How can I find out more about vinyl?

March 3, 2009 10:40 AM

After finding out that I'm interested in music, the manager at the charity bookshop I volunteer at has decided to let me price vinyl. Help me do it well and learn more about vinyl along the way!

It's easy just to look up records that look interesting in the pricing guide or on the websites he recommended (and that's what I've been doing so far), but I feel like a bit of a fake doing that. Can anyone recommend any good, and preferably interesting, books/websites/resources for learning about vinyl? Its history, production, role in the music industry...anything's fair ground, as long as it's interesting.

posted by bibliophibianj to media & arts (3 comments total)

The Record Collectors Guild might be a good place to start.

I like the Space Age Pop music page.

Here's an interesting article from Time magazine about Sidney Frey, who put out the first stereo record.
posted by Otis at 11:15 AM on March 3

The new DVD It's a Vinyl World After All by analog guru and Stereophile writer Michael Fremer has a lot of what you're looking for.

Fremer demonstrates how vinyl records are produced from the mastering process to actual production -- flattening soft vinyl pucks into records and putting them in the sleeves. The DVD is tilted toward the audiophile crowd, but it really is quite informative and entertaining.

You'll also find lots of information about vinyl history, production, the industry at Fremer's web site, musicangle.com.

Have fun!
posted by the matching mole at 2:22 PM on March 3

$1 for everything. And I'll need the address of the shop.
posted by Bobby Bittman at 9:56 PM on March 3 [1 favorite has favorites]