Vinyl Sales Continue to Grow, Streaming Dominates Music Industry in 2019

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a brief look at the RIAA, Nielsen and BuzzAngle’s Year-End numbers

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has released their 2019 year-end report Tuesday. With Nielsen Music and BuzzAngle’s reports having come in January, we now have a more complete idea of what the music industry’s revenue and cultural trends were over the last year. A year of growth for the industry, streaming dominated the field while vinyl continued its rapid rise in the physical sales space.

In 2019, the music industry saw its fourth straight year of double-digit growth, taking in more than $11.1 billion in revenue, a 13% increase over 2018’s $9.8 billion.

Streaming was the biggest part of the revenue equation in 2019. Jumping nearly 20% over 2018’s numbers, the format ended the year with more than $8.8 billion in revenue. That means streaming now makes up 79.5% of all revenue brought in by the music industry. It also means, according to Billboard’s reporting, that streaming’s revenue exceeded the music industry’s yearly earnings for every year between 2008 and 2017. Much of that came from paid subscription services (Apple Music, Spotify’s paid tier), which grew by another 25% this year.

While streaming was popular in the US, video was an even more lucrative venture in the rest of the world. According to both Nielsen and BuzzAngle, YouTube outpaced paid services like Spotify and Amazon Music, especially when it came to genres like K-pop and Bollywood.

As for traditional sales, the numbers stayed relatively steady. While there was a dip, the RIAA reports it was only 0.6% over 2018, making up $1.15 billion of the year’s revenue. While CD sales once again dropped, this time 12%, they still made up the bulk of physical sales at $615 million. Vinyl continued to gain on CDs, though, rising 19% to take in $504 million in 2019, the only physical format to experience any gain. That’s the 14^th straight year of growth for the vinyl medium and puts it squarely in striking distance to potentially take over that dominating sales spot from CDs.

Digital sales took a nosedive, however. Following a trend that has been occurring for a few years now, digital single and album sales dropped 18%, taking in $856 million in 2019, the first time that number has dropped below $1 billion since 2006.

In total, digital (streaming and sales) made up 87.2% of the music industry’s 2019 revenue, physical sales made up 10.3% and synch royalties (radio) made up 2.5%.

According to Nielsen, Post Malone, Drake, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande were the year’s top-selling artists. Post Malone’s ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding’ took the top album spot (including track-equivalent albums and streaming-equivalent albums), however Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ topped total album sales, digital album sales and physical album sales for 2019. Vinyl sales continued to trend towards catalog album popularity with the Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ topping the list. Billie Eilish’s ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go,’ is the only current album in the vinyl top 10, coming in a number 2. Digital belonged to Lil Nas X’s single “Old Town Road” for both sales and on-demand streaming.

In terms of genre statistics, R&B and hip-hop were the most consumed overall. However, when it came to physical album and digital album and song sales, rock came out ahead.

The music industry experienced a lot of growth in 2019. Music consumption grew along with the increasing popularity of streaming. While sales have decreased again, especially in digital, vinyl continues to be a bright spot, gaining year-over-year for a 14-year high. These numbers point to a lot of change in the way we consume musical media and what we can expect to see in the future.

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Get your physical music fix at Vinyl Bay 777. As one of Long Island’s top independent record shops, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres to suit the tastes of most music fans. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what gems you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Edison’s Phonograph and Its Impact on Music

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s Music Outlet, takes a brief look how the phonograph revolutionized how we listen to music

On February 19, 1878, a patent was issued for an invention that would revolutionize the way people would communicate for centuries to come. The invention, of course, was Thomas Edison’s phonograph.

Though the concept was not new (sketches of early devices had been found), Edison’s phonograph became the first to be put into practice. A groundbreaking machine, the device allowed someone to both record their voice and play it back. This idea would become the basis for all physical recordings through the 21^st century.

Edison’s first phonograph used an embossed diaphragm that made indentations on a piece of wax paper attached to a rapidly moving metal cylinder from the vibrations of a person speaking. He would later start recording to tin foil instead of the paper. A second diaphragm and needle unit on the machine was used to play the recording back.

Edison’s famous first recorded words? The nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

At the time, Edison knew this would be big, having brainstormed several ways this technology could be used by the public. In an article in the North American Review dated June 1878 (quoted in an article by the Library of Congress) he mentions such possibilities at dictation, audio books, music recordings, toys, answering machines and preservation of languages and sounds, among other ideas. Edison wasn’t far off, as many of these ideas came to fruition, especially recording music.

Obviously there were changes made over the years to improve the quality and availability of recordings, namely the switch to wax and the invention of discs to replace cylinders (which ultimately led to records and turntables). But the stage had been set, as listening and creating music would be changed forever. 

Phonographs brought music out of the concert hall and into the home, no personal musical ability required. It ushered in, as Smithsonian Magazine introduces it, “the beginnings of ‘on demand’ listening.” Someone could listen to a particular artist whenever they wanted, as many times as they wanted.

