The Vinyl Revival 

strides onwards 

Vinyl record sales are accounting for increasing sales of music, and its not all back catalog items either, but ‘new’ music by contemporary artists.   

The UK record industry trade body, the BPI, publishes statistics about album sales and its findings for 2022 show that albums (or LPs as some of us still call them), are increasingly important in the music world. 

Of the ten biggest selling vinyl albums in the UK last year, eight were new releases. Last year only half of the top ten vinyl albums were new releases – and a few years ago it was only three. That is a definite trend.

 “Vinyl’s revival has been one of the most welcome success stories of recent times,” says BPI boss Geoff Taylor. “ While initially this renaissance was built largely on older music fans reconnecting with treasured past albums and on younger generations newly discovering classic releases, increasingly the ongoing rise in LP sales has been driven by brand new releases”.

“A diverse and growing number of contemporary artists have recognised the enduring magic of this most beloved format”, he adds, “from global superstars such as Taylor Swift and Harry Styles to breakthrough UK talent including Wet Leg and Yard Act. As the LP marks its 75th anniversary in 2023, it’s as relevant as ever, highlighting that, in an age of streaming, physical music purchases remain an essential and healthy part of the music market”.

In case you wondered, the eight new releases that feature in the top ten vinyl albums of 2022 were: –

              Taylor Swift               ‘Midnights’

              Harry Styles               ‘Harry’s House’

              Arctic Monkeys         ‘The Car’ 

              Liam Gallagher          ‘C’mon You Know’

              Wet Leg                      'Wet Leg’

              The 1975s                   ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’

              Fontaines DC             ‘Skinty Fia’ 

              Muse                           ‘Will Of The People’

The Arctic Monkeys also have one of the older albums that made it into the vinyl top ten this year, with the 2013 release ‘AM’ at number nine, while Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ – from 1977 – was at number six.

Record Store Day is an annual event that began in 2007. Its usually held  on a Saturday in April as well as on Black Friday in November. Its designed to  "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. 

Many artistes release special 'limited edition' records on that day which are only available in independent record shops, such as Darren Crowther's  Disc Discovery on Spring Bank in Hull, or in Eric White's shop in Norwich.  Both they and many other independents deserve at least a visit from you - you're bound to enjoy browsing the thousands of new and used vinyl on sale.  You're bound to say , quite a few times, "Oooh, Ive not heard that for years and years, I must give it a home!" 

Happy disc hunting!

Keep your screen clean !

 

Always keep 

your studio screens clean!

Visiting a radio station the other day I was appalled to find the screen were all smudgy, in fact some could only be described as "caked in muck".  I shudder when I think what may have happened; some of these essential items. I'm talking about screens costing about as much as a small car here!

On asking some  of the team why they were not keeping them clean, they said that the engineer (who was someone who only called in in an emergency, m or for a onece a month check up!) has advised that they be left as they were as cleaning them would damaged the surface.

Looking closely, I saw that these were not of any type that could be damaged by simply cleaning them, if it is done properly. I sent someone out for a pack of the correct MICRO FIBRE cloths and demonstrated how to clean LCD and OED screens correctly. Its a very simply process.  

All you need do is a dry, soft cloth to wipe it free of dust and debris. Here is a link to a great low-cast packet of blue ones - all lint-free and perfect for screens of all types, monitors o TVs. 

(Keep a separate one for your mobile phone or iPad  as these will get covered in the most awful gunk that you dont want to spread to a studio monitor, that you may be working at for many hours).

The correct cloths also leave the screen anti-static, so it does not attract dust in the air.  (Radio studios should be relatively dust free anyway - the correct was to do this is to have the air-conditioning set so it creates just a tiny bit positive air pressure, which means that when the door is opened, a slight 'whoosh' of the air being expelled will be experienced, which caries out all the tiny particles of dust and rubbish that are created by YOUR rubbish your clothes against things.

If you have an LCD TV, you should press very gently gently. The liquid crystal screen may get pushed down if you’re too rough, creating dark spots. Turning your TV off and on again will fix this issue, but no reason to put your screen under stress.

Some stains and marks will need a solution to loosen them. Oily spots, fingerprints, or anything else that needs a bit more scrubbing, can easily be shifted by spraying a little bit of electronics cleaner on a cloth with a few drops of water and gently rub the area until it’s clean.  and the best one that I've come across is  SCREEN MON.  Their Screen Monitor Kit contains a premium quality micro fibre cloth and a 16oz bottle of their own special formula screen spray.  Not just a few squirts, but over 1,500 squirts, so this will last a fair old time.  

