My name is Stefania, I am a girl living in Italy - Tuscany - a very small village you have surely never heard of. I am writing, not hopefully bothering you, as I had the big luck yesterday to meet Nick Coleman (Fantastic person, one of the best encounters ever in my life) on his visit at my workplace - Frantoio Franci, a top extra virgin olive oil producer.
It happened that Nick and I, discovering by chance a common interest (say, obsession) in music/records/vinyl, spent one hour or so talking and talking about it and he eventually was so nice to give me your e-mail address, encouraging me to write you this message.
With these lines, I would just like to tell you that, even if living in a small and isolated place with no near access to music/record stores nor to major live shows, I have contact with a very vivid music scene made of passionate and talented musicians who highly prefer recording vinyl than CDs, of little labels that focus on recording mainly or only (!) vinyl, of people who crave enjoying the great vibe of vinyl albums. Some may call it “underground/alternative" scene, but I find categories most annoying: I prefer saying that there is still a part in this world where a big big passion for music making and enjoying goes together with a growing enthusiasm about vinyl recording, purchasing, collecting, loving.
Vinyl is still alive and kicking!
I hope this will make your day a little brighter.
Thank you for everything you do.
All the best,
Stefania
This letter brightened up my day. Background: Nick Coleman is my unofficial "godson". I've known him literally since he was born back in the 1980s. Watched him grow up. He spend time working for me. He is a musician—graduated from The Berklee College of Music and produced and performed the music on both of my DVDs.
He traveled throughout Europe one year and in Tuscany fell in love with olive oil. He's created a unique niche for himself as the oleologist at Mario Batali's Eately in New York City. He's as into that as we are into vinyl. So this letter just completes the circle for me and after HP's passing (and that of another friend this week unexpectedly), this letter certainly brightened up my day so I thought I'd share (apologies for the stock photo).
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COMMENTS
Thanks for sharing this Michael. And my condolences to you regarding the passing of your friends.
I was in Tuscany this past Spring with my now ex girlfriend. I think maybe I'll go back to track down Stefania so that I may marry her. Olive oil and vinyl? Done.
and thanks for sharing this great message from Italy. I love the way she described her passion for music. Sometimes I think Americans are just so uptight we cannot verbalize like that. Refreshing for sure.
Every time I see beautiful rustic photos of the countryside I immediately start humming the second movement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
should have a brighter day after reading this heart-felt letter.
and thanks for sharing that. There's a vinyl scene in France, too - check out Paris Jazz Corner: http://www.parisjazzcorner.com/
I have to share. We know that our niece wants a turntable. Little does she know that we got her one for Christmas. As a 25 year old who torrents every bit of her music and video entertainment for 'free'... certainly one of her lousy tattoos should be of a pirate. She has no stereo, just a Mac and iPad, so the table is an entry level Audio Technica AT-60 USB type that she'll be able to use on her Mac and small powered speakers. Hopefully this will influence her to buy used records. It will be the first time she'll actually paid for music in her life.
It's a serious question: How to convince some folk that musicians deserve to get paid? Is the refusal to see that just greed or is there some measure of ignorance (never mind the terrible power of peer pressure)?
I started thinking it over. My daughter played the violin early and appreciates all kinds of music. I see her dancing all over the place listening to her iPod while she streams music fromiTunes radio. It makes me feel good inside every time I watch her having so much fun. I found myself hung up trying this tube, that tube and listening to micro differences in the same dozen or so albums. I have since limited myself to one change a year to my system and purchase a lot more albums. I'm finally back into enjoying music again. For many, I think this is a system hobby and not a music listening experience. I know I have gone to several listening groups locally. In one group, we would meet every month. Every time we went there, some system component was different and we listened to the same tracks over again.
In the end, who is the one enjoying music, my daughter or the die hard audiophile? The piracy thing is another issue. However, if they are allowed to legally stream, people ar going to partake.
I saw Lyn Stanley sitting by herself by the lounge and stopped to say "hi". She talked for a good 15 minutes. What a lovely, approachable person she is. Did I mention she was lovely? Well, it's worth stating twice.
First, thank you Michael for hosting such a marvelous site. The discussions are so often insightful, thoughtful, and even humane. Could this really be the comment section on an internet site?!
Any way, as far as paying for music... I have often checked out CD's from local libraries and then ripped them right to my library. Once, several years ago I checked out a disc by Fiona Apple. Loved it so much I purchased everything else she's ever put out. I've often discovered artists that way, perhaps adding a freebie to my drive, but often I'll subsequently buy music that I would otherwise never have known about.
I opened a bakery and cafe a few years ago and, being the audio nut I am, installed a great sound system for our guests (and production crew too, of course!) I did what few owners of independent little cafes do: bought a license from ASCAP so I'm actually paying some royalties there too. (At least theoretically). A fantastic addition to my place earlier this year was a turntable! There are pics over on Audiogon (Virtual systems, search for Village Baker) It's an upgraded Rega; the 24V motor, new subplatter, Incognito wiring, etc. The cart is an Ortofon 2M Black. Our customers really respond when I spin records, usually old jazz and the kind of smoothish rock that evokes fun youthful times. And people just bring me records. The other day there was a box of LP's from someone who didn't even leave a name. In it was a box set of Glen Miller, Readers Digest, from 1968. IT WAS UNPLAYED! It still had cellophane! I'm no collector, so I didn't even try to find out if it has any value. I know many people would handle it with silk gloves and put it up somewhere. But I opened and played them last Sunday. Our customers loved it! So many comments from the, uh... older.... people. It's all so much fun.
Again, Thanks for all you do!
Reading the comments by Paul and Jazzfan, it got me to thinking. About musicians getting paid. I won't get into all the horrible contracts that exist between Apple and recording companies that pay the musician even less than ever. I'm talking about those who copy music, or stream, or borrow from the library and burn copies. I'm guilty. But the majority or my music is on vinyl or CD, I do not own a music server or have a computer attached to my rig. BUT! A vast number of my albums, CDs, are used. The musician got paid the first time that record was sold, but he got nothing from my second hand purchase. I've got tons of records I got for 50 cent or a dollar at flea markets and second hand shops, back before this new interest in vinyl. Now, used records have a hefty price it seems, if they are in fair shape. But my point is, is buying used records any different than an unpaid digital downloads? Should I buy all brand new records to be sure the artists is getting his cut? Where does us used record buyers fall on that scale of wrong doer's? Forgive me if I don't feel very guilty.
Sorry for being off topic
The Grateful Dead's attitude ... once its out there in the air, its fair game. I have thousands of vinyl records, mostly bought used at thrift stores over the years, and also I've purchased my share of used records at record stores as well. My attitude is, when we are buying used, we are buying another person's trash. Only trash to them, of course. Then there's the history of the CD. When it first came out, vinyl records disappeared almost immediately from the stores ... and we were FORCED to buy an inferior product at robber prices. I have no qualms about ripping a friend's CD on my Teac CD burner for my own use ... just as I have no qualms about ripping a good vinyl record to CD or cassette tape for playback in my car, which has a Mark Levinson sound system.
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