Hi Everyone,
Hope ye are all doing well enough.
I have had a fairly rough week myself.
A bit of a relationship breakdown I’m afraid, nearly 25 years together , but I felt it was for the best that me and my Johnny Blues parted company.
Man, they are a powerful addiction; it seemed that nearly every thought on Monday revolved around my deadly friend…how life would have no enjoyment ever ever again…..completely absurd irrational thoughts, but yep losing Johnny made me feel that way….but anyway I’m sure ye don’t want to be listening to the battle me and the boy are having so I’ll move on…..
Universal for Friday the 13th of Feb have the second IMAGINE DRAGONS album, “smoke and mirrors”,
No sign of Vinyl LP with this one for now, which is a bit of a pity, 3 formats of CD, STANDARD, DELUXE AND SUPER DELUXE.
Universal also have new albums from NEYO and THE MAVERICKS, a much talked about debut by MARIKA HACKMAN, reissues from THUNDER and RUSH “ caress of steel” and an interesting BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS release called “ easy skanking in Boston 1978” on a few formats.
Warner for the 13th have a new STEVE EARLE record called “ terraplane” out on CD, DELUXE CD and LP.
It goes without saying that Mr. Earle is one of the most consistently excellent musicians and songwriters around, and from my brief listen to this, it again won’t disappoint his fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FPttLYUHz4
There is ROEBUCK “POPS” STAPLES last ever recording out through ANTI, WARNER on Feb. 13 also.
Its title is “DON’T LOSE THIS” as these were the words that MAVIS STAPLES father said to her as he gave her the recording whilst he was very ill.
Mavis enlisted the help of her friend Jeff Tweedy to help finish the record.
Warner also have the release of teenage (??) bad girl “I don’t wanna go to school, I just wanna break the rules” CHARLI XCX on the 13th also, as well as some Vinyl reissues from FRANKIE PAUL, YELLOWMAN AND FATHEAD and THE ORDER OF APOLLYON.
Pias have no info for the 20th FEB as they are busy moving house as well.
All the big record companies have moved or will have moved house (warehouse) in the last 3 to 4 months.
Sony went back to SONY DADC last October (this plant had been destroyed, burnt to the ground in the London riots a few years ago), Universal are moving their distribution there as well at the end of March.
Pias are moving to CINRAM UK and Warner have moved to CINRAM Germany ( although it feels like WARNER could have moved to Beirut, last Monday two weeks order arrived Tuesday ….only 8 days after, for a 48 hour turnaround…and no Warner new releases ……I am getting to a point, believe it or not.
These moves come down to one thing…..dollars, or saving them.
2014 was a fairly bad year for the Music industry.
The statistics company Nielsen Music released their report on the state of the game for 2014….not pretty reading from where I was sitting.
Total album sales (units) for CD/VINYL/ DIGITAL were down 11% from 289 million units in 2013 to 257 million units in 2014.
Streaming and Vinyl were the only winners….streaming ( spotify, youtube) up 54% and VINYL up 52% ….Vinyl is now 6% of all physical music sales….CD was down 15% and Digital down 12.5%. (So what you gain on one hand, you lose on the other)
What I am hearing/reading is that the record companies are not going to be putting any money into the ailing; fully loaded pressing plants….they just want to cut back on costs.
Wise??
I really don’t know, if they did pump some money into the pressing plants to upgrade them and invest in new machinery, no doubt the consumer would foot the bill….same as dealing with a bank or insurance company, the record company will get their money back.
And, the new records are dear enough as we speak without increasing the cost of them…..which seems to happen randomly…..Van Morrison LPs increased by 50 % over the last few months due to “manufacturing costs” I was told, from an 18 euro price tag to a 25 euro one.
Rubbish, they are taking more margin…..plain and simple…..the floyds are the same 25 to 30 euro price tags…..cos they know they will get it.
So, it seems as if they are going to sit on their well manicured hands and hope for the best….but 52% growth and not willing to invest in trying to improve service, stock title availability, ease backlog…. is that wise?
Small story,
I have been chasing THE STONE ROSES debut LP from Sony since it sold out around Christmas….it was reissued back in September 2014….i was told today it was deleted….i asked why saying it was a great album and a great seller…..to be told that the next time it is reissued it will sell even more because it was hard to get.
