If you (or your kids) answered
yes, then you are right on trend. According to a recent
report, vinyl sales grew by double digits in 2018, moving nearly 10 million units, and in 2019 the trend continued upwards and is on course to overtake CD sales. (Streaming, of course, is on a whole other planet.)
Also, if you answered
yes, I need to update you on my own album launch and vinyl crowd-funding campaign (see:
ITK #57). We are already just over 40% funded, but still need to reach 100 pre-orders for the vinyl factory to begin production - all within the next 40 days (
gulp) - or the idea is bust.
Meanwhile, if you would like to learn more about the project, my co-producer, bass player and long-time friend, Christopher Budd (who also happens to be an excellent freelance music journalist), put some quick-fire questions to me and
we published the answers in a fun Medium post (with photos):
CB: A lot of people know you as a technology journalist and they’re going to be surprised to see a different side of you. What skills have you honed in your journalism career that helped you in putting this album together?
SO: I would likely frame it the other way round; being in a band and navigating some aspects of the music business back in the day has fed into my journalism. Because I am one, I think I understand other creative people, including entrepreneurs. I believe almost all the best products are a team effort, where a team gets behind a strong vision. Meanwhile, the process itself is almost always a lot more messy than the end result depicts!
Lastly, I want to thank all the ITK readers who have already backed the crowdfund, including several London VCs (one is known to be a massive fan of old soul) and a number of founders and PRs. Oh, and my editor even ordered a copy, so I must be doing something right!
Bonus: Which founding CEO of a health tech startup pre-ordered 5 copies of the album to give away to friends? Secondary funding rounds clearly have a lot to answer for.
