Mike,

Next time you're in NJ, try the Princeton Record Exchange again - they've
been adding much inexpensive vinyl of late. Also the main Academy Records
store in Manhattan has been adding a nicely chosen assortment of LPs -
picked up lovely mint sealed copies of a batch of RCA Vintage and Columbia
Thesaurus of Classic Jazz LPs for $5 or under.

Dave Weiner

>

I've been seeing these vinyl comeback stories for three years now, and I
don't know why you all are making such a big deal about these all of a
sudden. I'm not really looking for rock, so I haven't noticed what you
see in the influence of new rock vinyl on the prices of used rock
vinyl. Some of the unusual LPs I look for have always had either high
or low prices -- and I usually just keep looking for the low ones.
Having tens of thousands of LPs means I already have a lot of what
others are still looking for, but I am still seeing cheap prices. Maybe
I know where to look?

Were prices lower a few years ago. I do have an example. I do admit
that my daughter and I were spoiled when Footlights closed their store
and had a long sale the summer of 2007 and kept on bringing out more and
more from the back rooms that had $25+ prices but went for 50 cents near
the end. We kept on going back and filling the van up. We bought
between 500 and 1000 lps that summer from them. It's almost hard to
look at shows or soundtracks at more than 50 cents anymore cause we got
so many good ones then. But in the past year I am still finding plenty
of stuff for a buck -- I usually find more interesting things in the
bargain bins -- and same with 78s.

Mike Biel [log in to unmask]

> --- On Sat, 2/26/11, Aaron Levinson<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> From: Aaron Levinson<[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Two articles of interest
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 1:26 PM
>
> As someone that is pretty heavily involved in the vinyl trade these days
I'd have to concur on all points. The market for most
> used vinyl tanked in the midst of the meltdown and I personally used that
dip to pick up things that were otherwise out of reach for a little pisher
like me. It was quite a boon for collectors and I've seen things rebound
quite nicely. The one note that Tom did not mention that I learned from the
78 oracle John Tefteller was that really blue chip items (Skip James, Robert
Johnson, rare jug band stuff etc) actually rose in price over the crash as
they were seen as true "investment grade" items that would only increase in
value.
>
> I am really glad "the kids" are rediscovering vinyl in large numbers and
as someone the is a college teacher I have seen a huge increase of interest.
Not only is it sonically a major step up from a low grade MP3 file I think
that the ritualistic aspect of playing records makes people more involved in
the listening process itself and that in turn makes them value the music
itself more, a virtuous circle. These young vinyl folks they seem to treat
all music as far more than audio wallpaper for playing video games unlike
their digital peers...
>
> I always encourage them to obtain better playback gear and they are
uniformly amazed at how much better everything sounds through a superior
system. The vinyl market is here to stay and someone will make a fortune
providing a fair priced and aesthetically pleasing audio component system
for this new generation.
>
> Now if we could only get them to actually clean things...
>
> AA
>
>
> On 2/26/11 2:24 PM, Tom Fine wrote:
>> Regarding the USA Today article ...
>>
>> My observation over the past 2 years is that vinyl has moved from a fad
to a long-term niche industry. I think there will be a constant flow of
few-numbers/high-margin new vinyl releases, especially from certain types of
musicans and certain smaller (and some larger) labels. The vinyl copies I've
bought here and there aren't usually better-sounding than the CD's, but the
artwork is always better and most of them don't sound much worse than the CD
(there's one pressing plant, the one in Tennessee, that doesn't do good
pressing, and alas a lot of indie labels use it).
>>
>> All this activity in new vinyl is definitely driving up prices for used
vinyl if you want really nice condition and pressings. There are still
plenty of mass-market 70's and 80's disks to be had for a dollar or two,
some in superb condition if you look carefully, but what was in the $5-8
range a few years ago is in the $10-15 range nowadays as far as better
pressings and more rare titles. I've also seen the return of dozens- or
hundreds-dollar prices on the audiophile favorites from the "Golden Era."
>>
>> In my own case, I've found I've replaced in recent years records that I
gave away when decent-sounding CD versions came out in the early 90's. My
old records were played out, so I don't regret this, but I never though I'd
own the nice 12" sleeve art again. All of this has been from good dollar-bin
$5 shelf trolling and eBay, so it's been a minor investment.
>>
>> Bottom line, I think the used vinyl market hit bottom a year or so ago
and is rising and will continue to rise, within reason. And the new vinyl
market is here to stay. I do find it amusing to hear some of "the kids"
raving about vinyl and then find out about the junkola equipment they use to
play it. First of all, unfortunately, it probably does sound better than
128kbps MP3 streamed thru their phones, but their low-grade phonographs are
ruining their $50 records as quickly as they take them out of the sleeves
without cleaning them. So the old vinyl problem of quick wear-out in the
hands of the average consumer is still ever thus.
>>
>> -- Tom Fine
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Scott D.
Smith"<[log in to unmask]>
>> To:<[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2011 1:25 PM
>> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Two articles of interest
>>
>>
>>> Here are two recent articles I thought might be of interest to those
involved in analog and vinyl:
>>>
>>> From yesterday's USA Today:
>>>
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2011-02-25-vinyl25_ST_N.htm#
>>>
>>> From today's Wall Street Journal:
>>>
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703529004576160300649048270.ht
ml?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6
>>>
>>>
>>> Scott D. Smith
>>> Chicago Audio Works, Inc.
>>>
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