This makes no sense to me, they are still treating the market as if everyone is a mad collector who wants limited rare stuff…..a lot of people I believe want to buy a nice collection of Vinyl records because they enjoy the experience of buying them, looking at them and listening to them….they invest more into the experience and ultimately get more out of it.
So, deleting things to increase demand don’t make sense to me….i think it will piss people off.
There’s a hint of that attitude in RSD but that’s for next week now again.
I suppose the plain and simple point of the last few paragraphs is basically this game is as precarious now as it has always been since I joined the match in 2001.
One major positive from that Nielsen report was that independent shops, (like the Music Zone Corporation), were least affected by the 11% drop in sales….only suffering about a 1% decrease whereas chain stores and supermarkets suffered far greater decreases…..so as Elvis might say and on behalf off all indies…..thank you very much!
Sony had nothing worth a mention for the 13th Feb…… (They have a vast enough catalogue of CDs, they could have reissued a few on Vinyl….let it go Raymond)
MUSIC ON VINYL has reissues from BLACKFOOT “marauder”, RISING SONS which feature both RY COODER and TAJ MAHAL earliest recordings and RON WOOD “ I’ve got my own album to do” ….a dig at Rod Stewart???
CARGO has for the 23rd of Feb…
Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space Test Card Recordings
LP Limited TCRVA02X 23/02 5055869501835 (UK Indies Only)
LP TCRVA02 23/02 5055869501842
CD TCRCDA02 23/02 5055869501859
(March Collective Title) NOTE: There will be a limited edition clear plastic, heavyweight vinyl available as an exclusive to independent record stores while stocks last. Press/Radio highlights: Reviews will be across the board, full lists available but highlights include: “Gagarin” added to 6Music playlist B List from now, Marc Riley 6Music session confirmed, Daily Mirror one page feature w/c 23 Feb, Music Week feature – mid Feb, Album reviews in Q, Mojo, UNCUT, London In Stereo, Classic Pop, Prog, Record Collector, Drowned in Sound and many many more. // Following the critical and commercial success of their debut album last year and 18 months’ extensive touring & festival appearances, Public Service Broadcasting are pleased to confirm the release of their eagerly anticipated second album, The Race For Space. To mark the occasion, the band will perform two very special live transmissions from the National Space Centre, Leicester, on 26 & 27 February 2015 – these shows sold out in under 24 hours. After touring USA/Aus/NZ/Canada, PSB will embark on a major UK tour in April / May – dates below. Before all of this, they will be playing 14 dates as the sole support to Kaiser Chiefs on their UK arena tour where they expect to play to 80k+ people around the country – dates below. Recorded at The Pool Studios and Abbey Road in London and, once again working with exclusive archive footage from the British Film Institute, the new record will tell the story of the American & Soviet space race from 1957 – 1972 via the duo’s eccentric mix of guitar-driven electronica, propulsive drumming and spoken word samples culled from this uniquely rich period of modern history. The Race For Space follows Inform – Educate – Entertain, Public Service Broadcasting’s debut album which reached #21 in the UK album charts and was nominated for ‘Best Independent Album’ at the AIM Awards 2013, as well as being The Guardian’s Album of the Week and one of BBC 6Music’s Top 10 albums of 2013. Press Highlights: “They blend the voices of the past with the music of the present to astounding effect” The Independent // “Genuinely original, innovating and amazing” Artrocker Album of the Month // Time Out “Inspirational stuff” // BBC6 Music: “Absolutely, sensationally brilliant” Top 10 Albums of 2013 // “Adrenalised post-rock and electronics..gripping” 4* Mojo // “A sampladelic delight” 4* Independent on Sunday // “Terrific” GQ // “Brilliant” Q Magazine // “An extraordinary debut” The 405 // “A truly exciting, original and innovative band” Loud & Quiet. Live Dates: UK Tour dates: 22 APRIL Brighton Corn Exchange, 23Bristol O2 Academy, 24 Portsmouth Pyramids, 25 Cambridge Corn Exchange, 28 Sheffield The Foundry, 29 Manchester Ritz, 30 Newcastle Riverside 1 MAY Inverness The Ironworks, 2 Glasgow O2 ABC 3 Belfast Mandela Hall, 5 Dublin Button Factory, 6 Birmingham The Institute, 7 London Roundhouse. Short biog: Taking in archive material from a variety of sources