Vinyl vs Digital - How to Make Digital Releases Special?

[serox]

also had 3 cds out which fade just as fast, medium is unimportant. Had more positive comments re the digital stuff, although tbh prob due to more internet access these days.

How many bad comments do you ever see on Soundcloud?:)

Soundcloud seems to me a bit like "ill scratch your back if you scratch mine"

[legend4ry]

Seriously in this time of day, if you hand a CD to a DJ he'll have more respect for you than if you sent him an email and obviously if you cut him a dub he'll be on that straight up, and will at least listen to it.

But that is more about "if this person has spent 50 quid for me to hear his music I better listen to it" and on a serious level, who really has a couple of hundred quid to cut some dubs to send out these days?

The digital revolution in music happened for a reason, while I prefer to play out vinyl I don't disagree with digital releases nor playing out CDs, I sure as hell would rather pay 10 quid for 50 CDs to play out my own tunes than 50 quid for 2 tunes.

/rant.


I think that if you get the release played around the main radio shows for the type of release, have support from people who play out a lot (even if they ain't 'big in the game') and have good mastering, artwork and good tunes overall it should do well!

[FSTZ]

also had 3 cds out which fade just as fast, medium is unimportant. Had more positive comments re the digital stuff, although tbh prob due to more internet access these days.

How many bad comments do you ever see on Soundcloud?:)

Soundcloud seems to me a bit like "ill scratch your back if you scratch mine"

^^^ it is

[paradigm_x]

never mentioned soundcloud, PMs mainly.

But yeah tends to be either positive or say nothing. bit like real life.

[legend4ry]

never mentioned soundcloud, PMs mainly.

But yeah tends to be either positive or say nothing. bit like real life.

Truth

and your new release is absolutely amazing by the way, Mr Paradigm "UAD" X.

UK Trends are way above so many labels!

[narcissus]

well OP, if you release a record on any medium, it should be special in the first place. if you put your whole heart into a digital tune, it'll be special to you and to everyone.

[contakt321]

well OP, if you release a record on any medium, it should be special in the first place. if you put your whole heart into a digital tune, it'll be special to you and to everyone.

I have

I guess my goal for this thread is to create a discussion about how to make digital releases special and meaningful (for the consumer). Some great ideas have been posted so far (the mailing list - holiday freebie, etc) and someone else hit the nail on the head w/ bonding w/ the consumer, that is certainly the new way to sell records.

[EBR]

point made for anyone who read my post

[FSTZ]

great thread

[Sharmaji]

play shows.

our digital sales have outsold our physical CD like 30:1. At this point, i don't know if the release is "special," but the music certainly isn't any less important to the audience. But you've gotta get to the audience.

For the casual listener of EDM, vinyl is neither here nor there-- they hear it in the club, on their ipods, or at home. Seriously, how many non-DJ's do you know who buy vinyl 12" singles? I have rock n' roll friends who'll sweat a release on vinyl for all the same reasons we do, but not in EDM-- people want mixes, mp3's, and maybe CD's.

honestly i think the key is to bring the music to the people. Your standard dubstepper loves mala's sets because they're amazing--- not because they only ever released a few copies of DMZ006.

Otherwise, vinyl releases do definitely garner you a certain caché in our little niche industry; to this day, it's a little bit of statement that yes, you've arrived, either you had the cojones to put a 12 out ourself or someone else was willing to vouch for your work. Don't know if that'll ever change, but a single release certainly doesn't resolve itself into money or any real long-term change UNLESS you follow it up with more work. The nice thing is that a release will open doors for you-- label folks will be interested in hearing what you're writing, press will seek you out, and the rest of the industry gets more receptive the more you do it.

[nowaysj]

Numerous studies have confirmed the increased value an individual assigns to their possessions by mere fact of their possession. If you buy a coffee cup for 5 dollars, and then someone offers you 6 dollars for it, the standard psychological response is to reject the offer, despite the fact that you can just buy another coffee cup for 5 dollars and pocket the dollar. I think this is informs this material / ephemeral music issue.

When you can hold your music, you assign a higher value to it because you possess it, the object becomes a part of your identity.

I've never formed that type of bond with an .mp3. Maybe I'm too old, from a different generation? Fact of the matter is I hate .mp3's. Much of my music collection is in that format, but I hate all those files, lists of names. Yech.

So, some type of physical manifestation of the music should increase the value assigned to that music.

I'm sorry I don't have any kind of creative solution to this, though. USB memory sticks in the form of the label's logo, to which you could dl your purchased tracks.

I really wish I could walk into a record shop and buy dubstep records. I really do.

