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The new 'Back to the Future' vinyl box set is a work of art
The so-called "future day" -- the day that Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel forward in time to in Back to the Future Part II -- is fast approaching. As such, the movie and music memorabilia masters at Mondo have put together a truly fitting record collection: The score for all three Back to the Future films will be available in full on vinyl for the first time. You can either pick up each movie individually as a two-record set for $35 each, or you can get all six records in an amazingly creative and beautiful box set. The full box set will run you $105. The individual album versions feature new artwork by Matt Taylor, who previously created screen-print Back to the Future posters for Mondo, while the box set artwork and design was done by DKNG Studios.
Vinyl fans rejoice: Discogs finally has a dedicated mobile app
For whatever reason, it took until now for Discogs, the internet's premiere destination for record collectors, to get an app of its own. Sure, iOS users have Milkcrate which hooks in with the vinyl database, syncs your collection automatically and lets you add to your stash via a barcode scan, but Android crate diggers don't even have a halfway decent app to check prices or whether or not an LP is a bootleg. And no, searching for stuff on Amazon isn't a valid substitute -- especially not for albums that are either rare or out of print. The iOS app is in closed beta starting tomorrow, and it builds upon the work that Milkcrate's done, while the Android beta tentatively launches in October.
Recommended Reading: What will astronauts eat while exploring Mars?
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. How NASA Is Solving the Space Food Problem by Elizabeth Preston Eater The first manned test flight for NASA's Orion capsule may have been pushed back this week, but the project forges on. One issue that the agency faces in the quest to send humans to explore Mars is food. This piece from Eater examines the challenges NASA looks to overcome with regards to the dietary needs of the crew during deep-space missions, including some onboard gardening.
Tesco wants you to buy vinyl records with your milk
Music headlines are often dominated by which albums are (or aren't) on popular streaming services, but an older music format is quietly making a comeback: vinyl. After the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) announced that annual UK album record sales passed the one-million mark last year, Tesco has confirmed that it will back the format when Iron Maiden's The Book Of Souls goes on sale next week. In doing so, it will become the first UK supermarket to enter the vinyl market.
'Bit.Trip' limited vinyl soundtrack loaded with killer indie games
The folks over at iam8bit have been knocking it out of the park pretty regularly. Earlier this year they released the absolutely gorgeous vinyl edition of the Hotline Miami 2 soundtrack, an equally beautiful video-game world map and during ComicCon the outfit unveiled the limited edition soundtrack for Battletoads on wax. The latest project looks like it could be just as special: a "greatest chips" collection of games and music from the the lovely (and unapologetically difficult) indie series Bit.Trip. While the multi-colored bullseye picture disc and fancy Drew Wise album art are cool enough on their own, it's the digital offerings packed in that are pretty awesome in and of themselves. In addition to the aforementioned accoutrements, the $25 asking price also nets you download codes for each of the seven Bit.Trip games and their full soundtracks. It's a circus of value!
'The Last of Us' soundtrack is getting a gorgeous vinyl release
Somehow The Last of Us didn't make it onto our list of favorite video game soundtracks, but fret not because it is getting an extremely pretty vinyl release. This Wednesday, Mondo will drop the four 180-gram LP boxed set featuring art by Jay Shaw and the inimitable Olly Moss at a random time. Modern Vinyl says that it'll contain not only Gustavo Santaolalla's score, but also ambient cues from the game in addition to music from the Ellie-focused Left Behind expansion episode. The pricing will likely make thrift-minded folks choke a bit -- $75, all said -- but given the quality of Mondo's work in general, this is probably going to be a really nice release. It'll almost assuredly sell out incredibly quickly and hit collector's item status in short order, too. Should you want in, your best bet is to keep an eye on the art-minded reseller's Twitter feed come hump day.
