revmike
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3804
North Atlantic
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 04:12 PM
One of the major supporters of indie music, SAM the Record Man, closed up shop in Halifax this week. This led me to wonder about the state of the music buying public. I know I still buy CDs and vinyl but am starting to feel like the minority.
Is digital downloads the "wave of the future"? I haven't entered that realm of purchasing yet, but we do have our CDs at Rickshaw Records. We'll be releasing a new CD in the next couple of months (April/May), and it got me thinking about whether or not we should go with CDs and digital, or just digital. We'll probalbly go with both, but it got me wondering about others' thought on the subject?
Rev/ USK
— Canadian Surf
http://www.urbansurfkings.com/
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ElMonstroPorFavor
Joined: Sep 01, 2006
Posts: 2725
New Orleans, LA
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 04:26 PM
I've heard that vinyl sales have actually been up since file-sharing. I think digital music will only become more popular BUT, there will always be a large contingent of us that love to go out and buy our music and aren't ready to settle for 128kbps of sound quality. I think the surf/garage community particularly will stay this way for a few reasons
a) it's rooted in an era of physical music. I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves to check out a flea market hoping for a surf LP.
b) 7"s. Even the punk community is starting to phase them out, but it seems to me that even though the idea of a physical single is completely gone in the mainstream music market, the surf/garage community is still pumping them out left and right. I hope they don't stop.
c) we're obscure. Unless you have a large stake in the scene (starting a band etc.), nobody's finding more surf music by chance hearsay. It takes a love of music and a strong effort to satiate the thirst, and those of us that love music tend to care about the industry
— Storm Surge of Reverb: Surf & Instro Radio
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 04:46 PM
Saddle Creek Records, who has several of my favorite artists, offers a free digital download when you buy an LP of the album. No need to buy the CD in my opinion when you can get CD quality MP3s and a nice record.
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outsides
Joined: Jul 08, 2006
Posts: 460
NorCal
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 05:20 PM
7"s. Even the punk community is starting to phase them out,
the surf/garage community is still pumping them out left and right.
As someone who makes their entire living off selling vinyl 7" and I collect punk - esp modern, I find the opposite to be true. The punk pressing are usually pretty small and are gone quite quickly but I find way more new releases of punk than surf or (modern) garage 45s'.
Ebay and the internet have changed the whole world of vinyl sales and for some people, keeping a storefront just doesn't make financial sense anymore - rent, employees etc. etc. Yes, it's too bad, so if you like vinyl, you should make an effort to support your local record store.
I'm sorry you are losing your record store. It's a mad mad world......
-outsides-
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outsides
Joined: Jul 08, 2006
Posts: 460
NorCal
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 05:27 PM
And as far as going just digital or going CD and digital, well if it's just digital, there will be nothing physical around in 20 years for your grandchildren to see? 
-outsides-
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 05:55 PM
Nope, nothing to show your grandchildren in 20 years, although your grandchildren will probably have access to your entire music collection over a network set up between your media center and theirs. I say the next 20 years can be pretty exciting although it will be met with the demise of the greatest thing ever, buying an album at the store or getting it in the mail.
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RobbieReverb
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2353
San Jose, Ca.
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Posted on Feb 24 2007 07:33 PM
I prefer to buy the physical CD's. The closing of Tower Records
was a big eye-opener. Still, independent record stores in the Bay
Area like Rasputins, Amoeba and Streetlight seem to be going
strong. Back in the early 80's it seemed inconceivable that the vinyl
LP would be phased out as the primary medium of selling records
in favor of CD's. Now it looks like CD's may be pushed out by
digital downloads. It seems like most of the kids nowdays don't
care about the physical CD. The download is what they want.
We live in interesting times...
Bob
— Bob
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pointbreakspy
Joined: Aug 24, 2006
Posts: 204
Newcastle... Australia
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Posted on Feb 25 2007 04:07 AM
My mobile phone is my mp3 player, i can download music straight into it day or night, without even using a computer...but the sort of music i like is not on offer.
Although i love album art, it usually is not created by the musician so it is not that important, as is the look of the musicians involved. so all you ugly bastards who can't afford a graphic artist or a stylist etc...more power to you.
adam
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Feb 25 2007 04:40 AM
Well, one advantage to a digital (i.e., download) release I see...and one that hasn't really been exploited by record companies much (indie or otherwise) is better sound quality. All the recording buffs here drool at the thought of going into that 24 track, 24-bit /192 KHz desk, right? I mean, 16-bit/44.1 KHz, is so...80s. So why settle for CDs anymore?