Because of this, listening also became less of a group activity and more of a personal journey. Defined genres started becoming a thing around this time as well, as phonographs were advertised as letting people each have their “own kind” of music. Listening to music has only gotten more and more personal as the years have progressed. While it has been argued recently that defined genres have been falling out of favor with the advent of streaming services, it has become even more common to see people with their headphones on immersed in the music on their digital device, enjoying music in an individualistic way.

Music itself changed as well. To comply with the limited amount of space on a cylinder, songs became shorter, usually two-three minutes. According to the same Smithsonian article, artists started writing for recording, giving examples of Igor Stravinsky’s “Serenade in A” and country and blues artists “chopp[ing] their tunes to perhaps one verse and two choruses.” While modern pop songs might be slightly longer (and, you know, full-length albums are a thing), the standard length of a song remains between three and five minutes to this day.

Over the last two centuries, the way we come to know music and listen to it has evolved. That is in no small part thanks to the phonograph player. The device let professional music come into the home and let people discover their individual tastes as independent listeners for the first time. Songwriting changed as well, developing the shorter song culture that is still standard form today. Even as technology continues to change the way we listen, the phonograph’s legacy remains an invaluable part of music’s history.

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Whatever form of technology you use to listen to physical music, Vinyl Bay 777 has you covered. As one of Long Island’s largest independent record shops, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Seven Rock Artists & Bands Who Have Guest Starred on ‘Sesame Street’

The groundbreaking 50^th season of ‘Sesame Street’ is set to premiere this Saturday (11/16) on HBO. On Tuesday, the world got a sneak peak at the first episode when the show posted a clip featuring Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl singing a song called “Here We Go” with Big Bird and Elmo as they traveled around the United States. Other guest stars set to drop by this season include Maren Morris, Charlie Puth, Thomas Rhett and more.

Over its five decades on the air, the iconic children’s program has featured a multitude of guest stars interacting with the Muppets, including a slew of prominent musicians. From legends such as B.B. King, RayCharles, David Bowie and Michael Jackson to today’s hit makers such as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, many a musician has had their moment with these beloved characters. This also includes a handful of rockers and rock bands.

In honor of ‘Sesame Street’s’ 50^th anniversary, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look back at some of the rock artists who have gotten to perform on the show over the years. Whether they performed something new, rewrote their own songs or performed their own music unedited, here are just seven of the rockers who have had the opportunity to play with the ‘Sesame Street’ Muppets.

1.       Spin Doctors: In 1993, Spin Doctors were at the height of their career, having two massive hits with “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.” For their appearance on the show, the band rewrote portions of the former song to soundtrack a segment where Telly and Elmo were fighting over who Zoe should play with.

2.       R.E.M.: Following the success of their 1991 album ‘Out Of Time,’ R.E.M. made an appearance on ‘Sesame Street’ with a rearranged version of their second single, “Shiny, Happy People.” The song was re-titled “Happy, Furry Monsters” and was featured in a segment where the band played while all the monster characters acted out different feelings.

3.       Dave Matthews: In 2013, Dave Matthews appeared on the show sans band to work through some feelings with Grover. The singer strums through a new song called “I Need A Word” on banjo while the two sing about their “not very good” feelings in an effort to find what’s bugging them.

4.       OK Go: Technically, OK Go’s appearance on the show wasn’t interacting with the Muppets. However, the band did write an original song for the show called “Three Primary Colors,” and starred in the accompanying “insert” video, which they filmed in the stop-motion style that helped them go viral five years prior.

5.       Paul Simon: Back in 1977, Paul Simon played his hit song “Me And Julio Down By The School Yard” sitting on the iconic ‘Sesame Street’ stoop for the show’s human children (an interesting choice given the song’s subject). Simon returned more than a decade later to appear with Ladysmith Black Mambazo for “The African Alphabet.”

6.       Train: Following the release of 2012’s ‘California 37’ and a renewed interest in the band, Train made an appearance on the iconic show. The band reworked their then current single “Drive By” into a counting song called “Five By,” which found the trio, The Count and Elmo wondering how many peaches and chairs they would need.

7.       Goo Goo Dolls: Still riding high from the success of 1998’s ‘Dizzy Up The Girl,’ the Goo Goo Dolls were invited to appear on ‘Sesame Street’ in 2000. The band performed a reworked version of their hit “Slide” entitled “Pride,” which they sung to Elmo to celebrate his successes.

Over ‘Sesame Street’s’ 50 year history, the show has played host to hundreds of guest stars, many of which came from the world of rock and other genres of music. Take a look back at some of the rock artists who have reworked their music or written entirely new songs for the show and let us know who some of your favorite past ‘Sesame Street’ guests were.

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Find music from ‘Sesame Street’ and its many guests at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Music Exhibits to Check Out in New York This Holiday Weekend

With Passover and Easter both coming up this weekend, there will be a lot of family time to be had. One of the best ways to spend quality time doing something together as a family is to check out a museum. And with a handful of music-related exhibits recently popping up in the city, this holiday weekend is a great time to take the family out for some fun.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the music-related exhibits that have hit New York in the last month. From learning about a legend to taking a closer look at punk art and rock’s most famous instruments, here are three big exhibits you’ll want to check out.

