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Finding A Place In The Record Business -MP3 Puts Huge Dent In Vinyl Distribution Market
Published: Friday | September 3, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Vinyl is on both sides of Lucas Corthésy at his Cap Calcini offices, 58 Dumbarton Avenue, St Andrew.
Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer
There are still some offices, especially much older, more heavily trafficked ones, which have vinyl on the floor. Cap Calcini's 58 Dumbarton Avenue, St Andrew, office has vinyl on the shelves. Lots of vinyl.
Of course, there is a world of difference between vinyl made to protect the flooring from feet and vinyl designed to be put on a record player and move feet on the floor. Cap Calcini has an estimated 300,000 seven-inch pieces of the latter, plus there are 187 album titles, with about 20 to 50 copies of each in stock. There are a few CDs, but the shiny discs are overwhelmed by vinyl records.
Fifteen years ago, when he lived in Portland, Lucas Corthésy packed his first box of records on his verandah and shipped them out of Jamaica. Those 500 pieces of vinyl went to
. When The Gleaner visited him on Tuesday afternoon, Germany was on the day's delivery list, but so was Japan
], Mexico, Slovenia, Brazil, Belgium, the ]USA and France. Still, despite the obvious expansion in his distribution network, Corthésy says Cap Calcini has contracted significantly in more recent times.]
"In my heyday it was nine of us," Corthésy said. He estimates that they were shipping an average of 3,000 records a day, occasionally hitting a peak of about 20,000. Among the distribution network were 40 stores in France, and some 50 - 60 in Japan. Now there is just himself and one other filling orders, which come in by e-mail and fax. There is also an e-Bay outlet for the second-hand and collectibles market, which Cap Calcini has got into.
"The stores have been closing because of the MP3 being given away. Why should people buy what they are being given free?" Corthésy asked. "We can put up a fight against CDs."
Added to that is the short shelf life of many dancehall songs. "You have it today, three weeks later it does not mean anything. Apart from a few hits, they do not have any shelf life." He points out that his company has worked a few dancehall songs, among them Vegas' Tek Weh Yuself, "but in most cases dancehall is not a sound investment".
Apart from volume, there is another striking difference between the early days in Portland and the large distribution operation that Cap Calcini has become. Then Corthésy was into distribution only, buying new records and reselling them. The first client's request was that none of the records[should be over 15 days old.
The titles on the boxes of vinyl indicate a dramatic shift in focus. Among them are Johnny Clarke's Blood Dunza, Striker Lee, Bun Bagga Wire, by Dillinger, Don't Play That Song For Me and Return of Jack Sladeby Derrick Morgan, Version]Ska (Tommy McCook) and Ken Boothe'sOld Fashioned Way.
He is into second-hand records and collectibles, getting the vinyl from persons who go door to door and buy records as well as persons who approach him directly. Corthésy has also got into the re-issue business, among them tracks from the Sure Shot imprint, a Treasure Isle sub-label. Phyllis Dillon's The Hands of Love is one of those releases.
One of the more striking - literally - projects is coloured vinyl reissues in striking colours. Dennis Alcapone's Spanish Omega on the Inbidimts Records label coming in hot pink is one such reissue. "Is to show some love for the business. You have to have presentation," he said.
"As time goes by I put an accent on old records and reissues. I try to do some dub as well. In Jamaica, there is no demand for dub, or very little. Outside Jamaica, ska, rocksteady, dub are hot sellers. You just can't get enough of that stuff," Corthésy said.
"That's the thing about old hits. You don't sell them today, you will sell them tomorrow. They cure already. I am working old hits, really a niche market. I built up a store which is old hits and hard to get stuff that is not too much on the market, that has stood the test of time."
"In my heyday it was nine of us," Corthésy said. He estimates that they were shipping an average of 3,000 records a day, occasionally hitting a peak of about 20,000. Among the distribution network were 40 stores in France, and some 50 - 60 in Japan. Now there is just himself and one other filling orders, which come in by e-mail and fax. There is also an e-Bay outlet for the second-hand and collectibles market, which Cap Calcini has got into.
"The stores have been closing because of the MP3 being given away. Why should people buy what they are being given free?" Corthésy asked. "We can put up a fight against CDs."
Added to that is the short shelf life of many dancehall songs. "You have it today, three weeks later it does not mean anything. Apart from a few hits, they do not have any shelf life." He points out that his company has worked a few dancehall songs, among them Vegas' Tek Weh Yuself, "but in most cases dancehall is not a sound investment".
Apart from volume, there is another striking difference between the early days in Portland and the large distribution operation that Cap Calcini has become. Then Corthésy was into distribution only, buying new records and reselling them. The first client's request was that none of the records[should be over 15 days old.
The titles on the boxes of vinyl indicate a dramatic shift in focus. Among them are Johnny Clarke's Blood Dunza, Striker Lee, Bun Bagga Wire, by Dillinger, Don't Play That Song For Me and Return of Jack Sladeby Derrick Morgan, Version]Ska (Tommy McCook) and Ken Boothe'sOld Fashioned Way.
He is into second-hand records and collectibles, getting the vinyl from persons who go door to door and buy records as well as persons who approach him directly. Corthésy has also got into the re-issue business, among them tracks from the Sure Shot imprint, a Treasure Isle sub-label. Phyllis Dillon's The Hands of Love is one of those releases.
One of the more striking - literally - projects is coloured vinyl reissues in striking colours. Dennis Alcapone's Spanish Omega on the Inbidimts Records label coming in hot pink is one such reissue. "Is to show some love for the business. You have to have presentation," he said.
"As time goes by I put an accent on old records and reissues. I try to do some dub as well. In Jamaica, there is no demand for dub, or very little. Outside Jamaica, ska, rocksteady, dub are hot sellers. You just can't get enough of that stuff," Corthésy said.
"That's the thing about old hits. You don't sell them today, you will sell them tomorrow. They cure already. I am working old hits, really a niche market. I built up a store which is old hits and hard to get stuff that is not too much on the market, that has stood the test of time."