Screen Mon is not an alcohol based liquid, this is plant based, so it wont attack any delicate plastic or anything else. No ammonia or any other harmful phosphates that are found in some other liquids that will leave your screen scarred and streaky.  Screen mom is made with gentle plant based cleaning agents and is completely odourless.

Apple's 5k Monitor and the newest Applebook models come complete with a special very fine microfibre cloth. It is accompanied by a warning, which is worth repeating here

NEVER use an acetone based cleaning agent to clean a monitor.  

Click here for more details of the Screen Mon cleaning kit; you need it to take care of your LED & LCD TVs, computer screens and Studio  Monitors, Laptops,  and iPad screens. Over 1,572 Sprays in each large 16 ounce bottle.

(For infrequent cleaning of hard-to-remove substances on either nano-texture glass or standard glass, you can use a 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) solution. But do take care, and only ever rub gently.  

The big money in radio

The BIG money in radio 

Having been in and around the radio business for so many years now, I have become pretty immune to the huge valuations put on radio companies by their owners, and by some predators who take over stations, often on little more than a whim.  Radio stations have changed hands for literally millions, often hundreds of millions, of pounds and dollars over the years.  

There are so many factors involved and very often these have little to do with the station's earnings, as would happen in normal business. Perceived value is a nebulous figure and can be many things to different people and be wide of market value.

The USA is of course the largest commercial radio market in the world, worth around $22 billion, with annual sales around $1.6bn.  After a few years of near stagnation (only 1.1% annualised growth from 2017-2021) IBIS are projecting 4.4% growth in the market in 2022. (LINK).  From those two numbers, we see that American investors value radio stations at about 14 times their revenues on average, and this is borne out by sales of both small and major market stations. 

Triton bought by iHeart

Even I was surprised to hear that TRITON has just become a part of the iHeart Media radio conglomerate in a $230 million deal to buy it from Scripps. Triton's streaming and podcast measuring company and ad-placing technology is now used all over the world and the purchase further strengthens iHeart's position as America's biggest radio operator owning 858 radio stations.

(Triton has also today completed purchase of MSIMA, the biggest group of Indonesian stations).

I remember the days when commercial radio in the UK was pretty new and totally hamstrung by red tape and archaic rules, often imposed by regulators who hadn't a clue what really happened in the wacky world of wireless. Despite most stations' inability to turn a profit, much larger companies would still come along and offer untold millions to take over stations that apparently could not turn a profit at all. Even Capital Radio, the UK's biggest station and undisputed 'market leader' was loss-making for several years, but has seen its value soar to hundreds of millions of pounds as it snapped up small stations around the UK.

Radio stations are usually valued on a basis of their FMV - Fair Market Valuation, which is driven by several factors, but mostly on a combination of (1) population covered by its signal,  called its 'stick value', (2) its cash flow or EBITDA,  and (3) historically on the station's gross revenues.  A station that is profitable will generally be valued on a multiple of its operating income which is known as BCF (Broadcast Cash Flow),  a modified EBITDA figure.

A new metric is now being used in radio station valuations, which can only be described as 'perceived value'. It takes into consideration what the truly huge audio distribution companies will pay to increase their market share. Amazon, Apple and Spotify all have huge war chests of hundreds fo millions of dollars, ready to snap up any audio distributor that may fit into their portfolio and help them enhance their business.  Radio stations are increasingly coming under the magnifying glass. Will this see radio station values increase more rapidly?

It's certainly a good time to be in radio, despite the wobbles at the bottom of the business.

Paul Rusling 

30 March 2022

Music Industry's best year ever.

Record-breaking year 

 for the music industry 

Vinyl sales soar with other music

I was astounded to read this week that 2021 was the record industry's best ever year in terms of sales.  Just a few dollars short of $15 BILLION, thats up a whopping 23% on last year.  All that time locked down has obviously made people address their home music collections and start filling in the gaps they have wanted to for many years?

All major formats of music grew versus the prior year with the exception of digital downloads. Paid subscriptions continued to be the biggest growth driver, resulting in the sixth consecutive year of growth for music revenues.

