Vinyl vs Digital - How to Make Digital Releases Special?

[Motorway to Roswell]

Hide stuff in the mp3 files. Have a different picture within the audio for each release.

Each digi release comes on a usb stick, each stick is decorated differently and can't have the data deleted.

Versions/remixes that aren't on the vinyl version.

[fhsueh]

contakt: is there a label in the works

[contakt321]

contakt: is there a label in the works

Haha. No. I have already run labels.

I really just think this is an important issue and would love to see more ideas about it.

It seems like many of us feel like it's hard to create a personal attachment to digital music - I wonder, do we just accept that (and focus on shows like Sharmaji said) or do we keep struggling to find some new thing?

[contakt321]

Hide stuff in the mp3 files. Have a different picture within the audio for each release.

I like this....the wheels are turning

[safeandsound]

How about creating a secondary version which emulates the sound of vinyl, I think I could create
a good emulated vinyl version of a track (offer it up as a freebie?).

Or I used to make a "pirate radio" version of my drum and bass tracks and I would mono it and add a bus compressor
with no side chain filters so it gave that Fm pirate station quality.

Nice thread.

(In fact if someone wants to follow up on this "vinyl" version idea I am up for putting a bit of time and effort in
when it's quieter and do some experiments on this sound, maybe drop me an email)

[fhsueh]

Haha. No. I have already run labels.

Yeah knew you already did, which is why it seemed possible

Random idea:
Since CD's are so cheap, when a customer buys say 3 or more mp3s at a time, you separately mail them a CD (no jewel case) of the wav's (cd professionally printed of course, and customized for the purchased tracks).

Probably ridiculous, since people aren't playing CDs anymore, but I'd be happy to get CDs in the mail just like the old days.

[nowaysj]

the additional exposure and (tiny/no) money can only help towards getting a vinyl release no?

The superiority of vinyl is implicit in this statement. Use the inferior mp3 release as a means to the superior vinyl release.

And no, I wouldn't turn down an mp3 release, but yes, any proceeds exposure from that I would try to parlay into a vinyl release (as if I ever even made a song, let alone a releasable one )

A solution to all this is home acetate cutters! You download the vinyl mastered wavs, and you cut your own stuff. How incredibly nice would that be? You would have your own mix lp's... Sorry my head is in the clouds today.

[cloak and dagger]

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.

This is pretty much how I feel. And before I start talking about anything else, I should say that I really WANT to like the idea of digital releases. I understand they're the future and that I have to accept them at some point. But for the most part, I REALLY can't help but feel that there's something missing.

Maybe it's the fact that anybody can do it, and moreso that anybody can promote it just as much as the next guy using blogs, internet message boards, etc. I feel like even if crappy vinyl comes out, it's going to hit the bargain bin or not get ordered by the guy at the shop...if the label owner wants to promote it, he has to invest even MORE money into it; sending out promos, contacting magazines, buying ad space. In the digital realm, all of that stuff is free.

But in the end, I just don't attach the same value to an mp3. They're just files. My harddrive just died on one of my computers, and I lost a bunch of music on there (not a TON, but some), and I wasn't that bothered. You should see how pissed I get when I lose a CD or break a record.

I think another thing in my case, is that 99% of the music I download is illegal copies of stuff I either already own (my CD/record collection is on the other side of the world right now), stuff I'm waiting for in the mail (takes ages to ship to Japan sometimes), or stuff I'm previewing to see if I want to buy it.

On top of that, you've got loads of free mp3 giveaways by knowns and unknowns alike, and it all just mashes together...I've got hundreds of mp3s this way, because I took the 5 seconds to click and download it. A record or CD you have to seek out on your own, and that adds some sort of value to it in a cognitive way, at least for me.

Ironically enough, the only mp3 label that has ever REALLY grabbed my interest (and the only one I've ever participated in) was Exegene, which was completely free. I think the fact that it was free and that it had a different ethos (especially at the time), yet seemed to have even higher quality control than most digital labels that try to make a profit these days is what I really liked about it.


So to answer the question, I think the way to make digital releases special is to have a clear label ethos, a nearly-tangible theme behind your label, release original music, and promote it in an original way...in other words have an identity. I'm probably going to skip over a digital release by Wabbla- Bang Your Head / Filth Factory [Future Friction Records], but a label that seems to have a clear identity, even if it's totally out-there and weird, is at least going to draw my attention, which is the first step in assigning value to it.

Really though, I'm not sure if it will ever be the same...so what I said about label identity makes a lot of sense to me, but what are the chances that an mp3 from a label with a clear identity will have more value to me than that random white label I found while record hunting?

[upstateface]

Include pr0n with the 230's?

[Assassin]

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?

Thats a good question.

I'd have to think long and hard about it. I think personally my first release would have to have at least a limited run of vinyl. Just because a vinyl copy of your own song is the musicians dream.

Not knocking digital of course, it's just that i'm old fashioned.

[danoldboy]

Unless you have something physical to compliment a digital release, there really is no way to make it "special" in the same way as a vinyl pressing with really good artwork is.

The compromise is a cd with nice packaging.

[paradigm_x]

imo youd be crazy to have tunes sat on your hard drive rather than out, and getting on with the next lot.

IMO etc.

