Vinyl Subscription Service Launched In The US

A new vinyl subscription service was unveiled in the US earlier this month with the launch scheduled for April, and the vinyl records you receive are selected by some very well-known names in the world of music. Speaking to Billboard magazine, founder Brad Hammonds explained the idea for Experience Vinyl – the name of the service – came from his Desert Albums blog. On this blog, he asked artists one simple question: If you could only listen to ten albums for the rest of your life, which ones would you pick? The US-based subscription service now brings this into people’s homes, with the answer to that question delivered to your door, along with one of the ten albums on vinyl records accompanied by a personalized commentary. For your $30 a month subscription fee, you also get access to the Experience Vinyl store and other rewards. Elton John was announced as the first curator to select his ten albums. A portion of the money raised from each guest curator will go towards the artist’s charity of choice. Elton John has asked for money to be donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Other curators who have been announced include Quincy Jones, George Clinton, Talib Kweli, and Sean Lennon. Mr. Hammond, who started the business with Jake Fishbein, told Billboard that he’s wanted to create a vinyl storage club for most of his adult life, but added that this is something a bit special. It’s a record club where artists handpick not only the vinyl records they love but the ones they couldn’t live without. Who better to send you great music each month than artists themselves he stated. Aside from the obvious star appeal of this particular service, it speaks well for the revival of vinyl records as a format that people are willing to spend this much money to receive hand-picked records delivered to their door. And if you’re going to be receiving vinyl records handpicked by the likes of Quincy Jones and Elton John, you’ll probably want to invest in high-quality vinyl storage cases to keep them in good condition for years to come. Vinyl record sales have been growing considerably over the past few years in the UK, and with more and more people wanting the unmistakable sound of vinyl in their homes again the humble turntable has even undergone a makeover for the modern age. Last month, NME highlighted the LOVE Turntable, a new gadget that makes playing vinyl records a much more portable experience. The device still reads the vinyl record itself with a stylus, but it can be controlled by a smartphone and its compact and sleek design mean it looks just as great sitting on a sideboard as it does on a coffee table. And as it’s powered by a lithium battery, you don’t have to worry about wires trailing across the floor. It’s being described as the first intelligent turntable by the designers, who explained they wanted to bring the magic of vinyl records to all people. Looks like there’s yet another reason to invest in a few new vinyl records.