For music geeks there is an added value, and in some instances an added novelty, when purchasing vinyl. With compact disc sales on decline for the past decade, more and more labels are including a CD copy or a digital download of the same material to encourage the average consumers to appreciate vinyl again. Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House which came out in Sept. ’06 on Warp Records, was one of the first vinyl releases I purchased that included a CD version. After that, the Ampere/Das Oath 2006 tour split 10″?, came w. a cdr.
Currently, the majority of new vinyl released by KEMADO Records, include a digital download; as was with the new Saviours LP and Danava 7″. Recently indie-punk label, WANTAGE started including CDs; at times, they have a little twist: The discs are only available with the initial run of the vinyl. For example, a bonus CD was given away with the first 500 copies of Japanther’s Don’t Trust Anyone Over Thirty. But with the recent release of Mtn. High’s Wicked Wanderer, a CD copy is available with all LPs.
Even smaller labels like WILDFIRE Records, out of Baltimore, include a CD with the Ecstatic Sunshine 12″ of LIVING. Locally, a free cd bonus is included with the Daniel Francis Doyle/Koji Kondo split 7″ and the beautiful black on clear splatter 7″ by The Great Tyrant. Slowly I see it occurring more and more, which is evident by the dics that comes with obscure releases, such as the new Young Widows/Plows split 7″ on Auxilary. Within the art rock scene, Brooklyn’s bigA LITTLEa and the defunt Coachwhips (from San Francisco), both included impressive DVDs of live material with the vinyl releases of gAame(Deleted Art) and Double Death (Narnack). Pray this trend continues and expands for vinyl nerds.
Related Article on vinyl. HERE
Edit: 3/8/09