Never Djd, so vinyl seems overly sentimental. Massive pita as a format, one/2 tunes per side and so big and lower audio quality (can of worms )

wouldnt give any out to any free netlabels any more but well organised, decent internet only labels are the way forward.

(vinyl is massively environmentally unfriendly too )

[nowaysj]

(can of worms )

Can of whoopass

[legend4ry]

imo youd be crazy to have tunes sat on your hard drive rather than out, and getting on with the next lot.

IMO etc.

Never Djd, so vinyl seems overly sentimental. Massive pita as a format, one/2 tunes per side and so big and lower audio quality (can of worms )

wouldnt give any out to any free netlabels any more but well organised, decent internet only labels are the way forward.

(vinyl is massively environmentally unfriendly too )

This is why ive enjoyed you post more.

.

I agree with the first statement and the last completely 100 % and i absolutely cracked at a "large pita"

[safeandsound]

My own personal opinion is that the "sound" of vinyl does not actually live up to it's hype. A few reasons:

1)Highly reliant on the turntable and needle playing it back (and needs the investment in quality kit to get the best out)
2)Quirky format that needs additional sound processing to make it sound acceptable in terms of distortion, sibilance, stereo width and extreme top/bottom.
3)Your cut is highly dependent on the lathe engineers ability.
4)Top end rolls off very quick (possibly characterizing the "sound" of vinyl) through successive plays. (wear and tear is rife)
5)I have yet to hear any music sound subjectively better on vinyl than the full fat digital version. (including my own masters of clients material)
much more distortion inherent to my ear.

Now I know a lot of people rave about the sounds of vinyl and that is completely fine by me, it takes all sorts and there is a special
cultural element relating to both reggae and later on the underground dance genre's. I cannot argue with that, most of my favourite tunes were first heard on vinyl (or from vinyl through London pirate stations). But today we have moved forwards in terms of fidelity IMO and digital media (16 and 24 bit PCM audio) relatively speaking, allows the full sonic potential of music to be realized.

cheers

[paradigm_x]

Thank you !

"Warmer" = because theres less hi end !

Let alone warping, scratches etc.....

Its all sentiment/nostalgia

A good wav/cd will piss on the same cut as vinyl on a like for like reproduction system.

MP3 is contagious as soooo many crappy unmastered/noob mastered mp3s around but a well mastered mp3 would sound better than the equivalent vinyl.

I love super highs, labradford do this a lot, kind of the opposite of subbass, loads of super high freqs that still sound nice.

[Sharmaji]

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

I've done so, just because i felt really strongly about the tunes 'deserving' a vinyl release. Of course,this now means i'm dealing w/ the ever-present pressing issues w/ the labels. hooray, music.

On the other hand, i've done a bunch of digital-only releases. The find their traction if the label's gotten their marketing plan in order.

(guess what's generally missing from fresh digi--only labels... exactly).

[Assassin]

My own personal opinion is that the "sound" of vinyl does not actually live up to it's hype. A few reasons:

1)Highly reliant on the turntable and needle playing it back (and needs the investment in quality kit to get the best out)
2)Quirky format that needs additional sound processing to make it sound acceptable in terms of distortion, sibilance, stereo width and extreme top/bottom.
3)Your cut is highly dependent on the lathe engineers ability.
4)Top end rolls off very quick (possibly characterizing the "sound" of vinyl) through successive plays. (wear and tear is rife)
5)I have yet to hear any music sound subjectively better on vinyl than the full fat digital version. (including my own masters of clients material)
much more distortion inherent to my ear.

Now I know a lot of people rave about the sounds of vinyl and that is completely fine by me, it takes all sorts and there is a special
cultural element relating to both reggae and later on the underground dance genre's. I cannot argue with that, most of my favourite tunes were first heard on vinyl (or from vinyl through London pirate stations). But today we have moved forwards in terms of fidelity IMO and digital media (16 and 24 bit PCM audio) relatively speaking, allows the full sonic potential of music to be realized.

cheers

I think it is these faults that make vinyl good, imperfection is beautiful. Case in point; burial.

[Assassin]

My own personal opinion is that the "sound" of vinyl does not actually live up to it's hype. A few reasons:

1)Highly reliant on the turntable and needle playing it back (and needs the investment in quality kit to get the best out)
2)Quirky format that needs additional sound processing to make it sound acceptable in terms of distortion, sibilance, stereo width and extreme top/bottom.
3)Your cut is highly dependent on the lathe engineers ability.
4)Top end rolls off very quick (possibly characterizing the "sound" of vinyl) through successive plays. (wear and tear is rife)
5)I have yet to hear any music sound subjectively better on vinyl than the full fat digital version. (including my own masters of clients material)
much more distortion inherent to my ear.

Now I know a lot of people rave about the sounds of vinyl and that is completely fine by me, it takes all sorts and there is a special
cultural element relating to both reggae and later on the underground dance genre's. I cannot argue with that, most of my favourite tunes were first heard on vinyl (or from vinyl through London pirate stations). But today we have moved forwards in terms of fidelity IMO and digital media (16 and 24 bit PCM audio) relatively speaking, allows the full sonic potential of music to be realized.

cheers

I think it is these faults that make vinyl good, imperfection is beautiful. Case in point; burial.

[paradigm_x]

but burial will sound like burial himself intended on cd, more crackles etc on vinyl!