Music for Sale

The consumption of music continues.  The format may have changed through the years:  vinyl, tape, CD, and digital files.  And if you think paid streaming is something totally new, well, this idea is kind of like a modern twist on jukebox.  That’s right, people used to put coins in a jukebox to listen to music on demand.

Say It or Save It

Did we miss your favorites in any of the following directories?  If so, go to our Contact page and tell us about it.  You’ll feel better afterwards.

Dance/Electronic Record Companies

With few exceptions, the labels in the following directory have each released at least one record that made our Megamix page since 2001.

Music Retailers

The retailers and e-retailers below offer physical records and/or digital downloads.  This directory represents a sampling of some of the most popular or acclaimed stores in the U.S. and around the world.  CDs may have ended the reign of vinyl records, but vinyl somehow managed to survive.  Note that after hitting rock bottom in 2005, vinyl records have made a steady comeback.  Vinyl record sales in 2014 are the highest since 1990; turntable sales are up too.  As CD sales continue to decline, Target will either stop selling CDs or start stocking new vinyl releases in the next five years.  Stay tuned.

And then we noticed the following on page 16 of Target’s weekly circular for October 18-24, 2015.

Russ Solomon should have saved a few Tower Records stores in California.  Check out “All Things Must Pass” (towerrecordsmovie.com).

Music Streaming Services

As streaming revenues continue to grow—while downloads seem to have peaked in 2012—subscription-based streaming may turn out to be consumers’ preferred way to pay for music.  In countries where Spotify made its debut first, streaming accounts for over 90 percent of digital revenue.  This is where other markets, including the U.S., may be headed.

Vinyl records ruled for decades, then CDs came along and took over for 15 to 20 years, a much shorter reign than the music industry had anticipated.  Everything moves at warped speed in the digital world.  If current trends continue, we’ll look back and see that digital downloads only enjoyed a good 10-year run at best.  Most of the following streaming services are based on subscription or freemium (free and premium options).

* Includes Napster customers.

A playlist while you browse:

• Raspberries – Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) (1974) [►]
• Pete Wingfield – Eighteen With a Bullet (1975) [►]
• Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (1985) [►]
• Blake Lewis – Heartbreak on Vinyl (2010) [►]

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