Vinyl sales in 2015 at their highest since 1988 - so what?

RIAA released some data around sales income for 2015 recently, with a lot of folk picking up on this exciting wee statement: "Vinyl even beat out the revenue generated by ad-supported streaming services which brought in $385 million." The vinyl revival continues (while still only being 0.9% of total sales) .

However, RIAA aren't exactly comparing apples with apples. From Hypebot:

" ... The RIAA's vinyl revenue number is based on gross retail sales. On the other hand, the ad supported revenue number is the net amount paid to labels, an RIAA spokesperson confirmed.

GROSS REVENUE
Vinyl $416M vs. Ad-Support Streams $385M

$416 million in 2015 vinyl sales effectively netted creators and rightsholders less than half that after manufacturing, distribution and retail markup. $385 million in streaming income, on the other hand, was not diminished by any of those expenses. The cost of digital delivery to a streaming service is minimal and requires no manufacturing or shipping and far fewer middlemen.

ESTIMATED NET REVENUE
Vinyl $200M vs. Ad-Supported Stream $350M

My conclusions are, of course, just educated guesses. But if we hope to fix the very real revenue problem for artists and the industry, all sides need to begin a dialogue guided by real numbers rather than rhetoric."

And what percentage was vinyl of sales in 1988? Just 11% of total sales. Cassettes were the big seller.

source

So, while vinyl is doing well, we're heading into April, with Record Store Day coming up on April 16. Not every record store is looking forward to it. As the day increasingly gets taken over by major labels hogging pressing plants to issue vinyl of the likes of Justin Beiber, Status Quo or Mungo Jerry, some stores are not really feeling it any more...

A Record Shopkeeper Writes: Why Record Store Day Must End.

" ... The whole event has become a record label promotion opportunity and nothing else. Record shops are merely the vehicle for a quiet time of the year marketing binge. From my point of view, as a record shop owner, RSD is damaging to us in the following ways:

... The lead up to the day sees a dramatic fall in sales, and the post event effect is similar. Ask around. Do shops' quarterly figures look any better whenever they take part in RSD? All the ones I know say no. New releases all but come to an end weeks before, and all promotional activities swing behind RSD....

.... All this stuff comes out on one day, so in the six month lead up to RSD, the pressing plants are choked full of RSD releases (as investigated by The Quietus here), and as a result the indie labels can't get anything out in the interim. They're forcing me to say it... CD is the new vinyl....." 

Ring The Alarm playlist, March 26

Aretha Franklin - Rough lover
Mart Ann Fisher - Put yourself in my shoes
Annie Wiliams - I've got a man
Anisteen Allen - Fujiyama mama
Little Esther - Hound dog
Carl Holmes and the Commanders - Mashed potatoes pt1
Little Tommy - Baby can't  you see
Linda Jones -Just can't live my lie
Marvin Gaye - Inner city blues
Gil Scott Heron - Home is where the hatred is
Ramsey Lewis - Afro boogaloo twist
Takuya Kuroda - Rising son
Mark de Clive Lowe - Now or never
Jill Scott - Golden money (The Politik rework)
Freddie Cruger - Running from love
Adrian Sherwood - Animal magic
Rae & Christian feat the Congos - Hold us down (Faze action remix)
Lord Echo - Thinking of you
Herbs - French letter dub
Risco connection - Aint no stopping us now (version)
Johnny Osbourne - Budy bye (Kenny Dope remix) Playing in Auckland April 29
Nuyorican soul - Black gold of the sun (MAW remix feat Q-Tip)
A Tribe called Quest - Award tour
A Tribe called Quest - Find a way (inst)
Pigalle connection - Paris breakdown
Big Joe Louis - Go go train
Bob Wilson and San Remo quartet - All turned on
Bill Deal and the Rhondels - What kind fool do you think I am
Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band - Different strokes
The Time - Jerk out
Aretha Franklin - Every girl

Free download of Bonom Chinois (Frankie Francis edit)

Free download of this cool edit: "Frankie Francis of deep-digging tropical DJ duo Sofrito offers up a custom dancefloor-ready edit of a highlight from our latest collection, documenting the heyday of sega music in Mauritius between 1973 and 1979. The album is compiled by La Reunion-based DJs La Basse Tropicale with extensive sleeve notes by Mauritian cultural authority, Percy Yip Tong."