Bear in mind that musicians have been in lockdown too - no live gigs, so they are presumably earning more than ever before?  Some have home studios now, which helps and means there has been a continuing flow of new music available, although its in 'back catalogue' that most growth has taken place.  (Information accounts for some of the growth; taking that into account means that 1999 just shades last year).

The advance in digital sources of music has had some effect too of course; streaming and downloads have matured tremendously in recent years, but there is more competition now from screen driven entertainment (YouTube, TV, Til-Tok and games)  though music companies still benefit from those too. 

Streaming accounts for many formats; regular paid subscriptions, advertising-supported music streaming services, digital and customized radio, and licenses for music on Facebook, etc.  All formats together show a growth of 24% in 2021 to total $12.4 billion, which is 83% of total revenues. TikTok revenues for music used are now included too. 

Vinyl continues to grow and now accounts for  $1 billion of sales. Both vinyl and CD both grew last year - that last time that happened was back in the 90s!  Vinyl products accounted for 63% of sales last year, an incredible revival. Considering that most record stores were close most of the year thats even more remarkable. 

 Last year both vinyl and CD sales made the same amounts, with 

Figures provided by RIAA. 

updated Radio Caroline Bible out now

Radio Caroline Bible

 updated edition is out 

Published just in time for Christmas, the Radio Caroline Bible iwas published on the 2nd November.  It has the very latest news from the Radio Caroline camp including a picture of the station's new AM transmitter, due on the air later this week. This will boost Caroline's output power four fold, bringing the 'Sound of a Nation' to a wider audience on the AM band. 

The updated edition brings the story right up to date, as of Autumn 2021. It now has a technical appendix describing the equipment of Caroline’s ships and the land based facilities.  The pagination is now up to 558 pages.

The story is packed with disasters, boardings, excitement and the usual copious amounts of skull-duggery covering events from Radio Caroline’s four eras. Told by many of the key people who made Radio Caroline happen, this book gives a platform to the station managers, secretaries, and others who are usually in the shadows. Their unique aspects help put the flesh on the true story of what is the world’s best known radio ship.

Unique content & many ‘never published before’ photos among the 350 illustrations. It’s chronologically correct, fully indexed and will surely become a real collector’s item. The book’s gorgeous full-colour cover shows the ship in all her magnificence with her huge tower clawing high into the sky.

- an amazing Christmas gift!

 This is an item that will be treasured for many years by any Radio Caroline fan

They say that every home should have a Holy Bible

Every radio fan’s home needs a Radio Caroline Bible

They should read it every day. (Sir Hans Knot, radio historian.)

Full details of this incredible publication are on the Radio Caroline Bible’s own web site.

Book Cover and Poster

The book is unique in that it is a solidly made, hand-finished, hardback. It also has a superb picture of the Ross Revenge on its front cover, rather than the traditional non-colour library style solid cover. "Fotoflyte took such a fabulous picture of the Ross Revenge with the Olau Brittania ferry cruising pas and we had it available to us at high resolution, so the chance of remembering the Ross Revenge, in all her magnificence,  with one of her friends sailing pas, for size comparison, made it I'm possible to resist," said Paul. 

The shot was taken in the second week of august, 1987, just after the UK increased its Territorial Waters to 12 miles, making the former and protected anchorage in the Knock Deep inside UK jurisdiction. This meant the ship had to moved out to a mooring near the South Falls Head, a more exposed spot and closer to shipping lanes.  

It was the wild weather two months later that weakened the tower on the Ross Revenge, causing it to fall into the sea a couple of weeks later. It was also the heavy seas at that location that tore the Ross Revenge from her anchor four years later, and there her up onto the Goodwin Sands.

POSTERS

The Ross Revenge in 1987
with the Olau Britannia passing

When first published, we produced some A3 posters of the cover to promote the book and so many have asked for copies of that, we have now had a small batch specially printed. These are now on sale for a limited period at the Radio Caroline Bible website. They are digitally printed at high resolution on art paper and look superb on any office of den wall.

Available now for just £3.90  

(Including postage, folded) to UK addresses only.

ABBA's

2021 album

VOYAGE

is a record breaker!

The new album released by superstars ABBA in Autumn 2021 has rapidly become the new century's  fasting selling album on vinyl.  Sales of  the Voyage album are  made up mainly physical sales (as opposed to downloads) reflecting their likely audience demographics.  89.53% of the sales are for physical 'items' rather than downloads or other streaming.   

