When I saw a Ben Folds deluxe vinyl on the shelves of Best Buy, I have to admit, I scoffed. “Who does Best Buy think it is?” I thought aimlessly as I went to look at a few vacuums.
But the New York Post reports that Best Buy, after recently experimenting with records in select stores, is thinking of expanding its vinyl section to all 1,020 locations, marking off eight square feet exclusively for records. And eight square feet is about 200 albums, which brings up another pressing (sorry) issue: Which artists are going to leap onto the 180-gram bandwagon? Because if I see a Lady Gaga vinyl on display, I will personally pry every game console off display and hurl it at someone’s face.
The reasoning behind the consideration is that while CD sales shrivel, vinyl sales -- surprise, surprise -- are actually doing a-okay and are profitable enough to outweigh their more expensive production costs. Quite frankly, I get the appeal, being somewhat of an audiophile and recently purchasing albums without even owning a proper player.
Anyway, the Post also disclosed that all the major record labels are flipping through their catalogs to remaster or re-release the good stuff. Just last year, EMI reached into its vaults and released albums like Radiohead’s OK Computer and The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Meanwhile, Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over the Sea has been consistently selling well (TMT News). With enough time, Best Buy could become your main go-to for all those Prurient 7-inches you couldn't even find on GEMM.