[serox]

Numerous studies have confirmed the increased value an individual assigns to their possessions by mere fact of their possession. If you buy a coffee cup for 5 dollars, and then someone offers you 6 dollars for it, the standard psychological response is to reject the offer, despite the fact that you can just buy another coffee cup for 5 dollars and pocket the dollar. I think this is informs this material / ephemeral music issue.

When you can hold your music, you assign a higher value to it because you possess it, the object becomes a part of your identity.

I've never formed that type of bond with an .mp3. Maybe I'm too old, from a different generation? Fact of the matter is I hate .mp3's. Much of my music collection is in that format, but I hate all those files, lists of names. Yech.

So, some type of physical manifestation of the music should increase the value assigned to that music.

I'm sorry I don't have any kind of creative solution to this, though. USB memory sticks in the form of the label's logo, to which you could dl your purchased tracks.

I really wish I could walk into a record shop and buy dubstep records. I really do.

Interesting.

I am luck enough to work next to Black Market Records! Youngsta works in the basement and there are often other artists from London hanging about in there. I love the place.

[legend4ry]

Numerous studies have confirmed the increased value an individual assigns to their possessions by mere fact of their possession. If you buy a coffee cup for 5 dollars, and then someone offers you 6 dollars for it, the standard psychological response is to reject the offer, despite the fact that you can just buy another coffee cup for 5 dollars and pocket the dollar. I think this is informs this material / ephemeral music issue.

When you can hold your music, you assign a higher value to it because you possess it, the object becomes a part of your identity.

I've never formed that type of bond with an .mp3. Maybe I'm too old, from a different generation? Fact of the matter is I hate .mp3's. Much of my music collection is in that format, but I hate all those files, lists of names. Yech.

So, some type of physical manifestation of the music should increase the value assigned to that music.

I'm sorry I don't have any kind of creative solution to this, though. USB memory sticks in the form of the label's logo, to which you could dl your purchased tracks.

I really wish I could walk into a record shop and buy dubstep records. I really do.

Interesting.

I am luck enough to work next to Black Market Records! Youngsta works in the basement and there are often other artists from London hanging about in there. I love the place.

Its just a shame thats all we have on berwick street now, apart from SisterRay and that Vinyl Junkies (which have very small dubstep sections)

I narf miss uptown, even if it always smelt like fried chicken when I went in there.

[serox]

Its just a shame thats all we have on berwick street now, apart from SisterRay and that Vinyl Junkies (which have very small dubstep sections)

I narf miss uptown, even if it always smelt like fried chicken when I went in there.

That was prob my fault. I use to love going in with some chicken and having a munch and smoke while digging

Do you go BMR often? tbh I have not been going in there much now because I dont like 99% of it:)

Every now n then I hear a record played that I like but chances are it wont be released for another two years lol.

[nowaysj]

You don't even know how green u londoners make me feel.

[legend4ry]

I pop in every once every month or two just to have a look for any promos (the beauty of becoming friendly with the people who work on mondays and fridays) most of the stuff properly released is cheaper to cop on the internet so I don't bother.

I am all for tradition digging through and finding gems in record shops but BM's price tags are to much! Some stuff in there is like 8 quid for 1 sided vinyl....

[serox]

I pop in every once every month or two just to have a look for any promos (the beauty of becoming friendly with the people who work on mondays and fridays) most of the stuff properly released is cheaper to cop on the internet so I don't bother.

I am all for tradition digging through and finding gems in record shops but BM's price tags are to much! Some stuff in there is like 8 quid for 1 sided vinyl....

true. I have kind of lost interest in records that are £8 for 1 side.

Chances are its a big name and the track has been Rinsed to death anyway by the time I get my hands on it. That why I started wanting to make my own music

[Assassin]

To be honest I'm a vinyl man. It's something you can hold and as already said, something that can easily bring back memories. If I had a vinyl release then it would be much more special to me, because I could hold it and look at it.

However to make an mp3 special could take a lot of work, I don't personally believe an mp3 can hold any memories, but the song itself can. So in effect the song is the item that is special, it's just I never feel I own a song until I have it on some form of hard medium, be it cd or vinyl.

I'm not hating on digital, it is the future, but it isn't as easy to conjure up memories from a digital format in my opinion.

[paradigm_x]

Would you pro vinyl types turn down a mp3 release then?

I personally think its a daft idea, the thought process of getting an EP together (rather than random tunes), the additional exposure and (tiny/no) money can only help towards getting a vinyl release no?

[EBR]

Would you pro vinyl types turn down a mp3 release then?

If you want people to respond and spend thier $, you've got to offer incentives. People go after incentives. Give me something I can go WOW I wasnt expecting that ! Then i'll be back to spend more $. Its a simple formula.