Listen to Soul Sok Sega in full on Bandcamp

Aloha got soul, bro

From Strut Records, out this week: "For many, Hawaii is the ultimate idyllic getaway destination and, during the peak of the disco era from the late '70s, the live scene on the islands was thriving, with a host of incredibly tight bands honing their craft in dozens of different clubs and venues.

Far from the stereotypical ukulele and steel guitar sounds most often associated with the islands, the music forged a breezy mix of funk, soul, AOR and rock, with an infectious easy-going spirit.

Roger Bong's Aloha Got Soul collection showcases the cream of these under-heard artists. Out this week on CD, 2xLP (w. CD included), and digital formats, Aloha Got Soul will transplant you to a place where the funk flows freely, and shirts and shoes are optional."

Stream a 30 min. preview mix from Roger Bong below.

Ring The Alarm playlist, March 19

Chaka Demus and Pliers - Tease me
Reggie Stepper - Cuh onoh
Yami Bolo - When a man's in love
Junior  Reid - Boom shack a lack
Sly and Robbie present Shaggy - If u slip u slide
Johnny Osbourne - Live it up (Playing in Auckland April 29)
Sweetie Irie - Slim body girl
Cutty Ranks - The stopper
Amerigo Gazaway - Sex machine gun funk (inst)
Fred Wesley and the JBs  -Blow your head (undubbed version)
Lyn Collins - Mama Feelgood
Mongo Santamaria - Cold sweat
District of Columbia - Hail to the teeth
Ebonee Webb - Something about you
Angela Bofill - Too tough
Goon squad - Eight arms to hold you
KLF - Justified and ancient
Stranglers - Walk on by
Dave Cortez - Happy feet
The Tams - I've been hurt
Ron Moody and the Centaurs - The new breed
Chubby Checker - You just don't know
Darondo - Luscious lady
Joe Tex - Don't cry over spilt milk
Gary Davis - The pop
Nona Hendryx - Transformation
Luke Vibert - I can Phil it
Mikos da gawd - To the top
Electric wire hustle feat Deva Mahal - March

Movements Vol 8 out now

From the cool crew at German label Tramp Records, out now on CD/2xLP/Digital: "For several years, gold seekers at the most humble and tiniest record label on earth (however certainly one of the funkiest!) follow their dedicated passion. Their brand new masterwork, Movements 8, focuses on rare privately produced american soul, jazz and funk, and proudly bears the title as the 8th volume in the Movements Series.

It took long to find the original vintage records and master tapes, but it took even longer to find the musicians behind the recordings. It required painstakingly detailed work to get everything together. While other labels' compilation quality might wane after some years, getting further watered down as the volumes increase, and banking on the success of earlier releases, the Movements series is a positive exception. 

The people behind this series know how the wind blows, and will stop at nothing to provide music lovers, DJs, and collectors only sweetest fresh breeze of heretofore unheard and uncompiled masterpieces. 

Songs by Papa Albert French, Thyme, Kay Dennis, Joe Wilson, Ulysses Crockett, John Timmons, and all the fellow campaigners emphasize this statement. The detailed liner notes and unseen photographs complement the whole package. 

The staff at Tramp always produces albums from their compilation series' as if it were their last so that each record can be enjoyed in it's own right. That being said, you can trust that Tramp is already seeking "to Tramp" more gems like these for a 9th volume."

