Oslo bands Leonov and Duplex have both released LPs on vinyl, and have gained some experience that they share with you here.
/ 27/11/2015 / codexText: Willy Martinsen/TONO
For many of those who pay out of their own pocket to release an LP on vinyl, it's probably more about emotion than business. This is especially true for the two bands we've spoken to here, Leonov and Duplex.
– Happy in physical formats!
Post-metal band Leonov was founded in Oslo in 2010, and released their first album in 2014. They used the independent indie record label Kokeplate for the digital release, but they paid for the vinyl out of their own pocket, and without the help of the record company. The band has five members. Vocalist and keyboardist, Tåran Reindal, gets warm in her voice when she talks about vinyl. She almost sounds moved:
– We are very happy with physical formats! Several of the band members collect LP records. There is something very special about having your own music in your hands. The sound is so nice, and not least you get the visuals, combined with the music. Everything becomes so big, and very nice, when the music is on vinyl. And then it's about preserving the music, and vinyl lasts a long time. I really like the idea that someone can browse through vinyl in 20 years, and find our record there. That our music can become a little physical treasure for someone, the way I feel about the vinyls I find. That idea is a bit magical!
Guitarist Ole Jørgen Reindal believes the physical format provides a stronger overall experience:
– One of the problems with streaming services in particular is that you forget what you've listened to. You can really dig an album for a while, and then when you put it away, it's all too often over. With physical, you get an ownership relationship with the music and the band. That, and the physical and visual reminder, makes it easier, and more rewarding, to stick with good music, he believes.
The band finds it quite expensive to print LPs, mostly because you typically have to print a minimum of 250 copies. They also say it's a long and time-consuming process, and there's a lot to keep track of. Still, they have no doubt that it's worth it:
– It's so nice to have that record in your hand! We think there's great value in people having the opportunity to buy, and collect, our music. Also, the economics of this are more concrete than in streaming. The money comes faster, and in that sense it's also more satisfying, concludes Tåran Reindal.
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The two gentlemen in Duplex, Christian Meaas Svendsen and Harald Lassen, met at the Norwegian Academy of Music and have now played together for five years. They have released two albums, both digitally and on vinyl. The last vinyl release they paid for out of their own pocket.
Duplex managed to find a supplier who could print as few as 100 copies, and they have done so. And thus the LP is a "limited edition", and thus quite exclusive.
– Why vinyl?
– I think vinyl is so cool, and I'm not alone in that opinion. The format has had a renaissance, and by being on vinyl, our music also reaches a listening audience that is interesting to us. Plus, you create a topicality, with a limited edition, says Christian Meaas Svendsen.
It has been a demanding but fun process to release vinyl yourself, he says:
-The process is fun, but there is a lot to understand. For example, we did the design ourselves, and had to make sure that all the formats etc. were correct for printing and so on. But it wasn't difficult, he says, and says that he also received a lot of good help from the various services he was in contact with: - We used Mobineko for printing, who were both very helpful, and who were also able to print fewer than the usual minimum limit of 250, so that we got the 100 we wanted. In total, we spent just over 10,000 kroner on printing LPs. There was a bit of customs and stuff in addition, but it wasn't a deterrent, he says.
Leonov
Follow Leonov at https://www.facebook.com/Leonovband/
Vinyl can be purchased at Tiger in Oslo.
They can also be streamed, and you can find them by searching for the band name.
Duplex:
Follow Duplex on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/duplexlassensvendsen
Vinyl can be purchased at Tiger and Big Dipper
The music can also be streamed, use the search string "duplex lassen svendsen"
