News

HDtracks Adds Vinyl Store

Michael Fremer  |  Nov 17, 2014

Jimmy Durante (some younger readers may need to look him up) used to say "Everybody's gotta get into the act!" and when it comes to vinyl, he was correct! It's sold at Whole Foods (which because of some of the customers I encounter there I like to call "A-Whole Foods") at Urban Outfitters (along with Crosley "groove chewers"), Target and other unlikely vinyl venues.

Now HDTracks, the pioneering high resolution digital downloading service, has added a vinyl store from which you can order and purchase LPs. If you click on the above hyperlink be sure to click there on "go to category" to see the full offerings.

If you hover your mouse over a title and click on "QUICK VIEW" you'll get information that is sometimes useful and sometimes not, like this info you get about the stereo Sgt. Pepper's...: "This vinyl pressing contains the 2009 digital remaster of the album, making it sound more vibrant and electrifying than ever before."—not that some of the hype filled jargon on other vinyl selling sites is any better.

For now the site is offering some good discounts.

Welcome to the vinyl world HDTracks!

COMMENTS
Jack Gilvey's picture
Submitted by Jack Gilvey on Mon, 2014-11-17 14:34

Who even knew they had a shipping department?

jsh's picture
Submitted by jsh on Mon, 2014-11-17 19:43

When Chesky abandoned vinyl production years ago they kept saying there was no market for it and were only doing CDs. I *really* got tired of their lame excuses and rude behavior every time I asked. So now they want back in because LP sales have taken off while CD sales have tanked? Screw you, Chesky!

gringostarr's picture
Submitted by gringostarr on Mon, 2014-11-24 10:46

Looks to me that this is a branded reseller site for a different one-stop distributor. Doesn't appear that HDTracks has any skin in the vinyl game. Buyer beware.

Joe Crowe's picture
Submitted by Joe Crowe on Tue, 2014-11-18 06:38

Seems to me this whole "vinyl resurgence" can be very self serving. Specifically I am talking about cheap digital recordings being poorly mastered, cut, and stamped to provide a vinyl version for the "true aficionado". True 'snobbish and uninformed collectors" I would contend as this is a cash grab pure and simple especially when you consider that most of these "true aficionados" are probably listening to the included MP3 download. Worse are the "from the original master tape" types that you have to buy and open to learn they are digital products throughout. Not that some of these aren't good just that I prefer to know what I am buying not what I have bought after the fact. Much like GMO foods. I contend we need some identifier Like the old DDD, ADD, AAD on CDs to clearly spell out their provenance. I had purchased a Hendrix Family reissue of Are You Experienced a little impulsively subsequently I bought the all analogue George Marinos and the difference was huge. I have gotten much better at deciphering the "hype stickers" and probably wouldn't fall for it again but I am sure many others will. This doesn't help the industry as a whole.

vqworks's picture
Submitted by vqworks on Thu, 2014-11-20 11:08

I'm with you 100%, Joe. My wife bought the some Adele CDs and LPs. Both sounded equally crappy. The label (I can't remember the name off-hand) is notorious for dynamically limiting everything it issues. Being that Adele's material was released just a few years ago, my hunch is that it was dynamically limited, then recorded and mastered digitally (often to the point of clipping - I heard it on both formats and initially though my the stylus was mistracking), then just transferred to the CD and vinyl formats.

We do need some type of identifier showing the format of the original recording, mixing, and mastering but I'd say go even further by also identifying the presence of any dynamic limiting. This would make it easier for me to part with my money to buy a "remastered" LP, especially when new pressings are generally not cheap.

Rudy's picture
Submitted by Rudy on Tue, 2014-11-25 16:42

It might be time to get back behind the SPARS code again, or have the vinyl industry get behind usage of a similar unified code, so buyers know what they are getting into. This was used in the earlier digital era so buyers would know how the CD was produced, but with not much "truth in labeling" from most vinyl manufacturers, it is something we sorely need again IMHO.

I feel a blog post coming on soon... ;)

Pennywhistler's picture
Submitted by Pennywhistler on Fri, 2014-12-05 15:09

The music industry is a cash grab pure and simple? Who could have guessed?

mlgrado's picture
Submitted by mlgrado on Wed, 2014-11-19 13:09

How about DSD? High Resolution PCM is wonderful. But not all of the files available on HDTRACKS are native PCM. Quite a few (Pentatone comes to mind) are sourced from DSD masters. Statements about formats are anything but safe, but I think it is reasonably safe to say that the 'best' version of any album is its native version.

I think getting into Vinyl is wonderful, HDTracks, but the lack of DSD downloads is a MAJOR hole in your business model.

Joe Crowe's picture
Submitted by Joe Crowe on Thu, 2014-11-20 11:30

Looks like Acoustic Sounds are carrying the torch for DSD so far. The jury is still out for me. The ones I have downloaded exacerbate my tinnitus the way music recorded at 44.1/16 does and that pure analogue and higher resolution PCM does not. Not a show stopper yet as I am unable to D/A DSD at its' highest rate so it would be unfair for me to condemn it until I can. If I get to hear the highest bit rate and it still affects my ears I will write off DSD but not before. The tinnitus thing is interesting as it has allowed me to identify digitally recorded LPs that I thought were analogue. Careful investigation revealed the truth. It's not pleasant but is relatively objective.

Russo7516's picture
Submitted by Russo7516 on Fri, 2014-11-28 05:16

Whole Foods in Red Hook has an area for vinyl . Barnes and Noble now offers vinyl

Pennywhistler's picture
Submitted by Pennywhistler on Fri, 2014-12-05 15:05

Durante used to say "Everybody's WANTS TO get into the act!"

SHEESH.

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