1.       ‘Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything’: Spend Passover learning about one of the most important Jewish artists of the last 50 years, Leonard Cohen. ‘Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything’ opened at the Jewish Museum last week, giving attendees a unique look into the singer/songwriter’s “imagination and legacy.” The exhibit, which was commissioned before Cohen’s passing in 2016 and first premiered at the Musee d’art Contemporain de Montreal, features commissioned works inspired by his style and recurring themes, projections of his own artworks and multimedia galleries with audio recordings of Cohen covers by the likes of Feist, Moby and The National with Sufjan Stevens. Special in observance of Passover, the Jewish Museum will have free admission on April 20 & 21 and April 26 & 27, so practicing Jews wishing not to carry or participate in commerce during the holiday’s high days can still see the exhibits. (Now through September 8)

2.       ‘Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986’: The punk and new wave movement of the 1970s and 1980s had some of the most distinct art of any musical culture. ‘Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die,’ which opened at the Museum of Arts and Design on April 9, takes a look at pieces from the decade in an effort to “explore the visual language of punk through hundreds of its most memorable graphics, from the shocking remixes of expropriated images and texts to the DIY zines and flyers that challenged the commercial slickness of the mainstream media.” Along with the exhibit, the museum is holding special events, including a punk film series and discussions with people who created within and documented the era. (Now through August 18)

3.       ‘Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll’: Co-organized with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ‘Play It Loud’ exhibit features famous instruments from throughout rock music history, many of which were donated by the artists themselves. Some of the featured items include a guitar from Chuck Berry, a Petite Grand Piano played by Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters’ “The Hoss,” one of Ringo Starr’s Beatles drum kits, one of Paul McCartney’s custom-made basses and the first Fender guitar ever built. Alongside the “approximately 130 instruments,” which include guitars, pianos, saxophones and more, the exhibit also features concert posters and costumes worn by the artists. This exhibit is in addition to the museum’s recently reopened permanent exhibit, ‘The Art of Music.’(Now through October 1)

From punk and rock to the influence of Leonard Cohen, music is hitting New York’s museums big this season. These exhibits are sure to be a great way to get some music and culture in your life and spend some quality time with family this holiday weekend (outside of Passover and Easter rituals).

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Find a wide selection of titles from music’s vast history and culture at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles in an array of genres to suit most music lovers’ tastes. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

New Year's Eve Musical Television Specials to Ring in 2019

Watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve is a time-honored tradition in New York. Times Square is filled with revelers who come down just to witness the LED-lit orb usher in the coming year. However, many people dislike the chaos of it all, making it as much a tradition to stay home and watch the event unfurl on television.

Music is often a deciding factor in which New Year’s Eve program you tune into. Over the last month, news has been creeping out about which programs will get which performers. And from what we know so far, between all the specials, a lot of this year’s hottest artists will be present to ring in 2019.

With New Year’s Eve only a week-and-a-half away, Vinyl Bay777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the musical specials ushering in 2019. From pop and R&B to country and rock, here are the biggest television options to help you make the best New Year’s Eve choice possible.

1.       ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’: Ryan Seacrest fills the shoes of Dick Clark for a 12^th year to ring in the New Year. The special takes the celebration national with musical acts taking the stage in three different time zones. Christina Aguilera is the big headliner this year with additional performances by Bastille, Dan + Shay, New Kids on the Block and more taking place in New York City, Camila Cabello, The Chainsmokers, Halsey and more in California, and Florida Georgia Line in New Orleans. (8PM, ABC)

2.       ‘New Year’s with Steve Harvey’: After the success of last year’s broadcast, Steve Harvey and Maria Menounos return for a second year as hosts of Fox’s New Year’s Eve celebration. The special will include performances from Sting, Florence & the Machine, Jason Aldean, Robin Thicke, Juanes and Why Don’t We, among others, as well as appearances by comedians Ken Jeong and  Kenan Thompson and Fox’s NFL Sunday commentators. (8PM, Fox)

3.       ‘New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly’: Learning from last year’s New Years programming flub, NBC is bringing back their Carson Daly-hosted holiday eve program.  Joining Daly as co-hosts will be ‘SNL’s’ Leslie Jones and Chrissy Teigen. The event will have performances from Kelly Clarkson, Andy Grammer, John Legend, Blake Shelton and headliner Diana Ross. Also performing are Keith Urban and Brett Young, though their sets will be telecast from Nashville’s ‘Music City Midnight’ event. (10PM, NBC)

4.       ‘New Year’s Eve Live’: Anderson Cooper takes you into the New Year for his 16^th time and second with co-host Andy Cohen. The straight-man/funny-man nature of their relationship made last year’s broadcast the network’s most watched NYE of all time. No music announced yet, but there are sure to be a lot of celebrities dropping by. (8PM, CNN)

This year’s New Years Eve programming line-ups are filled with some of the hottest artists in music today. Whichever you watch, there are sure to be some great performances leading up to the midnight ball drop.

