[The Jester]

Waiting for the local store to have its New Year sales … usually 20-30% off all music and Blu ray movies …
That’s when I do my Xmas shopping for me …

 

[FYFL]

Waiting for the local store to have its New Year sales … usually 20-30% off all music and Blu ray movies …
That’s when I do my Xmas shopping for me …

No discounts at my local store.
Good stuff is rarely discounted anyway.

 

[FYFL]

Still waiting for my buddy from work to part with his vinyl collection that collects dust. And one of his untouched Technics TT which he used to sell back in the days.

 

[The Jester]

No discounts at my local store.
Good stuff is rarely discounted anyway.

Sale is across the range, not just stuff they can’t get rid of ..
Probably shows how overpriced stuff is to begin with ..
At least we’re still buying music instead of 100% streaming, interesting TED talk the other day on how streaming and its royalty arrangements are changing modern music, press the “skip” button before the first 30 seconds of a song and no revenue is generated for the artist, so looking at popular music over the last 10 years and on average mainstream pop music is getting shorter, makes sense if an artist gets more revenue for 4 x 3 minute songs than 3 x 4 minute ones, or 2 x 6 minute ones, and also could explain the trend of short intro’s and multiple “hooks” in the first 30 seconds ….

 

[FYFL]

I guess we won't see many Jimi Hendrix Experience “Voodoo Chile” 15min + songs huh? Lol
Jokes aside, I doubt that real artists have that commercialized mindset. Otherwise we might see music industry turn into trash conveyer belt that Hollywood turned into.
On the bright side, vinyl might become a format for more creative approach with greater freedom of expression. And financially, just as rewarding.

 

[The Jester]

From what I read the royalty percentages are the same as they used to be for physical media, even though production and distribution costs are no longer as large a factor, less quality thanks to compression and the loudness war, less diversity, hopefully the talented ones out there continue to produce physical media …

 

[FYFL]

I've seen some numbers and it wasn't conclusive. From packaging to numbers pressed, it varies. Some artists compared vinyl release to concert venue. Other artists think of it as a good foundation for growth and fan base support. Especially, during the past few years.

 

[FYFL]

I'm sure Van Halen upcoming mofi supervinyl $125 per LP will generate more than a buck per unit sold. It all depends. But I also have heard stories from some artists, that in some cases it acctully costs them money and zero revenue. But staying relevant and having their presence on shelves of the vinyl stores matters.

 

[FYFL]

Side note. Only one of recently acquired headshells worked with my SMMC1 Soundsmith cartridge. Heavier headshell is the way to go with this particular cartridge and SME tonearm. This cartridge is also very tricky to setup right. Perhaps I should withdraw my recommendation of it for less intuitive/hands-on hobbyists.

 

[The Jester]

I'm sure Van Halen upcoming mofi supervinyl $125 per LP will generate more than a buck per unit sold. It all depends. But I also have heard stories from some artists, that in some cases it acctully costs them money and zero revenue. But staying relevant and having their presence on shelves of the vinyl stores matters.

Same as any commodity, the more units the cheaper it becomes to produce, when CD came out alongside the Vinyl album it had at least a 30% price premium, convenient, smaller artwork, sleeve notes you needed a magnifying glass to read but with supposed better quality sound, once they became mainstream and production numbers increased the price slowly reduced in real terms, now a new release CD is the cheapest way there’s ever been of purchasing physical media, now it’s “want a vinyl version ?”, oh, they are so much more expensive to produce, artwork and sleeve notes, bigger physical item to transport ?,
I can’t see Vinyl returning to its former glory but I can see it replacing the CD as over the counter physical media, but to justify the price and make them more attractive the inclusion, as some have done already, of a code to download a digital copy for use in portable devices and car audio systems would be the final demise of the CD media,
Then there are those of us who enjoy owning a physical music collection, and having time set aside to relaxing and listening to Vinyl is part of the enjoyment, being able to access a digital version stored on your own music server would largely remove the need for a streaming service, then exposure to new music would go back to radio and TV music shows or actually talking to friends and listening to their recent purchases, the resurgence of small groups getting together with the sole purpose of listening to each other’s music and/or equipment ….
Oh, and Happy New Year to all …
Already 7.30am New Years Day here …

 

[FYFL]

Yes, happy New Year to ALL!

I think there’s space for all formats.
New vinyl usually comes with downloads codes. So there’s that.

Streaming media is not going away.
It is and will be the easiest and cheapest access to music out there. No question about it.
And then there will be those who can afford and enjoy vinyl. And if interest is there and money can be made, they will support it.

 

[FYFL]

Heads up.
There’s 20% off sale going on on all Bluenote records. Free shipping on purchases of $80+.
That’s a great deal given that full price is still extremely reasonable for quality you get.

On the side note. Record that I personally felt as a candidate for the best record of the year (Norah Jones “ ‘till we meet again” ) was nominated for Grammy. Great job. Amazing record. Well deserved.

 

[The Jester]

Manage to grab anything in the sale ?

 

[]eep]

I did receive my new tube phono-amplifier. It's the Weiliang Klimo LAR clone with ECC88 and ECC81 tubes plus an extra ECC88 for MC. Cold out of the box, the first thing I did was... Open it up! Like any real audiophile would do of course (not!). Looks neat and tidy. Decent parts, they tried to use the right kind of types throughout. The 12AT7 tubes are PSVane, the others 6N11 Chinese, coupling caps are MKP. Not premium but decent enough. They probably won't stay in there for long. I have some nice Sprague Vitamin Q PiO waiting, Philips Miniwatt ECC81 and VOKSHOD or Svetlana ECC88 (same as my OTL HP-amp).
Edit: I found my Vokshod 6N23p rocket tubes. Those are the premium ecc88 equivalent.

The case looks nice and solid, all aluminum with a thick massive front. The only problem I have is with the input plugs. I think I've been to eager to get it playing or I didn't put the plugs all the way in but one channel drifted in and out in kind of a weird way (like a capacitor was still charging). First I thought it was a loose connection but now it plays fine. I do notice a slight hum but that could be placement or cable routing. Nothing that can't be fixed.

Now I know, tubes have to warm up, but who has time for that. That's something I'm not used to anymore. Now it's clic, wait for the relais to kick in and play. Burn in? Nehhh (*Fran Dresher voice*).

Ah, and I found my Stereotomy album. Slipped between it's neighbors. Side one, straight into 'review mode'. A bit lean, undeep, congested but so far the best Chinese phono-amplifier (in stock form) I have bought. It's a step back from my Jolida though... After a few songs it gets better. Side 2 is already showing potential. It starts to sound bolder, sweet and spatiality starts to open up. Off to a good start.

Later I'm going to try the MC input straight from the cartridge. Then I can switch carts /arms with the flip-switch on the back. See if that works as well as with the tranny. That is why I chose this phono-amplifier. That and the simple aesthetics and right form factor.

 

[The Jester]

Looks a nice clean build …