Presslab Records

Presslab Records have recently opened their music store, with purchases via Paypal at the lower-than-Beatport price of USD$1.45, bless their souls. One drawback: Flash interface. But they do have their complete back catalog available, which is interesting. Most (good) House DJs will mainly play newer records. Unless its a really special record or really fits in the mix, most DJs don’t play older stuff, older than one or two years. Sometimes older people who used to buy, I dunno, Credence Clearwater Revival or something on vinyl come over to my house and see that I have vinyl. Naturally, they assume that it must be all old Bob Dylan records, so they dive right in, only to be terrified and confused that I have no records made before 2002. Sometimes they cry a little or curl up into a fetal position in the corner, which is understandable. When I encounter something new and different that isn’t mentioned on my favorite sitcoms, I do everything in my power to block it out of my mind.

Jokes aside, why do DJs have a bias towards new music? My theory is that its because of the economics of vinyl distribution. House is a very, very niche market. Few people listen to House, even fewer become DJs and buy records, so as a record label, you can’t afford to print extra copies of records that won’t be sold, and a record store can’t afford to keep quantities of records on the off chance that someone will come in and buy them. There’s also a limited pool of talent to draw from, and a DJ wants to differentiate himself from the crowd. Playing old stuff that the crowd has already heard is not going to do that.

The economics of internet distribution radically change all of these parameters. The cost of distribution lowers the barrier for new record labels to enter the market, and drives the cost of stocking older titles to nearly zero, so they will be more available. The costs of music production technology has fallen dramatically, causing a flood of new producers on the market competing with each other to drive the average cost of a track down. I’m hoping that the knowledge that your tracks will be available for years to come and the growing financial pressure to take advantage of that availability will conspire to cause producers to create music with more enduring value, and that that new future-orientation will carry over into the EDM culture at large.