Record Store Day, August 29, 2020 in London. The vinyl buyer is not just a 55-year-old white guy, says Matt Harmon, president of Beggars Group U.S.
Early last year, executives at the New England music chain Newbury Comics were discussing pulling back on vinyl, thinking the format’s comeback might have run its course. Then, during the pandemic, sales picked up, thanks to a new kind of customer: young people. The pandemic totally remade who the vinyl customer was, says
Carl Mello, Newbury’s brand engagement director. Teenagers who haven’t had to move yet don’t know the pain of moving vinyl, so they’re the perfect people to collect it.
By RYAN BORBA
Brands have become an increasingly important part of putting on live music in recent years, and perhaps no more important than in 2020. Brands and event producers alike need each other to help continue the music and reach their core audiences. No better example may be present in 2020 than the Camping World Concert Series of free concerts featuring top country artists.
Hosted by Ambassador of Country Music Shawn Parr and streaming from Sept. 15 to Nov. 24, the series put on by the network of recreational vehicle retailers racked up 7.4 million views across multiple platforms, with major artists including Zac Brown Band, Chris Young, Alabama, Sugarland, Lady A, Martina McBride, Ricky Skaggs and Steven Curtis Chapman, Brett Young, Little Big Town and Amy Grant and Vince Gill, the final performance of which took place Nov. 24 and racked up 1.14 million views. The lineup rivals many amphitheater or fair lineups, giving a much-needed platform to artists who are almost alway