Published: Sunday, October 26, 2008
Stores are giving vinyl another spin
PORTLAND, Ore. -- It was a fortuitous typo for the Fred Meyer retail chain.
This spring, an employee intending to order a special CD-DVD edition of R.E.M.'s latest release "Accelerate" inadvertently entered the "LP" code instead. Soon boxes of the big, vinyl discs showed up at several stores.
Some sent them back. But a handful put them on the shelves, and 20 LPs sold the first day.
The Portland-based company realized the error might not be so bad after all. Fred Meyer is now testing vinyl sales at 60 stores in Oregon, California, Alaska and Washington, including its Lynnwood store.
Other mainstream retailers are giving vinyl a spin, too. Some Best Buys are testing sales, and online music giant Amazon.com, which has sold vinyl for years, created a vinyl-only section last fall.
The best-seller at Fred Meyer is the Beatles' "Abbey Road." Modern rockers -- the White Stripes, the Foo Fighters -- also sell, the company says.
"It's not just a nostalgia thing," said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, manufacturers' shipments of LPs jumped more than 36 percent from 2006 to 2007 to more than 1.3 million.
Audiophiles say they want the format's experience -- putting the needle on the record, the feeling of side A and side B, the joy of reading liner notes.
While turntable sales also are picking up and the few remaining record pressers say business is booming, the LP isn't going to muscle out CDs or iPods soon.
"I don't think vinyl is for everyone; it's for the die-hard music consumer," said Jay Millar, director of marketing at United Record Pressing of Nashville, the nation's largest record pressing plant.
An avid music fan himself, Millar says he moved to vinyl in recent years. He welcomed back the pops and clicks, even some of the scratches.
"Live music is imperfect too," he said.
This spring, an employee intending to order a special CD-DVD edition of R.E.M.'s latest release "Accelerate" inadvertently entered the "LP" code instead. Soon boxes of the big, vinyl discs showed up at several stores.
Some sent them back. But a handful put them on the shelves, and 20 LPs sold the first day.
The Portland-based company realized the error might not be so bad after all. Fred Meyer is now testing vinyl sales at 60 stores in Oregon, California, Alaska and Washington, including its Lynnwood store.
Other mainstream retailers are giving vinyl a spin, too. Some Best Buys are testing sales, and online music giant Amazon.com, which has sold vinyl for years, created a vinyl-only section last fall.
The best-seller at Fred Meyer is the Beatles' "Abbey Road." Modern rockers -- the White Stripes, the Foo Fighters -- also sell, the company says.
"It's not just a nostalgia thing," said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, manufacturers' shipments of LPs jumped more than 36 percent from 2006 to 2007 to more than 1.3 million.
Audiophiles say they want the format's experience -- putting the needle on the record, the feeling of side A and side B, the joy of reading liner notes.
While turntable sales also are picking up and the few remaining record pressers say business is booming, the LP isn't going to muscle out CDs or iPods soon.
"I don't think vinyl is for everyone; it's for the die-hard music consumer," said Jay Millar, director of marketing at United Record Pressing of Nashville, the nation's largest record pressing plant.
An avid music fan himself, Millar says he moved to vinyl in recent years. He welcomed back the pops and clicks, even some of the scratches.
"Live music is imperfect too," he said.
Story tags »
• Entertainment (general) • MusicBuy vinyl locally
Bargain CDs, Records & Tapes, 2501 Broadway, Everett, 425-259-4306
Bargain CDs. Records & Tapes, 606 State Ave., Marysville, 360-653-5519
Fred Meyer, 4615 196th St. SW, Lynnwood, 425-670-0200
Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, 1321 SE Everett Mall Way, Suite A, Everett, 425-290-9924
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