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Ring in the New Year with Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in an array of genres to satisfy most music lovers’ tastes. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. Whether you’re looking for holiday gifts or the perfect song to usher in 2019, we have you covered. And with more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Six Inventions that Changed Music

August is Inventor’s Month. Started by the United Inventors Association of the United States of America in 1998, the month is meant to celebrate all the inventions and inventors that have revolutionized the way we operate in our daily lives.

As music has been around for many centuries, there have also been many advances in the field that have had an impact on the way we make and consume it. Devices like phonographs and iPods and software like LPs and CDs brought music home for personal and private use. Advanced technologies in instrument design and recording techniques revolutionized new trends in the kinds of music we are able to create.

This Inventor’s Month, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, would like to pay homage to the inventions that have made music what it is today. Here are six that revolutionized the way we make and hear music forever.

1.       Electric Guitar: Before the 1930s, much of guitar music was made on hollow-body, acoustic instruments. According to an article in Gizmodo though, these conventional instruments were often too quiet for large-scale performances. Created by George Beauchomp, an artist who played Hawaiian-style guitar, and Adolph Rickenbacker, a electrical engineer and instrument maker, the first electric guitar aimed to solve this issue. By 1932, their first design , dubbed the “Frying Pan,” was being manufactured. Of course, there have been improvements on the design, including Les Paul’s sold-body electric,  which would become a standard in rock music, but without the idea sparked by Beauchamp and Rickenbacker, none of it would have happened.

2.       Phonographs: It’s hard for most of us to remember a time when recorded music wasn’t necessarily easily available in one’s own home. But in the 1800, if you wanted to listen to a song, you would have to buy the sheet music and play it yourself. Attributed to Thomas Edition in 1877 (though the concept was not new, wasn’t put into physical practice yet), the phonograph was able to both record and play back audio, the first time anyone had been able to do the latter effectively. This meant that someone with a phonograph machine could buy recording and listen to it in the privacy of their home.

3.       Vinyl Records: It’s hard to talk about phonographs without talking about the medium for which the recordings were cast. Before the LP we commonly know today, machines used to play wax cylinders (referred to as 78s for the speed at which they rotated), which were heavy, rough and didn’t hold a lot of music. The first company to use vinyl for music records was RCA Victor in 1930. Columbia then ended up perfecting its use over the next ten years.

4.       Transistor Radio: One thing that listening to music lacked in the early days of personal listening was portability. In the 1950s, transistor radios helped solve this issue. Based around transistor technology, which had been invented in the previous decade, the device replaced bulkier vacuum tube models. Texas Instruments, in conjunction with Regency, was the first to get their portable radio to market. If not for the transistor radio, advances in portability, such as the Sony Walkman or even the iPod, might not have been a thing.

5.       Headphones: According to Smithsonian Magazine, the first headphones were used by telephone operators. Nathanial Baldwin created the first modern-ish headphones, sending his prototype to the military for testing during World War I. In the 1950s, musician John Koss decided to adapt the military-style of headphones for personal use after noticing a lack of headphones that would work on his new phonograph, which had a headphone jack installed in it. Today, earbuds and headphones are everywhere, closing people off to the world in a soundtrack of their own choosing.

6.       Personal Computers / Internet: We use our computers for everything nowadays. But back when computers were first becoming a thing in the 1960s, they were far from personal, taking up entire rooms just to function properly. By the 1980s, computers were starting to make their way into homes, thanks in part to Apple and IBM. Once the internet started picking up speed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the personal computer became a virtual necessity. Now, computers run many of our daily lives, including getting us closer to the music we can’t live without. We download music to our computers and stream off the internet using them. Amateur creators can record their own music and distribute it without the assistance of a label.

There have been many inventions that have revolutionized the way we make and consume music. From amped up electronic guitars making it easier to hear the instrument in big concert halls, to phonographs and vinyl records that brought recorded music into households and handheld radios and devices that made music portable, each of these have had a crucial effect on the music industry. This Inventor’s Month, we remember those that have helped make music what it is today and look forward to the future inventors who will continue to innovate technology and improve upon the music industry.

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Celebrate music innovation at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of revolutionary formats, including vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia, in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

New Music Documentaries Set for Release in Fall 2018

The first half of 2018 has already seen its fair share of music documentaries. These films have run the gambit in terms of watch-ability, from the acclaimed (Grace Jones) to the panned (Whitney Houston) to the controversial (Michael Jackson). While it’s nice to look back though, there are still a whole bunch of documentaries still to come this year.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, loves a good, informative music documentary. That’s why we are bringing you a list of some of the upcoming music documentaries still to come in 2018. Here are five making their way to a movie / television / computer screen near you this summer / fall.

1.       New Order: On August 13, it was announced that New Order would be releasing a concert documentary. According to Billboard, the documentary, titled ‘Decades,’ will feature the band preparing to re-stage their ‘So It Goes’ collaboration with Liam Gillick in 2017.  The documentary is set to premiere on UK arts channel Sky Arts on September 22.