The group’s first album in four decades, has debuted at No.1 with sales of 203,909 - the biggest weekly sale since Ed Sheeran’s success in March 2017. 

The vinyl sales figures of just under 30,000 ( 29,891) copies easily beat the previous record this century of 24478 held by the Arctic Monkeys, for their Tranquility Base Hotel release over three years ago. ABBA's  Voyage album has also notched up sales of  148,471 copies on CD, and has even shifted 4,205 copies on cassette!

With 10 No.1 albums to their name, only seven other acts have notched up more UK chart-toppers than ABBA: The Beatles, Elvis, Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. The No.1 for Voyage also marks ABBA’s 58th total week as UK No.1 on the albums chart. Its a position only surpassed by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. 

Sales are expected to surge again after the release of a Deluxe box set package, comprising a CD with a Poster, a pack of  Art Cards and sheets of ABBA  Stickers. Ideal for any ABBA fan - More details of that package can be had by clicking HERE. 

The tracks on Voyage are -   

1. I Still Have Faith In You

2. When You Danced With Me

3. Little Things

4. Dont Shut Me Down

5. Just A Notion

6. I Can Be That Woman

7. Keep An Eye On Dan

8. Bumble Bee

9. No Doubt About It

10. Ode To Freedom

UK Audience figures

UK  Radio Audience Figures  

The latest listening figures for radio listening in the UK contained a few surprises. 

Commercial radio is reaching 36.8 million people across the UK, the biggest audience it has ever recorded, according to the  data. RAJAR has modified its way of collating and publicising listening  but the basic principles of REACH and audience SHARE still prevail. The total combined audience for all UK radio (BBC and commercial) is now the highest level recorded at 49.5m people. That represents 89% of the UK adult population.

THE KEY POINTS. 

• Digital listening surges to 65.8% of all radio listening
• New stations (Times, Capital Dance, Boom, etc) attracting hundreds of thousands of listeners.

• DAB now the predominant platform for radio listening accounting for 43% of all listening compared to 34.2% for AM/FM

• New digital stations deliver strong performances

• Digital listening now accounts for the majority of in car listening at 53%

Digital listening has surged past 60% to now account for 65.8% – or almost two-thirds – of all radio listening, according to new data for Q3 2021 released by RAJAR today (28 October 2021). The data release marks RAJAR’s return to publication with a new modified methodology having been suspended for 18 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the new data, listening via DAB is now the most popular means of all radio listening accounting for 43% of all listening (and 65% of digital listening), exceeding listening via AM/FM which accounts for 34.2% of listening. Listening via online and apps accounts for 18.1% of all listening (and 27.5% of digital listening) and listening via DTV accounts for 4.7% of all listening (and 7.2% of digital listening).

The new data shows that 41 million adults, or 74% of the population aged 15+, now tune into digital radio every week, and 69% claim to own or have access to a DAB radio.

The strong performance of digital platforms has been boosted by the launch of a number of new digital stations in the last 18 months, which receive their first RAJAR results today,  including Times Radio with a reach of 637,000 listeners; Capital DANCE with a reach of 287,000 listeners; and Boom Radio with a reach of 233,000 listeners.

These stations join a host of established digital-only stations which continue to perform strongly, including  BBC 6 Music with 2.687 million listeners, and KISSTORY, the most popular commercial digital-only station, with 2.255 million listeners.  BBC Radio 4 Extra is the third most popular with 2.036 million listeners, followed by BBC Radio 5 live sports extra with 1.697 million listeners. Other stations in the top 10 are  digital-only stations Absolute 80s (1.690 million listeners); Virgin Radio (1.631 million listeners); and Heart 80s(1.493 million listeners).

INCAR RADIO LISTENING.   46.6% of listening in the car is to DAB while   AM/FM listening is 33.1%,. Online/apps listening in-car accounting for only 6.4% of all in car listening.

Another survey, released by the World DAB Forum the second week in November, showed that 89% of car owners across Europe expect a new vehicle to include the latest form of in-car entertainment, such as Apple's CarPlay.  80% of those who have a new vehicles claim to use it.  This follows an EU law making it mandatory for all new cars to include some form of digital radio in the dashboard. The EU directive is not being complied with, although the UK, where the DAB lobby is strongest have done so.