A quick spin through turntable history
Compact discs were once the wave of the future, but their sales have flagged whereas vinyl records have seen a resurgence, leaving pressing plants overbooked and struggling to keep up with demand. Sure, most people are getting their daily dose of beats from streaming-music services these days, but if you're looking for a rich analog sound with plenty of space for artwork and liner notes, vinyl's where it's at. Since the medium's attracted a new generation of listeners, we've decided to look back at some of the interesting players over the years. Some of which are as unique and varied as the music stamped into the vinyl. [Image: Roy Harpaz industrial design]
'Battletoads' is getting a Comic-Con exclusive vinyl soundtrack
The rumors circling a Battletoads return came to a head at E3 this year with the announcement of the Rare Replay collection, and Microsoft didn't waste its next tradeshow appearance for a chance to capitalize on the hype. Folks roaming San Diego Comic Con can pick up a limited edition soundtrack for the amphibious beat 'em up on a very fitting yellow and green 180 gram LP. If the cover art up above looks a little familiar, that's because it was done by the same artist responsible for Run the Jewels' records, Nick Gazin. The SDCC run is $25, limited to 300 copies and features different art than what'll be sold outside of the show later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly.
If records were tortillas, they'd sound like this
Time to ditch your vinyl (again), there's a new format in town: tortillas. Intrepid Redditor "UpgradeTech" saw this video, and was bored/inspired/curious enough to see if you really could turn the Mexican food vessel into a record. It turns out, you can. All you need are some uncooked flour tortillas (corn or cooked are too lumpy), and a laser cutter. Well, there's a bit more to it than that (converting audio to vectors, that kinda thing), but tortilla turntablists are, we're sure, willing to go the extra mile to get their classics down on the flatbread format (.tort?).
Music streaming has officially exploded in the UK
Music streaming has never been more popular in the UK. The latest figures from the Official Charts Company show that 11.5 billion tracks were streamed in the first six months of 2015. That's almost double the 6.4 billion recorded for the same period last year, and close to the 14.8 billion tracks logged for the entirety of 2014. Likewise, streaming on video platforms such as YouTube are skyrocketing. The Official Charts Company reported 14.3 billion streams last year, and already listeners have clocked 12.5 billion streams in 2015.
'Shenmue' and 'Streets of Rage' tunes are headed to vinyl
When it comes to classic Sega games, they don't get much bigger (or better) than Shenmue and Streets of Rage. They were released more than eight years apart and on completely different consoles, but they share an important trait: incredible sound. Now, as Polygon reports, a London-based record label called Data Discs is planning to release both soundtracks on vinyl later this year. They'll be priced at £19.99 (roughly $31) and pressed on 180 gram vinyl, complete with lithographic artwork prints. The company is also working with Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro to remaster the tunes from the side-scrolling beat 'em up, ensuring fans get the best experience possible on their turntables. Pre-orders start on May 30th and there are "exclusive editions" for those who spend their cash early, however the first wave of records isn't expected to leave the warehouse until September.
The 'Journey' game soundtrack will be available on vinyl
Sony and Thatgamecompany are proud that Journey's soundtrack was good enough to make it the first game nominated for a Grammy -- so proud, in fact, that they're releasing the score on vinyl. Spend $35 and you'll get a double LP of Austin Wintory's original score for the music-driven adventure, complete with art on each side of both discs. You'll have to wait until August to start listening, although you can get a $60 limited edition print of the album art this June. Is this overkill for a game that you can easily finish in an afternoon? Quite possibly, but it's a testament to how soundtracks like this are increasingly finding relevance beyond your console.
Universal record gives all your music that vinyl sound
So you've bought a turntable with hopes of hearing that warm vinyl sound, but you don't have a record collection just yet. What to do? If you're Jesse England, you 'cheat' using digital tunes. He recently built the Universal Record, a device that lets any Bluetooth audio source work with a record player by vibrating a vinyl disc. You can leave the needle stationary if you want relatively clean output, but get it moving and you'll hear crackles and pops -- a bit surreal when you're listening to songs from your phone. This is an artistic commentary on the "kinetic spectacle" of turntables, so you sadly can't buy a Universal Record of your own. Still, it's a pretty clever way to bring back that analog feel in a world where MP3s and internet streaming reign supreme.
Vinyl is back, and now it has its own UK top 40
Vinyl is making a comeback. Album sales in the UK climbed to 1.29 million last year -- the first time the 1 million mark has been surpassed since 1996. The format is still just a fraction of the total UK albums market (1.5 percent, to be precise) but now its success is being recognised in the charts. The UK's Official Charts Company is launching two vinyl-specific top 40s today -- one for albums and another for 7-inch and 12-inch singles -- for the first time in Britain. The renewed interest in vinyl doesn't appear to be slowing either, with album sales in the first quarter of 2015 up 69 percent from the same period last year. Is the growth from audiophiles, collectors, DJs, or a mixture of all three? It's not clear, but in the age of streaming, it's nice to see that analog still has a place with music lovers.