2.       Ed Sheeran: Premiered in the United States during the Tribeca Film Festival this year, Ed Sheeran’s documentary ‘Songwriter’ is set for release this month. The film was shot during the writing of Sheeran’s latest album, ‘÷,’ by his cousin Murray Cummings, attempting to give the intimate back story of the singer’s life and creative process. ‘Songwriter’ will run for one-night-only screenings in New York (August 17) and Los Angeles (August 24) before it begins its exclusive stream on Apple Music August 28.

3.       Joan Jett: Joan Jett has had an amazing career in rock and roll as a founding member of The Runaways and fronting her own band, the Blackhearts. ‘Bad Reputation’ aims to tell the story of her rise to fame, showing that women can rock just as hard as men. The film will get a theatrical release on September 28, the same day it begins streaming on-demand, iTunes and Amazon.

4.       M.I.A.: A refugee of the war in Sri Lanka, M.I.A. has used her voice in the music industry to enact change. Her new documentary, ‘MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A.,’ attempts to tell her story through family videos, concerts and music video segments. The film won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, so this will probably be the one to watch for upon its theatrical release September 28.

5.       Quincy Jones: Earlier this month, it was announced that a documentary about Quincy Jones would be coming to Netflix. ‘Quincy’ is being co-directed by Jones’ daughter, actress Rashida Jones, and will be taking a look at the influential jazz artist and music producer’s life and prolific music career. The film will be available for streaming September 21.

Even though 2018 is already half over, there are still many music documentaries set to be released this year. From docs about pop artists writing hit albums and backstage looks into live performances to those about the life and times of legendary artists, there is a lot to look forward to. Watch for the documentaries above and let us know which ones you’re excited to see in the comments below.

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Find music from these documentary-worthy artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands of titles in a wide variety of genres to choose from. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Week In Review: New Songs / Music Videos You Need To Check Out (July 22-28, 2018)

Another long week is finally over and with it came a lot of new music. With the weekend now officially here, it’s time to take a look back at some of the best new songs and music videos to come out over the last seven days.

This week saw the release of a lot of great new music, especially in rock. Elvis Costello released two new songs with The Imposters that were ten years in the making. Slash debuted the first single from his upcoming album as well. Twenty One Pilots released another music video from their upcoming album while From First to Last continued their reunion with a new one-off single. In punk, Shiragirl, Set It Off and Hands Like Houses all released new music videos. We also got terrific new songs and videos from the likes of Jason Mraz, Jack White and Young the Giant.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, loves new music. That’s why we’ve once again scoured the internet for the best new songs and music videos released over the last week. Here are eight that we think you should add to your playlist this weekend.

1.       Elvis Costello & the Imposters, “Unwanted Number” & “Under Lime”: Earlier this week, Costello announced that he would be releasing his first album with The Imposters in nearly a decade later this year. Along with the announcement, he released two brand new songs; “Unwanted Number” and “Under Lime.” Both tracks have a classic feel, as if no time has passed. “Unwanted Number” has a methodical, melodic jazziness that adds to its cool groove. “Under Lime” goes big with instrumentation, incorporating grand orchestral crescendos that add a level of pomp to the whole thing. (“Number”; “Lime”)

2.       Shiragirl, “Summers Comin”: “Summers Comin” is west coast punk at its best. The song is simple yet edgy, driven by Shira’s vocal grittiness and lack of edited polish. It is the perfect mix of summer and punk, ready to be moshed to on the beach. (video)

3.       Slash feat. Miles Kennedy & the Conspirators, “Driving Rain”: “Driving Rain” has a classic hard rock sound that is really easy to listen to. Led by Slash’s expert guitar work, the melody just falls into place without too much reverb messing it up. (video)

4.       From First To Last, “Surrender”: Skrillex’s (Sonny Moore) reunion with From First To Last seems to be coming in spurts. A year-and-a-half ago the band released their first song together in nearly a decade. Now, the band has released their second new single, “Surrender.” The song starts out with an aggressive scream, then evens out into classic mid-2000s melodic hardcore. You just can’t go wrong with that. (video)

5.       Young the Giant, “Simplify”: With its piano-driven melody, soaring chorus and catchy hook, “Simplify” is an instantly enjoyable indie-rock jam. I wouldn’t be surprised if alt-rock radio started playing this song on repeat in the very near future. (video)

6.       Jason Mraz feat. Meghan Trainor, “More Than Friends”: Mraz does it again with the slow sweetness of “More Than Friends.” The lyrics portray the act of telling someone you like them with all the awkwardness, nervousness and innocence of doing it in real life. My one criticism is that I don’t think Meghan Trainor’s voice goes that well with Mraz’s, but it’s easy enough to overlook. (video)

