Not Many Artists Release Vinyl Even Though It’s A Hot Product
There so much in the news about how the vinyl records are such a hot product, and how there are more and more vinyl releases every year, but apparently that doesn’t apply to most indie artists. Distribution and label services company Ditto Music found that most artists don’t even bother with vinyl for a new release, and for good reasons.
The company found that only 12.8% of indie artists release vinyl, and that the age of the artist made a difference in whether they’d even consider it. For instance, only 8% of artists who are currently teenagers have released vinyl, but figures rise to 20.5% for 45-54 year-olds and 34.4% for artists aged 50 and above.
There’s also a differentiation by genre as well. Ditto’s findings show that only 8% of hip-hop artists have released music on vinyl, but 13.8% of alternative acts and 14.9% of rock artists have it as part of their product mix.
There Are Good Reasons
The reasons for the reluctance to jump into the vinyl space are age-old. The high upfront cost and long production time are big considerations, but in many cases an artist’s fan base just aren’t interested in vinyl to begin with.
With this year’s Record Store Day weekend kicking off today, there’s a long list of special vinyl releases available that are sure to jack up the sales figures. The problem is that most of these are from established artists, and many are released by major labels. As usual, colored vinyl is a big deal for many limited releases, which makes a nice collectors item but also increases the costs involved.
The bottom line is that for many acts who haven’t yet developed a healthy following, pressing vinyl is still a major risk in terms of time and money, and that’s something that hasn’t changed across generations of artists. Hot product or not, it’s not right for everyone.
[Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash]
