RECORD STORE DAY at various independent record stores, Saturday (April 16).
Its the 1990s all over again and Im not talking about the floral dresses. Im talking about price-gouging in record stores. Those old enough to remember Yonge Streets open-late record shops probably still feel the sting of the CD era, when re-buying stuff I already own on vinyl was a line item in your weekly budget. It was fun for a while, for sure, but as popular titles got reissue after reissue, each pricier than the last, it brought to mind Johnny Rotten muttering, Ever get the feeling youve been cheated?
With the vinyl revival still in full swing, sticker prices are once again creeping up. Its not uncommon to see records in shops hovering around $40 not for rare used vinyl, but for new releases. A few years back, new vinyl cost $25 to $30. Thats still three times what youd pay for a digital copy, though for a physical artifact usually produced in relatively small batches, it seemed fair. But $45.99 for a double-LP version of the Weeknds Beauty Behind The Madness? Ouch.
Before calling foul on an industry Im actually quite fond of, I wanted to talk to record distributors and retail owners themselves. Maybe the U.S. exchange rate is a factor. Maybe it comes down to the scarcity of pressing plants and lack of newer, more efficient technology in the ones still left. Few insiders would discuss vinyl pricing, though many agreed that it is a problem.
Alex Durlak co-founded Toronto independent label Idee Fixe (home to Jennifer Castle and Bry Webb), whose latest release, Barts Holomew, features gorgeous embossed and foil stamping for its packaging and still only costs $17.
Making vinyl is expensive, theres no question, Durlak says. And, sure, the Canadian conversion on the dollar hurts. But my understanding is that overall costs have not increased. I do think you have major corporations thinking, Oh look, people are spending money lets reissue the Beach Boys catalogue again! That stuff is definitely overpriced purely because people will pay for it.
Last year in Canada, vinyl sales totalled 517,400 units, a jump of 30 per cent over 2014, according to Nielsen. (Some perspective: the top seller, Adeles 25, scanned 6,200 vinyl copies compared to 622,000 CDs and 238,000 digital.) Its hard to imagine companies choosing to piss off vinyl-loving customers with flagrant price-gouging, yet several store owners confirmed off the record that some distributors have increased the wholesale price of certain titles by as much as 100 per cent. Its hard for shops to sell a record for $30 when it costs them $40.
I dont price on margins. I try to make $10 on new stuff, says Trevor Larocque, co-owner of the Tiny Record Shop, a vinyl-only store specializing in rare vintage records that also stocks the latest. So if it costs me $19, I sell it for $29.99 and Im fine. If my cost goes up to $40 for a record, I have to sell it for $50. I still make money, but its not as fun, and people arent as happy when they leave the store.
Then theres Record Store Day, when bands and labels release collectibles and exclusives. It happens this year on Saturday (April 16) in 15 GTA stores.
We understand some prices may be higher on Record Store Day because those items are limited, admits RSD co-founder Carrie Colliton, but we are very aware of pricing, and thats part of the conversation we have with distributors. They have to submit prices when pitching a release, and we will go back and say if its too expensive.
Admittedly, all of this is a First World problem. You cant compare it to, say, the rising price of bread in Algeria. But for those who care about sustaining an industry where artists can sell their art, and bricks-and-mortar spaces that allow us to lovingly flip through the crates each week to discover it, its a legit concern.
So, a plea to the music industry: dont treat us like suckers again. And please, please dont make us switch to cassettes.
music@nowtoronto.com | @LiisaLadouceur