7.       Twenty One Pilots, “Nico And The Niners”: Twenty One Pilots released a video for their single “Nico And The Niners” this week, the second in what is supposed to be a trilogy of videos from their upcoming album ‘Trench.’ The video finds singer Tyler Joseph escaping from the grey sanctuary of his red-hooded oppressors from the “Jumpsuit” video to meet up with a group of rebels. “Nico And The Niners,” which was released as a single along with “Jumpsuit” two weeks ago, has a familiar faux reggae-feel much like some of the band’s previous singles, though its dark undertones make it feel heavier. (video)

8.       Jack White, “Corporation”: Jack White released a video for his latest single “Corporation” this week. The clip for the funky near-instrumental piece features a detective investigating a murder and visualizations of what might have happened with a twist at the end that will leave you scratching your head. (video)

The weekend is a great time to catch up on all the new songs and music videos released in a given week. Check out some of our favorites above and let us know what songs you’ve been digging this week in the comments below.

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Discover music new and old at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles to choose from in an array of genres to suit most music fans. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. Whether you’re looking for something new or to rediscover the classics, we have you covered. And with more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what gems you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Sadness in Pop Music Vs. Popularity

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a brief look at a new study that compares music trends in song positivity

Sometimes trends don’t equal popularity.

A group of researchers at the University of California at Irvine recently published a study about trends in music popularity. Sampling 500,000 songs released between 1985 and 2015 in the UK, the study looked at what factors go into a song becoming popular and how that has changed over the last 30 years. One of their conclusions, albeit a very small one, is that popular songs have gradually lost their positivity.

In researching the different moods of songs, researchers found that over the last 30 years there has been a decline in happiness and positivity and a slight increase in sadness and negativity. This change was visible in the songwriting, in particular the acoustics of the song and its lyrical composition. Here, they cite a recent tendency among artists towards writing in the first person (a lot more use of the personal pronoun “I”) and the use of what they term more “anti-social” words (such as “kill”). The study correlates this finding with another study that found an increase in loneliness and social isolation culturally over the last couple of decades.

Previous studies have come up with a similar conclusion. Back in 2012, a study found that over the last 50 years, more songs were being written in a minor key. From the late 1960s to the late 2000s, the number of major key songs on the charts fell by nearly 50 percent. It also reported that there was an overall decrease in the average tempo of popular songs, dropping from an average of around 116 beats per minute in the 1960s to about 100 beats per minute in the 2000s. The study found this in major key songs as well, leading them to the conclusion that popular music was becoming “emotionally ambiguous.”

However, while the trend exists, it does not seem to have much effect on the popularity of a song. In actuality, the study found the opposite to be true. Positive music and songs that are more “danceable” are more popular than those that aren’t. Such could be a possible reason for the recent increase in the popularity of dance music and dance-based pop over rock, which the study found to have decreased in popularity.

Over the last three decades, research has found that music in general has grown “sadder.” Cultural shifts that impact lyrics and a shift towards minor keys and slower tempos have played a role in this change. While sadness is a growing trend though, it is not one that has equated to more popularity for songs. With the increased presence of upbeat dance music on the charts, people aren’t necessarily gravitating towards sad music. And although the study tries to predict what songs will become popular, trends don’t always equal popularity.

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Find music for whatever mood you’re in at Vinyl Bay 777. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres to suit most music lovers. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or shop online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what gems you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Fashion Meets Music: Five Times the MET Gala Took Inspiration from the Music World

The 2018 MET Gala took place Monday, with celebrities taking to the red carpet to celebrate the intersection of fashion and history. This year’s theme, which coincides with the Costume Institute’s yearly exhibit, was ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,’ which focuses on how religion has influenced fashion. The night also brought music into the mix, with Madonna performing her Vatican-banned single “Like a Prayer” and a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

While this year’s musical contribution may have only been in performance only, music and its contribution to fashion have made their way into the MET Gala and subsequent costume exhibits many times in the past. From exhibits about punk and rock ‘n’ roll to those about dance fashion, these exhibits have looked at the history of music and culture through the lens of fashion.

Inspired by this year’s MET gala, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the Costume Institute’s music-themed exhibitions. Here are five that merged fashion with music and culture to give a unique perspective on the history of each.

1.       ‘PUNK: Chaos to Couture’ (2013): The Costume Institute’s most recent music-themed exhibit, ‘Chaos to Couture’ looked at the ways punk inspired high fashion. Historically, punk was (and still is) all about youth culture and rebellion and its fashion showed that. In the UK, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood created this “do-it-yourself” aesthetic that took from fashion (and bondage wear) and made it more accessible with holes, safety pins and razor blades. In turn, this aesthetic influenced high fashion, sparking inspiration for designers like Dior, Dolce and Gabana, Alexander McQueen and more.

2.       ‘Rock Style’ (2000): This turn-of-the-century exhibit took a look at how musical artists at various points in rock music’s history influenced style. Starting in the 1950s with Elvis Presley, it ran through fifty years of iconic music and style from the likes of the Beatles, Elton John, Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Grace Jones, Madonna and more. The exhibit also touched on particular trends, such as denim and black leather jackets.

