Crazy Expensive New Vinyl

[TheWarmth]

I got an email from Warp regarding the new Autechre album yesterday. I just bought one of the more recent albums and have been enjoying it, so I thought, "yeah, I could deal with this if I can get it on vinyl." Of course, they do offer it on double-vinyl in a really fancy sleeve. Total cost? $35.99 + $24.52 in shipping to the U.S.!!!! Fuck me. As far as I can tell, they're not offering a cheaper vinyl version. How can I possibly justify this kind of expense for one album (that I haven't even heard yet)? If every record I bought was even half that much, I'd be totally broke.

[Stuart X.Hunter]

Paul, I dont buy vinyl but have also noticed a bit of a dramatic increase in it.

Think it's heading towards the £15/£20 as standard for a new LP.

My new years resolution is not to spend anymore than £9 on an album, not to download anything (as average £7 for some mp3's is pure nonsense), not to buy new books and to use the library services as much as possible.
My annual spend as a percentage of income was about 10% for the last two years which is the equivalent to 4 holidays in the sun each year. So I'm going travelling this year with my savings.

I think the whole illegal downloading/filesharing etc is biting hard...thankfully the music I seek most of the time is just that...something I lust after as it's so hard to find or stupidly priced...unless of course anyone has a copy of
Conrad Schnitler' "Auf Dem Schwarzen Kanal" and I'll break my resolution.

Best,

Stuart

[shalloboi]

yup- definitely noticing this trend. the new brian jonestown massacre is going to cost $40+ on vinyl- granted it'll be a double lp on 180gm coloured vinyl, but still. i'd really like to own it on vinyl, but i'm beginning to think that over $30 might have to be my limit.
what's really offensive though is how expensive 7"es have become- they don't seem to be available new for under $6 or $7 anymore. i remember when the price shot up to $4.99 i was just like 'fuck that- i'm not paying that much for a 7"' and then a few months ago i find myself at a record store paying $10 for an oh sees 7" that i know i have to buy new so that it doesn't instantly go out of print and then end up costing $25+ when i am looking for it later.

[toomilk]

I hate seeing this as well. It used to seem like almost every album that came on both CD and LP was cheaper on LP, which is something that now is never the occasion.

However, I think some bands are starting to notice it as well, and are making it a point to charge less for vinyl. For example, the new Animal Collective 12" EP comes nicely packaged on 180 gram vinyl for only $12 and the new Pavement greatest hits is on 2xLP for $12. http://www.matadorrecords.com/store/ind ... log_id=468

[niamhm]

I don`t buy vinyl any more ,in fact not for quite a few years, but I have noticed also the ridiculous prices being charged by specialist shops ,seems like they`ve noticed a niche of vinyl fetishist and want to exploit it but hey ,thats capitalism in action ,vinyl versions of new albums or reissues seem to go for anything between £18-£25 and thats just crazy ,to me ,wouldn`t/couldn`t entertain the bastards not when I can pick up a cd for £9 maybe less if its a big release ....

but its nothing new,I remember in the old Virgin megastore in town ,the big/new releases went for £9/10 but if you wanted any recent hip hop ,that perhaps wouldn`t sell so many hey.....£15.99 ,they had you by the balls coz they knew if you wnted this album then you didn`t "quite fancy a wee listen" you f8ckin WANTED it and would pay the extra ,

I think theirs abit of that going on with vinyl just now ,the one that springs to mind is my pals the Wooden Shjips and their recent limited Contact "12 £15?to much for me I`ll take them all compiled on Vol. 2 when it comes ..... I suppose its like football players in this country just now ,no f8cker is worth £150.000 a week IMO, but the market says different ,so as long as those 1000 limited runs keep selling out then thats the price .


although if I still was to buy vinyl that Autechre album looks like the type of thing I might just push the boat out for.

[veiko]

more earthquakes and we will have a united continent. sorry, never a worst time to make jokes about this.
but what i meant to say was, that good to know that Autechre has a new album out. i did not know about that. something new to make me sleepless about new g-g-g-g-glitch.

my twisted idea is never to buy autechre on vinyl. i get the idea about the new releases, but i have heard some really messed up (read: BADly treated) vinyls of Vladislav Delay. that sounded like music coming from my fingers feeling the über-over-dusty vinyl.
here we again - best of all: good old objection.

i don't get it - can't you decide that some music is more better on disc. all that enthusiasm about vinyl with SOME releases is not worth it and it's about sound. my narrowminded approach wrench it down even more by thinking, that autechre is always better with headphones. you can transfer your vinyl into whatever format... but you still have the "thing", that you started with one totally other format for your collection or perhaps DJ activites and then totally different thing for your own listening pleasure.

[veiko]

sorry for the harsh cuts.
really - your rally what to ride.

anyway - would be good to see some statistics within the board: do music lovers in America buy more from Europe, than europeans buy from america.

[TheWarmth]

I see your point about a cd being somewhat more appropriate, but I always prefer vinyl and if you buy the LP you get mp3s with it. Regardless, I'm not spending $60 on this album. I did just order the Warpaint 12" EP from Norman, though. Check out the other thread I started on them.

[flamingrev]

I prefer vinyl quite a bit, but I won't pay more than $30 and that is pushing it a bit. I tend to go for common older stuff on record because that can be found dirt cheap. But if a new release costs a LOT more than the CD, I'll go for the CD.

Also, with newer stuff that is recorded mixed and mastered digitally there is less of a contrast between vinyl and CD, so there's less incentive to pay a lot extra.

The only time I pay for a download is when it's something that simply isn't released in physical form. And then I'm more likely to steal it than pay for it.

[spzretent]

One explanation is that vinyl is way more expensive to produce than CDs. 30 quid is pushing it. I cringe when I see $30 here. One recent release I cant understand is why the first Neil Young remastered vinyl was $20, Everbody Knows was $25 yet Harvest is $35 everywhere I have seen it. They are all single lps. I have seen the Kraftwerk lps cheap in Canada.Like $20Cdn for each lp.
What really gets me is what 7" singles cost now. And why people are even bother w/12"s. They cost the same as Lps to press. It seems like the death of the single(if that hasn't already happened).

[redcloud]

I wouldn't pay $25 for a Neil Young reissue. There have been so many printed over the years that nobody should have to pay that much for anything in his back catalog. That includes mint copies from the Reprise issues. Just my two cents.

I buy a lot of vinyl still and it pains me to see new vinyl priced so high. 180g vinyl is a wonderful thing to hold and look at but is it really necessary? Certainly not if it is so expensive that one has to budget and think twice about buying the album. That sort of defeats the purpose of music being affordable and only aids in the ever growing download market and instant gratification websites like spotify.

Even used vinyl can be extremely over priced and some record stores seem not to take into consideration the condition of both the record AND the jacket. Sure the music is most important but most people buying used vinyl, especially original pressings want the jacket to be clean as well as the vinyl. Unfortunately the entire grading system that was once pretty standard in used record shops seems to be disappearing (M, E, VG+, VG-, G etc.). The only way I can explain this is that the huge reissue and bootleg market have driven up the prices and record stores now seem to be targeting the hip but young and naive generation who did not grow up with vinyl. It is being sold more as a "hip accessory" rather than a functional object that it once was.

But, there are stil some gem used record stores out there undetected by the hipster community. One of the joys in my life is discovering the small, forgotten shops tucked away behind some street corner that are filled floor to ceiling with record crates in some chaotic but blissful mess. I just chanced upon one over Christmas and scored on some great used vinyl, all original pressings and realistically priced.