyl, and to think twice about relying on
CDs for much longer. A vinyl can not only serve as a permanent legacy of your music but the label can also provide essential info about you. Its a great way to interact with the music industry on a real level, to get revenue directly from customer to artist, and to compete from the ground up with mass market downloads.
And after all people DO love it. My business card costs a little less than 7 inch vinyl press, but the reaction from people when I hand them a record is worth double.
(sorry for ranting but I love vinyl and I love bigging it up)