3.       ‘AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion’ (2006): While not expressly about music, this exhibit on the history of British fashion contained a section dedicated to rebellion from fashion norms. The exhibit made it a point to juxtapose typical, classic fashion of the time with the postmodernism of punk and the modernism of dandyism.

4.       ‘Diaghilev: Costumes and Designs of the Ballets Russes’ (1978): Even in the early years of the gala, music was a front and center in the attached exhibit. In 1978, the Costume Institute focused on the Ballets Russes, a controversial yet influential dance company from the 1910s that united music, fashion and storytelling in new and exciting ways. The troupe was especially known for their designs, which were created by the period’s most groundbreaking artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Coco Chanel, as well as their music, which featured works from up-and-comers like Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy and Sergei Prokofiev.

5.       ‘Dance’ (1986): Where there is music, there is usually dance. And dance culture gave way to its own sense of fashion. ‘Dance’ chronicled 200 years worth of dance fashion from elegant ball gowns to minidresses in an attempt to display the fashion of “fun” and “joy.”

Music and fashion have maintained a side-by-side relationship for centuries. Over the years, the MET Gala and the Costume Institute have explored this relationship in their yearly exhibits. Though this year’s was not one of them, the institute’s choice in having Madonna combine the exhibit’s religious theme with both fashion and music at the gala this week similarly plays into that intersection of art forms.

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Find music from all fashion-defining genres at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. From punk and rock to dance and hip-hop and more, we have thousands of titles to choose from. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or shop online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Vinyl Sales, Streaming Rise in 2017

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a brief look at 2017 music sales

Late last week, both Nielsen and Buzzangle released their year-end reports on music sales in 2017. According to these services, music consumption has increased over the last year, benefitting mainly from audio streaming and vinyl sales.

Despite what the music industry might have you think, music consumption is on the rise. Buzzangle reports that total album consumption in 2017 is up 12.8% from 2016. Song consumption was even higher, rising 25.9% over the previous year. Ed Sheeran had the most-consumed album of the year with ‘÷,’ followed closely by Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation,’ which was the best-selling album of the year.

While consumption has increased, album sales were not the main factor for it. Album and song sales both continued to decline in 2017. According to Buzzangle, the decline was 14.6% for albums and 23.2% for song downloads over 2016. That especially goes for CD sales. Though they continue to make up the bulk of physical music sales, CDs were the only physical medium to show a decline over the last year.

There is a silver lining though. While physical album sales did decrease, the drop wasn’t as bad as it was in 2016. While there was an 11% decrease in 2016, 2017 only saw a 7% decrease in physical album sales according to Buzzangle. This could be due in part to the continued increase in vinyl sales. According to Nielsen, vinyl saw its 12^th consecutive year of sales growth, rising 9% over 2016. The medium made up 14% of all physical album sales in 2017, the highest Nielson has recorded it at since they started keeping records in 1991, and 8.5% of album sales in total. Buzzangle was even more generous, reporting that vinyl made a 20% leap over the previous year.

Vinyl wasn’t the only physical medium to grow in 2017. Surprisingly, cassette sales are at a high as well. Though they still make up a negligible part of album sales, only 0.1% according to Buzzangle, Nielsen reported that cassette sales had a 35% increase over 2016, putting them at a nine-year high.

When it came to physical album sales in 2017, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ came out on top. The film franchise’s first soundtrack came in at number one on Buzzangle’s list of top-selling vinyl albums and took the number 3 spot on Nielsen’s, just behind The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ reissue and their ‘Abbey Road’ album. As for cassettes, ‘Guardians’ holds the top three spots with the ‘Stranger Things’ soundtrack and Eminem’s ‘The Eminem Show’ reissue rounding out the top five.

While vinyl and cassettes had an outstanding year, the main reason for 2017’s increase in music consumption was audio streaming. Both Nielsen and Buzzangle recorded more than 50% increases in on-demand streaming between 2016 and 2017. And that’s not just free streams, but paid subscriptions as well. In fact, paid subscriptions eclipse ad-supported streams exponentially, proving that people are still paying to listen to music, just in a different way.

The music industry saw a lot of growth in 2017. Music consumption has been on the rise over the last year, due in large part to audio streaming hitting an all-time high. Even album sales didn’t fare too badly in 2017 especially if you look at the continuing increase in vinyl and cassette sales. Here’s to hoping 2018 is just as successful.

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Keep physical music mediums aliveby shopping Vinyl Bay 777 in 2018. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in a wide variety of genres. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassette, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

A Brief History of the Altamont Free Concert - 47 Years Later

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a brief look back at what went wrong during the 1969 festival

Today marks the 47^th anniversary of one of the most disastrous music festivals in history, the Altamont Free Concert. The show was plagued by intense violence, ending in the stabbing death of a concert-goer, a drug-induced drowning, two car accidents and a myriad of other injuries to the crowd and performers.