I view it as a analogous situation right now to the way HD television is marketed. HD is not really widely available in physical form yet. Mainstream DVDs don't have it yet. It is therefore streamed to the consumer, and at a premium cost. And people buy it up because it really provides a superior entertainment experience. (If you have HD, you know what I am talking about; there is often quite a wow! factor. Apologies if you don't.)
The common MP3 download is compressed and maybe sonically nasty, yes, but there are higher bit rates. And other sound formats, too, some lossless or virtually so.
I, for one, would love to buy music in the exact same resolution as it was recorded.
And, yes, I know about BluRay and HDDVD for movies, and HDCD and DVD Audio for audio. But why invest your band production $ in the format war? Just not mainstream enough. Everyone already has a computer.
— SSIV
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Kawentzmann
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1060
Berlin, Germany
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Posted on Feb 26 2007 02:30 AM
I donât think sound quality is so much of a concern for average music buyers. They still have to ask what is better, and since they donât hear it you can tell them CDs are best, f.e.
KK
— The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann
You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy.
Last edited: Mar 01, 2007 03:08:11
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Feb 26 2007 08:24 AM
LHR, I have HD. Greatest thing ever.
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wooza
Joined: Apr 24, 2006
Posts: 1618
Ithaca, NY
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Posted on Feb 26 2007 02:31 PM
JakeDobner
I have HD. Greatest thing ever.
Wait, I thought getting CDs in the mail was the greatest thing ever.
I say the next 20 years can be pretty exciting although it will be met with the demise of the greatest thing ever, buying an album at the store or getting it in the mail.
I totally agree with Jake's standpoint. I'm intrigued by what the future holds, but I really do love having the actual tangible album. I remember when I was first getting into surf via the Surf Coasters and the KFJC comps, which I could only get in the mail. The anticipation of those albums made for some exciting times. That was much of the fun in and of itself. One day in high school I found the "Gnarly Reef" comp in the mail during lunch. I nearly crapped myself listening to Slacktone's cut of Miserlou. I think I was half an hour late to math that day.
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Feb 26 2007 06:27 PM
Hope I didn't sound preachy. Just seems like the time is right for this kind of thing. The bandwidth is there and the storage is sufficiently cheap. (Obviously, if people are voraciously downloading fileshare bootleg copies of Fast & The Furious 2 recorded in a Filipino movie theater with a camcorder.)
Wooza, you mention Slacktone; now there's a surf band that seems to embracing hi-fi. I would really like to hear their stuff in high res. Actually, plenty of surf nowadays is well-recorded, The Madeira immediately comes to mind also. I love SACD, DVDAudio, and all of that but I got my laptop, iPod, etc. right here.
— SSIV
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RickshawRecords
Joined: Mar 07, 2006
Posts: 80
San Diego, CA
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Posted on Feb 28 2007 01:45 PM
There are currently 20 surf albums available for download from my site at www.RickshawRecords.com - and they include printable cover art so you can make jewel cases.
— Complete DIY Ribbon Microphone plans available from:
www.RickshawRecords.com
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Kawentzmann
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1060
Berlin, Germany
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Posted on Mar 01 2007 03:09 AM
Overseas buyers save on postage with downloads!
KK
— The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann
You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy.
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midwestsurfguy
Joined: Mar 19, 2006
Posts: 957
Oxford, Ohio
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Posted on Mar 02 2007 09:05 PM
I have bought lots of music in digital format. hundreds of $. But I still like the CDs so you can read liner notes and look at the pictures. digital is great for instant gratification, but I like haveing the physical media for a backup. Also what I want to hear is usually not available online except for a fw places like Rickshaw records and some on iTunes. I have over $100 in gift certificates on iTunes sitting there soon I am going to use Kawentzmann's list to find stuff I want. while in the meantime I am going to spend hundreds on CDs. Speaking of which Bob posted about Rasputins, Amoeba and Streetlight in the bay area. I will be in SF on Tuesday I would like to hit the best places for surf rock CDs which is the best? I have been to Amoeba in the Haight and Rasputins near Union Square of the 2 I liked Amoeba best. are there better locations of these two? Also is Streetlight better?
Thanks
Guy
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Mar 02 2007 09:46 PM
I've never spent money for digital downloads. I almost did once for a classical album and then for the Lost soundtrack due to the excellent score. Hard to find on P2P networks.
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