This album comes on 12 'dead' formats including MiniDisc
We've reached the point where even the less than perfect ideas of years past are being mined for nostalgia. No, I'm not talking about acid washed denim's resurgence (ugh, why?), but that of derided music mediums like the MiniDisc and 8-track. Next month, British musician and producer Trevor Jackson's experimenting with Format, an album spanning 12 different err... formats, each with one song per physical object. Meaning, the release is going to be spread across three sizes of vinyl (12, 10 and 7-inch), CD and mini CD, reel-to-reel, USB, cassette, VHS, MiniDisc, DAT and 8-track. It isn't exactly practical, but it represents another way that artists are expanding beyond a box-standard MP3 download to get their music out to fans. Format's not quite the most outlandish example we've seen, OK Go's DNA album still holds that title, but it's still pretty cool when you stop to think about it. How's that? Well, it chronicles the varying forms of physical media that music's graced over the years.
Streams and vinyl sales double while music downloads dwindle
Need even more proof that vinyl is more than just a passing fad for the Pabst Blue Ribbon crowd? Here goes: While digital album and song sales continued their downward spiral, record sales have more than doubled since last year. All this is according to Nielsen Soundscan, which reports that the 9.2 million wax tally is the highest since it started tracking sales in 1991. For context, however, digital sales still bested physical by a massive margin (CDs weren't broken out, according to The Wall Street Journal), with 106.5 million albums downloaded in 2014. Meanwhile, individual song sales dipped 12 percent compared to 2013.
Interactive album artwork doubles as a DJ controller
Jack White isn't the only act doing amazing things with vinyl releases. Inside DJ Qbert's Extraterrestria, one of the jacket inserts doubles as a controller for Algoriddim's djay iOS app. After connecting to a mobile device via Bluetooth, Novalia's printed MIDI tech makes the album art the console, complete with scratching and a smattering of other tools. What's more, it'll work with Apple's desktop OS, too. The album was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and most of the copies will go to those who committed ahead of time. Unlike White's Lazaretto release, it's not the record itself that's the main attraction here, but rather the packaging -- not that it makes the project any less awesome. Jump down past the break to see it in action.
Vinyl demand is so high, a record label opened its own factory to keep up
Jack White and his Third Man Records imprint aren't the only ones benefiting from the vinyl boom. Oxford, Mississippi-based Fat Possum Records took matters into its own hands, building a pressing plant to meet the demands of its avid collectors. After using other record makers and encountering issues with backorders and the headache of international shipping, founder Matthew Johnson (with a hand from others) bought used equipment and set up shop in Memphis. The plant is modest compared to other more established operations, but with the new setup, the goal is to crank out 13,000 to 14,000 records a day -- plus it'll keep everything in-house. Fat Possum's vinyl releases include LPs from Modest Mouse and Waylon Jennings. If you'll recall, White's Lazaretto is the best-selling vinyl release in two decades, serving as more evidence that the classic format refuses to die. [Photo credit: David Buchan/Getty Images]
Vinyl certainly isn't dead
With all of the hoo-ha surrounding Taylor Swift's decision to pull her tracks from Spotify, it's easy to forget that downloads and streaming aren't the only ways people get their music. Many still buy CDs, although album sales have nearly halved in four years, and then there's vinyl. Normally reserved for audiophiles, collectors and old-school DJs, the humble vinyl record is making a comeback, thanks, in part, to hipsters bucking the streaming trend. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), annual UK album sales on the format passed the one-million mark for the first time since 1996, and are on track to reach 1.2 million sales before the year is out.
UK music industry pushes for a new tax on CD copying
Before October 1st this year, you were probably a criminal. On that day, UK copyright law changed to include a private copying exception that, simply put, means you're allowed to copy media for your own personal use (not distribution, obviously). This is especially important when it comes to music. Although it might be hard to believe, if you've ever ripped a CD and moved the digital copies to an MP3 player or your phone, you were technically committing a crime.
