New music on vinyl

They have to know there is demand or the record companies aren't going to release current jazz and classical on vinyl. In the heyday of vinyl jazz and classical sold only a sliver of rock and pop releases. I wouldn't hold my breath.

I wonder what the minimum # of sales a company would need to do in order to make a vinyl pressing profitable? doesn't seem like too much - some of the most obscure modern pop/rock is released on vinyl, and can't have huge sales...

Acoustic sounds is re-issuing some of the best Jazz albums ever recorded.

Cisco has the Heifetz album which is almost a must buy regardless of your favorite genre.

Go to Salvation Army/Thrifts/Yard Sales and pick up plenty of nice Classical music. Inspect it, run it through a cleaner, LAST it, and you will have some great music at a bargain price for a little effort.

And, Have Fun.

Keep in mind that classical CDs don't sell nearly as well as pop to begin with, so the lack of demand would turn off the major record companies regardless of a perceived lack of demand for the format. Then add to that the fact that, due to the expense, many of those "major" labels are backing away from recording orchestras anyway, resulting in a number of the orchestras creating their own labels. They really don't have the funds to do a limited vinyl pressing, many of them are struggling to just keep playing. Finally, remember that most recordings of orchestral performances these days are made with digital recorders. Why put a digital signal, already compromised vis a vis an analog tape master, through a conversion process to make it analog? Seems to me the worst of both worlds, the shortcomings of a digital recording added to the weaknesses of vinyl cutting, pressing and playback, and an electronic conversion in the middle of it to boot. You might find a few labels that would do something like this if they can get funding (Water Lily, for example, which records in analog and did a project with the Philadelphia Orchestra, or Mapleshade), but nothing like it on a broad scale.

I think Steelhead's suggestion is best, get used vinyl of performances/orchestras/pieces you've never heard, it's like a new recording by one of today's orchestras.

I'm finding stuff at the local used record store that sounds great. As long as you don't crank it up too loud it is probably 90% as good as the new reissues. In fact I bought Radiohead "in rainbows and there is so much surface noise that I just use the cd version instead. I'v bought used records recently at Jerry's records in Pittsburgh that had less noise and are 20-30 old.

"The only new music vinyl issues are NOT only pop and rock. There are many great issues of new dance, hip-hop and rap."

Viridian: that is worse than nothing at all!

In addition to Tacet releasing on vinyl some new recordings of classical music, there is also an effort underway by Classic Records and Fone to issue some new recordings:

"Classic Records Presents" series of original recordings, e.g., Shostakovich Sym 5 conducted by Pavel Kogan

Fone Records "Club of 496" recordings

Tacet has a growing list of new recordings on vinyl
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yikes! Those Fone records start at around 35Euro!

Try www.waxpoetics.com for Afrobeat, Reggae, Hip-hop, Jazz and Funk. Their magazine spotlights Jazz releases of current artists.

Fania is reissuing salsa albums from the seventies.

Daptone is issuing wonderful funk music.

In the same vein you should try Shook Magazine, which followed/took over now finished London magazine Straight No Chaser (possible to order via website for around 10 USD and Myspace, not yet having fully operational website). Of US record shops the best known and recommended is Dusty Groove, they have also latest European and excellent Japanese jazz releases in addition to great overviews of lately issued releases (funk, jazz, disco, afrobeat etc)