This just in... vinyl is dead. Officially.

[abZ]

I have serato, in order to use serato i need a turntable (technics are the only way) its not that im holding on to the way things 'used to be' i just cant see why you would discontinue such a product. They are awsome better than ANY cd deck available including the cdj2000, it just isnt the same.

my real point is, does this mean the end for other products like serato, traktor etc??? if it does, its a sad day for the way music is goin. I embrace the 'digital era' but had found a product that meant i didnt spend £1000+ or so on a set of cdjs that i dont even like. pitch, platter etc, and works just as well imo.

LOL there are a few other manufacturers of turntables. I have only used technics myself but I have been told that some of them are superior to techs and they are not coming to my house to take my decks back, no i think turntables even technics live on in to infinity even if they do quit making them which looks to be 50/50 odds at this point. every message board i have been on has started at least 1 of these threads, i wouldnt be surprised if this was cleared up in short order.

[aleks zen]

not too fussed whether the vinyl industry dies. just got to move with the times really.

[osky]

not too fussed whether the vinyl industry dies. just got to move with the times really.

I am, when i go to a show, vinyl makes it so much better for me. when you see the dj jumping up and down picking up vinyls and shit like that its a bit more of a performance, wacking it on, wacking it off. moving about more. rather than standing there nodding there head.

[fractal]

im glad that was a lie


im not vinyl only, just mostly!

[seckle]

for all the hype squad.....this is the panasonic global pressroom, where press releases are issued. today is nov 28th. where is the press release about the 1200s?

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/st ... upId=30531

this whole thing is some prick in the AU/NZ office getting over zealous.

[seckle]

big up everyone that's willing to speak out their ass about vinyl not selling/in decline when there's recent stats released by RIAA, that show the complete opposite picture. vinyl is selling huge numbers.

[RealityHz]

big up everyone that's willing to speak out their ass about vinyl not selling/in decline when there's recent stats released by RIAA, that show the complete opposite picture. vinyl is selling huge numbers.

Do you have any idea how soundscan works?

That means absolutely nothing in terms of Dubstep sales. Ask anyone who is selling vinyl for the last 5 years how their sales have done from 2003 or so until now. There are simply more artists out there releasing vinyl than there were in 2003. Obviously less people are buying 1200's and 1210's or this thread and this rumor wouldn't exist.

When the sale of lumber is down, you quit investing in home builders. Name one dubstep label selling huge numbers and tell us exactly what huge numbers are... and then show me how this is consistent within the genre. Unless you're some big name, major label dickriding nuthugger sales are down for your favorite artist/label.

No shit sales of vinyl are up, they have it at Hot Topic now. Obviously you're a shopper there.

[spire]

No shit sales of vinyl are up, they have it at Hot Topic now. Obviously you're a shopper there.

i like how you use that as an insullt. big man you are.

[seckle]

big up everyone that's willing to speak out their ass about vinyl not selling/in decline when there's recent stats released by RIAA, that show the complete opposite picture. vinyl is selling huge numbers.

Do you have any idea how soundscan works?

That means absolutely nothing in terms of Dubstep sales. Ask anyone who is selling vinyl for the last 5 years how their sales have done from 2003 or so until now. There are simply more artists out there releasing vinyl than there were in 2003. Obviously less people are buying 1200's and 1210's or this thread and this rumor wouldn't exist.

When the sale of lumber is down, you quit investing in home builders. Name one dubstep label selling huge numbers and tell us exactly what huge numbers are... and then show me how this is consistent within the genre. Unless you're some big name, major label dickriding nuthugger sales are down for your favorite artist/label.

No shit sales of vinyl are up, they have it at Hot Topic now. Obviously you're a shopper there.

I know how soundscan works. trust me.


Nov 5th 2009

"Record albums are an experience that can't be duplicated digitally," said Astor, 38, of Falls Church. "I remember saving up for them, smelling them, reading the liner notes, admiring the artwork on the cover. It was an event."
A new generation is discovering vinyl. Based primarily on the sales of vinyl records, the company this year has already doubled its 2008 revenues and moved into a new facility three times larger to accommodate climbing record sales.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01939.html

nov 13th 2009

...vinyl has made a comeback, and this year has seen the greatest number of vinyl albums sold since Nielsen SoundScan began to track sales in 1991....

http://www.billboard.com/column/dailyno ... 2799.story

Nov 12th 2009

Meanwhile, vinyl continues to be resurgent—vinyl sales have already beaten out the 2008 total of 1.9 million, with 2 million records already shifted this year.

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/downloads ... usi/34634/

jan 4th 2009

Ironically, in the new digital age, sales of vinyl LPs were at an all-time high (1.88 million). There has been a resurgence of vinyl due to the new turntables on the market that enable consumers to play an LP and also transfer the music onto their mp3 players/iPods or flash drives. All of the turntables today have this digital transfer capability.

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/nie ... ival-plan/





enjoy those, and if you need more links about vinyl sales, we can keep doing this all day.

[RealityHz]

Seckle,

Post a link from a Dubstep distributor(or any dance distributor for that matter) saying sales are up. Until then you have proven nothing. Vinyl LP's... yea, how many Dubstep Vinyl LP's came out this year on vinyl? 5-10?

For something to be a part of the Neilsen ratings it must be barcoded, so that whenever a POS transaction occurs, it is scanned via barcode and placed in a system where they are tallied. The cost of adding barcodes and shit isn't cheap. Most Dubstep labels don't do it just like most Dubstep labels don't have full sleeve art.

That means Dance music on the whole isn't counted unless it's barcoded.