Following four months behind the cultural phenomenon that was Woodstock, Altamont was designed to be a “Woodstock West” of sorts. Conceived of by Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones, it was supposed to be a large-scale, free rock show to bring people together for the love of music. Aside from the organizing bands, other artists recruited for the festival included Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, thinking that this was going to be a bigger, better Woodstock.

But Altamont turned out a bit differently. There was no peace and unity like there was at Woodstock.

The show ended up taking place at Altamont Race Track (which was usually reserved for demolition derbies) after numerous other venues turned organizers down. It was an inadequate venue by all standards, with a small stage that was uncomfortably low to the ground and situated at the bottom of a hill. The artists playing were afraid that concert goers impaired by drugs and alcohol would charge the stage and harm them, a logical fear. And since the venue was booked so late, there was nothing that could have been done to fix it.

That led to the most important problem, the Rolling Stones hiring the Hell’s Angels to protect the stage. The Angels were paid in $500-worth of beer to surround the stage and hold off the audience. And when things did start to get a rowdy, the only thing they did was create more violence. Drunk and armed with sharpened pool cues, metal chains and their own fists, they turned scuffles between concert goers into full-blown altercations. People left the venue bruised and bloodied. One Angel even stabbed a disgruntled concert goer to death (though it was reported that the concert goer was pulling out a gun). After what he had seen, pop culture writer Greil Marcus, who was working for Rolling Stone at the time, called this the “worst day of [his] life.”

Between the inadequate venue and the hiring of a violent biker gang to secure it, Altamont ended up being a low point for 1969. According to Rolling Stone’s reporting of the event, “Altamont was the product of diabolical egotism, hype, ineptitude, money manipulation and, at base, a fundamental lack of concern for humanity.”

Altamont remains a dark spot in music festival history nearly five decades later. What was supposed to be a concert extending the Woodstock feeling into the coming decade instead became one of the worst festival disasters of all time. While many other disastrous music festivals have occurred  since then, usually due to weather or drugs, Altamont still manages to remind us how the mishandling of an event can quickly turn into chaos.

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Altamont may have been a wash, but you can still find music from the event’s legendary performers and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. Browse thousands of titles on new and used vinyl, CD and cassette, as well as music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. More titles are always being added to our selection, so you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Songs Made Famous by Commercials

Television commercials are a great way to get one’s product in front of the eyes of the masses. They are also a great way for a band or artist to get heard. A commercial with the right soundtrack can launch an artist into the mainstream overnight or reintroduce an artist to a new audience.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at songs that have gotten a boost from their appearances in television commercials. From new artists whose TV spots earned them a place on the charts to old songs that have now become synonymous with a particular company, here are six songs from commercials that became extremely popular.

1.       Feist, “1 2 3 4”: With their series of silhouettes dancing in front of brightly colored backgrounds with iPods, Apple helped bring a lot of artists to the limelight. One of which was Feist. Her song “1 2 3 4” became a hit in 2007 after the company started using it for their iPod campaign. It was so popular that the song was launched her album into the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and got her nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy that year.

2.       Portugal. The Man, “Feel It Still”: If you haven’t heard “Feel It Still” at this point, you’ve probably been living under a rock. Arguably one of the best songs of the year thus far, it’s been getting a boost from Vitamin Water over the last few months with a prominent placement in their current commercial starring Aaron Paul. It is now their first song to place in the Hot 100 chart and is currently number one on the alternative charts and the radio charts.

3.       The Ting Tings, “Shut Up and Let Me Go”: Like Feist, The Ting Tings also benefited from being featured in an iPod commercial. Before the advert, the band’s second single, “Shut Up and Let Me Go,” wasn’t even released in the United States. After the commercial’s release, the song was quickly made available in the US, where it promptly charted in the Hot 100, the first time one of their singles has done so.

4.       Dirty Vegas, “Days Go By”: While “Days Go By” was a minor hit among the club scene upon its initial release, it wasn’t until the remixed version was picked up by Mitsubishi and used in a commercial for their Eclipse that it really took off. The ads turned into radio airplay and more Mitsubishi ads, which meant more exposure. It became really hard to think about the song without thinking about purchasing cars.

5.       Iggy Pop, “Lust For Life”: Obviously “Lust For Life” was written way before it was ever considered for commercials. But following the renewed boost it got from its usage in the film ‘Trainspotting,’ the song became fair game again. In 2001, Royal Caribbean started using a cleaned-up version of it in commercials for their cruises. With the lack of drug and sexual references, the song became synonymous with luxury and having fun, and made Iggy Pop relevant to a whole new generation.

6.       X Ambassadors, “Renegades”: When “Renegades” was first introduced in commercials for Jeep’s Renegade SUV, no one knew who X Ambassadors was. But the song’s catchiness caught the ears of viewers who started Shazaming the song. The song caught on, reaching the top 20 of the Billboard 200 and becoming one of the hottest songs of 2015.

Television commercials are a great tool for artists to get their music heard by a wider audience. These songs have proven that, as their commercials have boosted their artists’ listenership and positioned them for chart success.

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Find music from these artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles to choose from spanning a wide array of genres. Browse our growing selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or shop online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.