Topic found on jukebox lists re new LPs and 45s

Hello,

I saw this info on jukebox lists from James Alexander.

RE: new vinyl LP's
There are several small US and and two UK companies that are issuing short
(authorized) production runs of audiophile-quality 12" 33 1/3 RPM albums.
Most of these are re issues of older best-selling albums,but some are newer
and current releases. Almost all of these are audiophile quality, pressed
on 90, 180 or 200 gram vinyl.
Two websites that have just about all the new records are :
www.soundstagedirect.com and www.qualityrecordslavalink.com Rhino
records, now a division of the Warner-Elektra-Atlantic record group is
releasing new vinyl albums from WEA's catalog. They have their own web
address. (sorry, dont have the info)
Best Buy is supposedly devoting 8 sq ft in designated stores to vinyl record
sales,as an experiment.They are picking one store location in principal US
cities.
The only new 45 RPM production I've heard about is the new pressing of many
of the old Blue Note label singles featuring their jazz artists. The
Collectables label still has a big catalog of re-issue rock/R & B/soul 45
rpm singles at their web store www.oldies.com
Forgive me for being a cynic, but I'm old enough to remember in the 80's
when the MSRP for a typical new vinyl album was $7.98. It then cost
$16.99 to buy the album in the "new" CD format. Now, the newly-minted
audiophile LP's cost about $18 for a single LP, $36 for a 2-record album.
(remember, in going back to vinyl, you now have the playing-time constraint
of about 22 min. per side). Just how many times, in how many formats, are
music fans expected to buy a copy of "Sgt Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band"
(or insert your favorite old LP title here)??
JIm Alexander

Regards
Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

ami-man wrote: ...Forgive me for being a cynic, but I'm old enough to remember in the 80's
when the MSRP for a typical new vinyl album was $7.98. It then cost
$16.99 to buy the album in the "new" CD format. Now, the newly-minted
audiophile LP's cost about $18 for a single LP, $36 for a 2-record album.
(remember, in going back to vinyl, you now have the playing-time constraint
of about 22 min. per side). Just how many times, in how many formats, are
music fans expected to buy a copy of "Sgt Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band"
(or insert your favorite old LP title here)??
JIm Alexander

Regards
Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

Hi Alan:
The price does seem exorbitant, but factoring for inflation ( http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl ): $16.99 in today's dollars would be $9.89 in 1985 dollars. Conversely, $7.98 in 1985 dollars would be worth $15.86 in 2009 dollars. (These calculations are based on the official US government statistics, but according to some sources, the actual inflation rate is much higher.)

In any event, I think that reintroducing and test marketing the LP format, even on a limited basis, in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression is questionable, at best. If the major market is viewed as the "nostalgia crowd" --those in their late 30s-50s--they are probably the most hard pressed, financially.

These records are purely for audiophiles and are 12" size. And not for jukebox use. And range in price from $21.95-$55.00 new. And demand the best tonearms and cartridges set up and adjusted correctly. And limited editions which some are already fetching double the issue price.

Alan - I'm in my early sixties. I remember when 45's were .98 and the price dropped to .69. It took a couple of years for it to jump back to .98. Also I have a collection of original '50's and '60's rock and roll/soundtrack albums. Some still have a $3.98 price sticker on them. But then I also remember when a phone call was a dime, to play a record on a jukebox was a nickle (not for long - went to a dime), cigarettes were .25/pack, and gas was .25/gal. Those were the days my friend.

Petrol was still only 29 pence a gallon in 1971 (when decimalisation came in that year) just shows the goverment mark up these days!

Regards
Alan Hood
ami-man
UK