I think you're making the mistake of thinking you somehow represent a group or something because of your station here on this forum. You actually represent a rat on a sinking ship, in the corner trying to take a last panicked gasping breath as that ship finally submerges. I collect vinyl, I buy new vinyl all the time. It's not as though I hope vinyl dies by any means. What is clear though is that you're not ready to admit it is. What is vinyl made of? Petro chemicals. Peak oil has been reached bud. Over time there won't be any oil for making your precious vinyl. Sooner rather than later. You've yet to link this to Dubstep in some way. Are DUBSTEP sales up? Yes or no?

[seckle]

those cartoons are funny. lol

[spire]

Seckle,

Post a link from a Dubstep distributor(or any dance distributor for that matter) saying sales are up. Until then you have proven nothing. Vinyl LP's... yea, how many Dubstep Vinyl LP's came out this year on vinyl? 5-10?

You've yet to link this to Dubstep in some way. Are DUBSTEP sales up? Yes or no?

what does dubstep have to do with this anyways? he said VINYL is selling. not dubstep vinyl. and quit being a prick just cause not everyone here is saying "well, i guess he's right. vinyl will be over."

[yong]

YO WHAT UP. I'M USING GIANT TEXT.

OTHER TURNTABLES EXIST, THIS IS NOT THE END OF VINYL, SERATO, TRAKTOR SCRATCH, TURNTABLES, ETC.


Oh and just because Technics stops MANUFACTURING them doesn't mean you won't be able to acquire them.

[bagelator]

Arther Itis

I've not seen Arther for a while. Can he still crab scratch?

[bagelator]

Oh and just because Technics stops MANUFACTURING them doesn't mean you won't be able to acquire them.

are you the bozz bozz?

[Juan BassHead]

new link, new info: "Bringing some sanity to the Technics rumour" http://www.skratchworx.com/news3/comments.php?id=1374

3 years ago, I posted a story in response to rumours about the rationalisation of the Technics range - a gentle snip snip and off went the 1200/1210 MK5 (or did they?). 18 months later, a global Technics famine seemed to point to the imminent doom of the almighty 1200. And here are today, gripped in a Twitternet frenzy based on one story out of New Zealand purporting to spell out the end of Technics in February 2010. Hope I can bring some context to this as yet unsubstantiated rumour.

Firstly, please stop using the above stories as some sort of relevant substance to the current wild and unconfirmed rumour. They were written ages ago and not really relevant to what's happening now. Besides, despite Panasonic UK confirming that the 1200/1210 MK5 would be discontinued, 3 years later it still seems to be in plentiful supply, albeit costing quite a bit more. The MK5G for instance is in shouting distance of £600 per deck. PER DECK.

The second story I posted was in response to a deluge of emails about a Technics famine, and after some journo hackery, I extrapolated a scenario of the Technics brand shutting up shop. This theorising on my part still has the potential to pan out as all the relevant factors are still in place - credit crunch, massive decline in sales of turntables etc - but as yet, I've yet to see anything substantive to back up the current rumour.

And what of this rumour? Where did it come from? Well I first saw it in a forum thread on Ean Golden's djtechtools site. The source of the info was DMC New Zealand, who stated this:

"We have just heard the sad news from Panasonic (the manufacturer of Technics) that production of the world famous Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210 DJ turntables will stop at the end of February 2010. This marks the end of an era - Technics have been the industry standard for over 35 years with this turntable and the SL-1200 is synonymous with the DJ culture. It has been released and re-released over 9 times with different models and numerous other manufacturers have tried to compete with this deck, but above all, the Technics SL-1200 & Technics SL-1210 are the undisputed number one deck in the world."


Production will stop… seems conclusive right? And then there's this story posted on inthemix which adds some juicy extras, including an elusive statement that I can't track down on any official Panasonic channels anywhere. I'm not saying it doesn't exist in an inbox somewhere, but I'd like to think that the closure of the Technics brand ergo the death of the most iconic turntable outside of the HMV gramophone might have made it out onto the wider global PR network, instead of leaking via a dealer in NZ and leaching out on Twitter (which has retweets around every 60 seconds right now).

Forgive me, but when I wrote 18 months ago, I talked about the possibility and laid out the exhaustive facts and evidence as I saw them. But I didn't say that Technics was definitely shutting down. Now based on an as yet clarified statements, the world is under the assumption (for that's all it is) that the Technics brand has finally been packed off to the great iconic brand graveyard in the sky.

The retailer network is decidedly and uncharacteristically quiet on this right now, and trying to extract any info from Panasonic is like pulling teeth - hens teeth at that. So until I see an OFFICIAL statement from a Panasonic email address, or a news story on a Panasonic website, the current rumour remains just that. As of now, I really can't be sure if this is simply a distribution thing to NZ and Australia or is an early and unfortunate leak of a wider and as yet to be globally announced decision.

I could write more about the life and death of brand, but as far as I'm concerned, it hasn't happened just yet. However, I'm putting out an official call for information on this one. If anyone knows people at Panasonic who is willing to confirm, deny or at least clarify the rumours, please get them to drop me a line. And any info from the dealer channels would be equally useful. On the record or off is fine by me. As ever, I simply want to post the correct info for the DJ scene to have as fact, rather than adding to the wildfire rumour mill currently running rampant through the Twitterverse.

[hellfire machina]

big up everyone that's willing to speak out their ass about vinyl not selling/in decline when there's recent stats released by RIAA, that show the complete opposite picture. vinyl is selling huge numbers.

Not in edm it's not, fact!

I ran labels for 12 years, todays vinyl sales are a fraction of what they used to be so no this music isn't selling in huge numbers on wax, I wish it was!