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BELOW Red alert: Coloured vinyl is used to striking effect
BELOW
Skin trade: hand-sewn wallets
containing
seven-inch vinyl is the order
of the day for Skinny Lister on Record Store Day
That sense of artist expression is one of the
qualities that drives Sunday Best’s continued commitment to vinyl. Last year the label released David Lynch’s Crazy Clown Time on vinyl whilst this year will see a Moby remix for track Noah’s Ark land on a double one-sided 12-inch with an etching on one side courtesy of Vaughn Oliver of Pixies fame. But Sunday Best doesn’t just amp up its vinyl
output for one day a year. “Vinyl is a really important part of our business, we pretty much put vinyl out for everything that we do,” the label’s manager Sarah Bolshi tells Music Week. “It’s never left us.” She continues: “We let the artists have a bit of
positive qualities so it’s all about the demands of the user experience. “For me you can’t beat the sound and feel of a
well packaged piece of vinyl, but I also appreciate being able to download the music to my iPod etc. I believe the two can complement each other and this is a marriage that should be encouraged.” ProCards’ Branton agrees that traditional
qualities are still at the centre of vinyl’s allure: “It provides a much more immersive experience for the fan and gives artists more scope to express their message, through beautiful cover artwork, creative packaging and high-quality picture discs.”
free reign over what they want to do. For example, Skinny Lister have screen-printed and hand-sown fabric wallets themselves and put 7-inch discs into them with really nice sleeves for Record Store Day.” Record Store Day itself is of course the
biggest celebration of vinyl product of the year and it expectedly sees widespread support across the market. “Bringing vinyl to the top of the agenda has to
be a good thing,” says Gerard Saint. “It encourages fans to engage fully outside of the digital experience.” ProCards’ Branton agrees, adding that, while the
digital revolution is also encroaching on music discovery, there is still a case to be made for traditional methods of music perusal.
“You cannot beat an
analogue sound.
Buying a vinyl record is a statement about
yourself” DAVID DE LA
BRUYERE, DISC SOLUTIONS
“Record Store Day is of great importance as it
encourages people to actively explore new music. Lots of people use online tools for music discovery, however there is a lot to be said for taking a little time out of your day, travelling to your local record store and flicking through the racks until one special record grabs your attention. “It feels like a much more organic and emotional
experience, which is what music is all about, isn’t it?” As the name suggests, the success of Record
Store Day rests on the shoulders of the UK’s proudly independent retailers, which are widely seen as bastions of the vinyl product. “Obviously there are indie stores like Rough
Trade that really support what we do,” says Sunday Best’s Bolshi. “It’s hard to get your singles into places like HMV. The indies and direct to fan are the routes we usually take.” Bolshi observes the shared effort that seems to
have emerged between indie labels and indie retailers when it comes to supporting vinyl.
20.04.12 MusicWeek 17
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