60 Years of the 7 inch Vinyl Single and the departure of Selectadisc beyond the vinyl frontier

[Diego_Sideburns]

It’s 60 years since RCA produced the first 7 inch vinyl single.

http://www.vinyl-record-collectors.net/his...nyl13-part8.htm

 

The first one I bought was Elvis Presley singing Hound Dog with Don’t Be Cruel on the B-side in 1956. Eventually Elvis singles were on RCA, but in the early days they were on HMV. I can remember buying it at Discland in one of the the Arcades leading from High Street to Oldham Market and it cost the equivalent of 31.5p.

 

Apparently sales of the 7 inch single are increasing, which is great credit to the discerning record-buyers of today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7750581.stm

 

On Tuesday in Nottingham, prior to the England under 21 game, I was shocked to find that Selectadisc, which had expanded into three shops in the same street, specialising in various types of music, is no more. It was a great source of vinyl records, and to think that it has gone beyond the vinyl frontier is a massive disappointment.

 

I’ve now found a Nottingham Post feature on the closure of Selectadisc. I’ve known the Jim referred to since the shop opened. He’s a Notts County fan and he arranged for under-age oafc_ok to get into a Redskins’ gig in 1984 during the Miners’ Strike. The shop also sold retro football shirts and football fanzines, magazines and books. It really is a sad loss and a victim of today’s downloading music fans.

http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/homenews...il/article.html

Edited April 3, 2009 by Diego_Sideburns

[johnny punkster]

i think the high street record shops of today really have it tough,not only because the download generation,but because the likes of HMV have a complete stranglehold of the retail arm.

the likes of piccadilly records in m/cr (celebrating 30 years of trading this year) are the ones the majors hate-they refuse to be gobbled up by the masses and source out the small bands that become the future.

the "demise" of vinyl was the beginning of the end of lots of independent record shops-and that cycle has slowly turned full circle,but unfortunately,the damage was done.

2nd hand shops(vinyl exchange and king bee for example)will continue to thrive,because they are now part of manchester folklaw-there are continued bargains to be had-and to me- going to those shops its mostly a social event,besides shopping.

king bee,especially,is a museum ..

its no surprise to me about the demise of selectadisc(i went there when visiting nottingham for cricket weekends)-the major record companies and the likes of HMV see them as the outcasts.

thankfully,i'm not really in competition with HMV-i sell collectables-they sell run of the mill top 40 crap and rock bottom prices,and the more indie/alternative etc stuff at sky high prices...why cause they've strangled the likes of selectadisc out of the market.

the music business in this country has become very capitalistic...as soon as a indie shop turns up,they find it hard to get a foot in regarding major label stocks-believe me,i tried a few years back...as soon as an indie band have that hit record,they get -swallowed up by the music industry ending up on a major...as soon as a indie record label becomes successful,they get swallowed up by a major(they might still keep their original label name,but the likes of EMI ,warners,sony etc etc will actually control them...and reap the bigger rewards).

theres are some really excellent online record stores-each having their own niche in the retail industry...the likes of hmv are just more "convenient" in the majority of music buyers eyes.

 

 

 

 

[Zorrro]

It really is a sad loss and a victim of today's downloading music fans.

 

Spot on

 

It disturbs me that people don't want something tangible. I'm all for ripping music to the PC from a CD to listen to it portably, but it's sad to think that proper old school record shops are closing down because of this technological revolution.

 

Ironically, the fact that (bigger) record stores sell music at an extortionate price has a massive bearing on the consumers' decision to vote with their feet.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

2nd hand shops(vinyl exchange and king bee for example)will continue to thrive,because they are now part of manchester folklaw-there are continued bargains to be had-and to me- going to those shops its mostly a social event,besides shopping.

king bee,especially,is a museum ..

 

I know Les at Kingbee, and know even better Neil who used to work there but left about 3 years ago. An absolute diamond of a shop, probably the best in Manchester for price and records that you can find in there.

 

Vinyl will never die though. It's decreased over the years naturally, but I think now people realise that you can't get the warm, clear sound that you can on vinyl through any other medium. It was a worry in the early 90's because CD sales rocketed, and more people crossed over. Just on an aesthetic level, vinyl is much nicer, easier on the eye and because some records are so old these days, they all kind of have their own story contained within them. For example, I bought Bauhaus's "Bela Legosi's Dead" from an Oldham second hand store (Think it was on Retario Street, at the back of a general antiques shop) about 10 years ago. Within it contained some doodlings on the inner sleeve by the person who used to own the record. I always used to wonder whatever happened to that person, and whether they'd actually like the record back.

 

I don't buy too much vinyl now though, I shamefully confess. Purely because of money and I'm criminally lazy preferring to download and bob on the iPod. But music doesn't grab me as much as it used to when I'd buy a vinyl single, or album. You'd read the liner notes, and gawp at the artwork a bit while the record was spinning and by doing that you'd have more of an intimate feeling with the artist. It's too throwaway these days. It's strange, I love being able to bring up any song in my collection with a mouseclick, but I miss the aspects about music you used to get by heading down into Manchester and buying the record.

 

First record I ever bought? Pet Shop Boys - "Actually". But that was an album. In fact, I didn't buy many 7" singles until around 1991 and I think the first of those was The Farm or something like that. I think my favourite period for the 7" single was the Britpop era, people were realising their love of the 7" single about then and it was just waiting for a huge scene to explode. I used to be addicted to Piccadilly Records around this time. "When's the new Menswe@r single out mate?"

[Zorrro]

That second hand/antique shop was/is on Waterloo Street, FMS. Cracking place.

 

What was the independent shop a couple of doors down from Levers chippy on the inside market? I got a 10" vinyl of Untouchable by Rialto for 20p from there once

 

Similarly, I spent a lot of time in Piccadilly records from '96-'98. Some of my proudest purchases came from there. One-sided promo copy of Sleazy Bed Track by The Bluetones; Alison's Room by 60ft Dolls; signed copies of all the singles from Puressence's Only Forever album... good times.

 

I'm all misty eyed with nostalgia now!

[johnny punkster]

just stumbled across this article from dec 08.

says pretty much what i feel and the comments left below seem to agree.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7139316.stm

 

f*ck HMV .