Ring The Alarm playlist, March 12

Marvin Gaye - Rockin' after midnight
Keni Burke - Rising to the top (aliOOFT edit)
Diana Ross - Have fun again (original Chic mix)
Atkins - We gon make you feel good
Jermaine Jackson - Let's get serious
Soul Severes - I got it
Four Tops - Look out your window
Sharon Cash - Heighty hi
Opensouls - Hold you close
Nash Chase - Gimme a little sign
Alice Clark - Never did I stop loving you
Count Basie - Mercy mercy mercy
Little Walter - It's too late brother
Saun and Starr - Blah blah blah blah blah
Taggy Matcher - Rockit
Millie Small - Sweet William
Desmond Dekker - It mek
Lord Echo - Cosmic echoes
Wild Bill Ricketts - LooLoo
Ruts DC - Rhythm collision (RSD remix)
Dubblestandart - Terrarist and inhalers (Keith Le Blanc remix)
Tackhead - Ticking timebomb dub
Rip Rig and Panic - Storm the reality asylum (extended version)
Gladys Knight and the Pips - Got myself a good man
Gene Chandler - Fool for you
Flirtations - Nothing but a heartache
Howard Tate - Look at Granny run run
Clarence Reid - I'm your yes man
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit wheels - Breakout
Meshell Ndegeocello - Who is he and what is he to you

Ring The Alarm playlist, March 5

Jackie Mittoo and soul vendors -Chinese chicken
Augustus Pablo - Iggy Iggy
Prince Jammy - Dub is my occupation
Ninja man and Flourgon - Zig it up
Tubbs -Five day night (Fat Freddys Drop remake)
Chi-lites - Give more to the people
Spanky Wilson - Sunshine of your love
The Uptights - How long must I wait for you
Lily Fields - Changes
Jackie Wilson - Somebody up there likes you
The Demures - Raining teardrops
Willie Mitchell - Bum daddy
Cymande - Bra
Billy Preston and Syreeta - Go for it (inst)
Nu Shooz - I can't wait (Dutch mix)
Jody Watley feat Eric B and Rakim - Friends (extended version)
Malcolm X - No Sellout
Willie Bobo - La descarga del Bobo (MAW remix)
Roy Ayers - I am your mind (Pep Bradock main mix)
King Midas Sound - Lost (Flying Lotus remix)
War  - Galaxy 2000
Jesse Morgan - You've changed for the worst
Deep street soul - Souls come alive
Marta Ren and the Groovelvets - Release me
Sam and Kitty - I got something good
The O'Jays - 992 arguments
Quantic - Creation (East LA) - Reflex revision

Deep Street Soul drop new single

Coming soon on Freestyle Records, this Aussie combo share the first single off their third album.... super-funky soul bizznizz...

".. 2016 sees the band return with this two track teaser - taken from the new album 'Come Alive!' - and it's clear right off the bat that the group have taken it up a level with mighty May Johnson upfront making her presence felt on both sides of this heavy 45.

Souls Come Alive leaps from the speakers with Monique Boggia's electric piano intro, the blistering horns kick like a donkey behind May Johnson's simply exemplary singing. The song’s catchy appeal will be lost on no one with an ear for genuine organic 21st century soul music. The flip side, Done Me Wrong, also doesn't let the pressure drop for a second."

Fleamarket Funk says "Johnston’s wail channels Marva Whiteny, Vicki Anderson, and Spanky Wilson..." give it a taste...

Out March 11, 7"vinyl/digital

Panola County Spirit

"It's effortless and masterful, the kind of performance that feels as natural as breathing. Which is why it could hardly be more powerful." -NPR
Daptone: 'Announcing the third installment of our acapella gospel music series, this time from The Walker Family Singers. Listen to "Jesus Gave Me Water" from the upcoming album, Panola County Spirit, out March 18th.'

The previous releases from this region are stunning, so am expecting this will be another gem. These notes from NPR, tell the backstory:

'The way recording engineer Michael Reilly tells it in the liner notes of Panola County Spirit, Raymond Walker, the eighty-something patriarch of the Walker Family of Como, Mississippi, was always a singer of some renown. In fact, he was once the leader of a locally legendary (though never recorded) gospel vocal group called The Longtime Travelers.

According to Reilly, both Sam Cooke and Fred McDowell tried to coax Walker to accompany them on tour in the early 1960s, and both were refused "on account of [Walker's] family needing him at home." 

Brother Raymond and Sister Joella Walker ended up having four daughters and two sons, and all but one daughter have followed in their parents' footsteps by singing spirituals. As history would now have it, they're more than mere "singers." 

The Walkers are closer to standard-bearers of an a cappella gospel-singing tradition, which is front-and-center on the album Reilly recorded mostly in 2007 — and mostly in Raymond and Joella's living room.'