the new album sees the corduroy-clad J. Willgoose, Esq. and his faithful drumming companion, Wrigglesworth, continue their mission statement to Inform, Educate & Entertain. Through both the record and their uniquely spell-binding live audio-visual ‘Transmissions’, audiences witness the band weave samples from these films around live drums, guitar, banjo and electronics, creating an array of diverse tracks. What emerges is, by turns, thrilling, moving, funny and powerful. The Independent’s Simon Price said of the band : “In their love of history, and their understanding of the dignity of the wartime generation, they remind me of British Sea Power, although Stereolab are closer sonically. PSB are progressive without the florid ornamentation of Prog, dense and complex with not a semiquaver wasted. It’s an industrious, diligent sound, and, in the flesh, surprisingly danceable: slamming chemical beats accompanied by old cine footage, providing a peculiar opportunity to party to Pathe news”
Brian Jonestown Massacre – Tepid Peppermint Vol 2 ‘a’ Recordings
2LP180g AUK027LP 23/02 5055869507363
This comes for the first time on 180g vinyl in a gatefold sleeve. Re-mastered for vinyl.This 22 track compilation spans the years 1995 – 2004 featuring key tracks from all their albums as well and live recordings and many unreleased tracks.BJM has been essential in the development of the modern U.S. garage scene, and many LA and SF musicians got their start playing with Newcombe, including Peter Hayes of The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Originally Newcombe was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones’ psychedelic phase – the name comes from Stones guitarist Brian Jones combined with a reference to cult leader Jim Jones, but his work in the 2000s has expanded into aesthetic dimensions approximating the UK Shoegazing genre of the 1990s and incorporating influences from world music, especially Middle Eastern and Brazilian music.
REPUBLIC OF MUSIC has
Kicking off with singles this week – first up from Southend and riding a wave of fuzz are Asylums with their debut EP on Cool Thing Records. Next up from Death Waltz Record Co we’ve got the first ever official release of Frankie Vinci – Angela’s Song on a white 7 and from the stables of the excellent Hypercolour House of Black Lanterns smashes it out the ground with The Smack.
Loads of albums to plough through this week. We welcoming to the RoM fold this week soundtrack powerhouse Mondo – and they’ve got four releases straight off the bat this week with Jurassic Park, The Iron Giant, Pet Semetary and Cat in the Brain. From Springfield, Massachusetts All That Remains return with their seventh album of metalcore on Razor and Tie, and at the other end of the scale, The Balkan Clarinet Summit ramp it up with eastern flavoured jazz and classical noodlings. From Death Waltz we’ve got the original Indonesian score to the fantastic The Raid on 140g grey vinyl and from across the pond Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom A.K.A. Nadastrom bring their new album of techno groovers and genre bending club anthems on Dubsided. Noisia are here to celebrate Ten Year of Vision Recordings with a double CD and beautiful book of Vision artwork that comes with a download code. Spectres – one of the loudest bands we’ve ever heard at RoM bring their new album on the mighty Sonic Cathedral – they are going to slay it in 2015 and after a colossal 35 year break – Bristolians The Pop Group return with Citizen Zombie, which is racking up some great reviews in the press. Also new to the RoM stable the effortlessly cool Kitsune releases their latest slick compilation, with the back catalogue titles to follow shortly. From Ram Records this week Audio is the latest artist to step up to the RAMlife series, also with a 12” sampler to accompany. From the wilds of southern Germany, SCNTST releases his second album on BNR and we’ve got the compilation Four Seasons Lounge that may or may not be compiled be a famous German electronic artists – we couldn’t possibly say. Finally there’s a LP version of the new OK GO on a one weeker
On the local scene, we have our own ANNA MITCHELL who launched her beautiful new album “down to the bone” in Music Zone, Douglas Court, Cork on Friday the 13th at 4 pm.
ANNA sang and signed the album on the day.
Check out her gorgeous lead single here from the new record.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bc7nSvDWpk
As always check out our website for new records like…
Sin e for this week,
Thanks for listening,
Ray.