Hi All
Today I rcvd this e-mail from a UK retailer I formerly used:
Hello
Would you mind assisting us with a small customer survey on the above debate?
Many of you will remember back in the early 80's when CD Services first started trading ... we built our business on helping music fans replace their crackly old Vinyl LP's with fresh, new, crystal-clear silver digital discs ... mainly on Import at first, because most UK record companies were slow to pick up on the new CD format of the time, but when they did it all took off big-time. Well, now over 30 years down the line we are being told - although we beg to differ - the CD is dead in the water, and the record companies seem to think that we all want to do it all over again ... but in REVERSE!!!
Over the last few decades many music fans have invested heavily in all the many different CD remasters of their favourite albums, with some indulging themselves in those beautiful but expensive gold ultra disc versions and the gorgeous Japanese CD editions produced in Mini Vinyl Replica Card Sleeves etc, some over time spending hundreds of pounds over many different CD versions on the same album in order to get that perfect sounding copy - or just simply to add to the gradually expanding collector's collection. So how many of you are really going to do all that again with vinyl?
True, our aging eyes can read sleeve notes much easier on the 12" square card sleeve, and there is no doubt that a nicely pressed piece of vinyl does sound good, but so does a well-mastered CD when played on a system geared toward the sound of the digital format.
So, is this all just a big and rather expensive nostalgia trip?
True, noughties vinyl is much better pressed than it was back in the 70' and 80's ... but then again our ears aren't what they used to be, so maybe we just don't hear the clicks and pops now!
However,
vinyl is very expensive when compared to CD's, so are we all going to revert to the format and spend all our life savings going back to what we had way back then?
Honestly, we don't think so, but maybe we are wrong, so we would be interested to know what your feelings are, and ask you what you are doing in regards to the big vinyl push?
Many of you will have noticed that we now regularly include Vinyl editions of CD new releases and back-catalogue re-issues. While - for CDS - the ratio is approximately 1 LP sale (at most) for every 10 of the same title on CD, there is no doubt that there is growing interest in the revived vinyl format - but how far will it go?
The record companies are now pushing the format big style, and with the entire catalogue of many artists and bands (that we have promoted past and present on CD) now being reissued on vinyl to match their already done to death CD equivalents, we are getting to the position of sending out email promotions for titles that are exclusively VINYL re-issues!
So, in the interest of not wishing to send emails exclusive to VINYL format to those who have no interest in buying it again, (plus to a certain extent to satisfy our own curiosity) can we please ask you answer the following questions for us...
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Are you buying VINYL LP's again? - YES / NO
Given a choice, do you prefer VINYL to CD? - YES / NO
Are you interested in receiving information on BOTH VINYL and CD formats from us? - YES / NO
Are you interested in receiving information on JUST the VINYL format now? - YES / NO
Do you have NO INTEREST in VINYL as format at all? - YES / NO
Any further comment you might like to add would be appreciated and noted:
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Please edit the above YES / NO responses in the panel above and return your email to us as normal.
My
highlighting above. Hmmm, got me thinking:
I've always preferred vinyl, But... am cautious about what new vinyl I get due to the blxxdy high cost. Most vinyl I get comes with a digital download (which I get onto the computer - however its not connx. to any of my systems). For my want list, usually back catalogue items of fav. artists, I usually buy CDs. As noted in the item above, Im one who has heaps of CD copies of favourite albums.
I estimate my spend pattern over the last couple of years is about: 25% vinyl, 75% CD
Interested in DL colleagues views on this e-mail and your purchasing split vinyl v CD?
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
