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Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:46 pm**

I had "1000 Hurts" for a couple of years before I finally listened to the CD that came with it. I like how the intro is different. I think that's the only record I own that came with a CD. I've bought a few other records that have come with these little cards that have information on downloading the very record that I hold in my hands.

If anything, it saves me the trouble of burning the vinyl to CD when I want to share the record with someone who doesn't have a record player or a cassette player. I used to just loan people records, then I had to start taping them for people, but now I can't even do that for more than half of the people I know. So I hand them the little cards so they can go on the internet and punch in the code. Within minutes, they have all the songs from the record on their "walkmans that can play thousands of tapes" (aka mp3 players).

In short, I don't expect a CD to fall out of an LP jacket. When it does, it's a pleasant surprise to find that I can share the music with people who don't have tape players or record players.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:49 pm**

If I buy an album, it's because I like the way the album sounds. To me, it's because I don't want the CD mix (if it is indeed mixed differently, or mastered differently, in the case of "Hot Rats") and I'm buying the LP specifically to needledrop it and then never play it again.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:52 pm**

I don't expect to find a cd when I buy vinyl, but it's a nice surprise.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:59 pm**

Pibroch wrote:...and I'm buying the LP specifically to needledrop it and then never play it again.

what does that mean?

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:02 pm**

nick92675 wrote:another way to look at it (how i've been thinking lately) is we all know the vinyl is cooler. and people are buying way less music overall, and cds. so - if you're entering this money losing proposition of pressing your own shit (or, you are a small label about to do so) - do you incur the cost of mfg full cds AND vinyl, of which you will probably only sell a small portion of both. OR, only press vinyl w/the cd - so you get the "ultimate" packaging, and only have to design one layout, get rid of the jewel boxes - and ultimately get more copies of the vinyl out of your house. i'd rather only manage one "music product" per release than trying to blindly guess sales potential of not only the band as a whole, but on TOP of that - which format. take the cash you've saved by not having to press cds and add that to your vinyl budget and only put out the one thing. someone's gonna rip it and they'll be floating about as mp3s before long anyway. and furthermore, you can have a service like tunecore handle all digital distribution. it can still be legally purchased worldwide thru itunes/etc w/minimal overhead to the band/label.

that's sort of how i'm thinking about handling my next release at least.

The one thing I've found with doing a release as only LP with CD is that some people freak out about the vinyl because they don't have a record player. I've seen people pass on buying an LP just because they don't understand that the CD comes with it or that they don't want the vinyl and would rather just go find it on MP3. In that regard, it's good to have a CD only copy for these types of people.

Depends on your crowd, I guess.

Though, if you sold your music as MP3 on emusic, rhapsody, myspace or iTunes, then yeah, it kinda makes sense to make the physical copy be only an LP with CD. The problems you have there is trying to sell a non-LP version at a show. I've always had trouble unloading vinyl at shows.... but there are some sites that support coupons for MP3 downloads. You sell the coupon at your show, the buyer goes home and downloads it. I think that would be tough to sell as well, though. It's a rather complex system, asking someone to give you money for a piece of paper that may or may not produce an MP3 album.

Another thought was to carry a laptop to shows as a "store" and let people plug in their iPods and download your album for whatever fee. Of course, that requires people to know to bring their iPods to shows, which probably makes this a terrible idea.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:57 pm**

voerking wrote:
Pibroch wrote:...and I'm buying the LP specifically to needledrop it and then never play it again.

what does that mean?

making a digital file from the vinyl LP.

I personally do not own an ipod, but I do own a portable CD player. To date, I have only purchased one LP that came with the same music on CD. It's a nice plus, but I certainly don't expect it. I don't bother with mp3s.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:09 pm**

tommydski wrote:I appreciate the bands who do this as a courtesy because then I don't have to hunt down the tracks in MP3 format for my iPod.

It's a very nice gesture but it would be churlish to expect it as a given.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:18 pm**

nick92675 wrote:another way to look at it (how i've been thinking lately) is we all know the vinyl is cooler. and people are buying way less music overall, and cds. so - if you're entering this money losing proposition of pressing your own shit (or, you are a small label about to do so) - do you incur the cost of mfg full cds AND vinyl, of which you will probably only sell a small portion of both. OR, only press vinyl w/the cd - so you get the "ultimate" packaging, and only have to design one layout, get rid of the jewel boxes - and ultimately get more copies of the vinyl out of your house. i'd rather only manage one "music product" per release than trying to blindly guess sales potential of not only the band as a whole, but on TOP of that - which format. take the cash you've saved by not having to press cds and add that to your vinyl budget and only put out the one thing. someone's gonna rip it and they'll be floating about as mp3s before long anyway. and furthermore, you can have a service like tunecore handle all digital distribution. it can still be legally purchased worldwide thru itunes/etc w/minimal overhead to the band/label.

that's sort of how i'm thinking about handling my next release at least.

nick you hit the nail on the head. this is exactly what I want to do for an upcoming project and I am in the process right now of convincing the band and the other label involved to do it this way...

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:43 pm**

turnbullac wrote:when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008, do you automatically expect there to be a CD included in the package? If you got just a record would you be like WTF? would it be a rip-off?

I have never gotten a free CD in any vinyl I have purchased aside from the Shellac records.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:10 pm**

Marsupialized wrote:I have never gotten a free CD in any vinyl I have purchased aside from the Shellac records.

Ditto.

Don't expect it at all, but wouldn't mind.

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when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...

when you buy a new vinyl LP in 2008...