The Cost of Vinyl
According to TechRadar, vinyl record sales dropped 33.3% between 2023 and 2024. Before I dive into the substance of this, the reporting outlet must have taken a slight liberty with the 33 1/3 percentage drop, right? I mean, what are the odds that the vinyl sales dip would equate precisely to the RPM speed of an LP?
Anyhoo, Carrie Marshall writes:
I love vinyl, and in a world where streaming CEOs have a higher net worth than almost any musician in history, I want to support artists directly by buying their stuff. But like many music fans, I’m buying a lot less now because I simply can’t afford the prices being charged.
I love vinyl, too. And supporting artists directly is important to me; it’s why I migrated away from using streaming services. However it’s very hard for me to justify spending $30 - $50 for a vinyl record, therefore I’ve been buying more digital downloads from Bandcamp lately.
My hope is that all of this is pointing toward a reaction in the vinyl market, after which we might get a settling of the supply and demand forces. I’d love to support more artists through the purchase of physical media, but it will be hard for most people until the prices come down.
At XOXO a few weeks ago, Erin Kissane proposed that we – people of the internet – come together to brute-force a fix for the broken social internet. It’s a wonderful, thought-provoking talk that has me fired up to help create a better internet for future generations.
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Running trails in Western Pennsylvania in the Fall can be glorious. Crisp temperatures, bright sun and fall colors combine to create ideal running conditions. That said, hitting the trails this time of year can also be somewhat treacherous. The changing leaves are beautiful, but the falling leaves cover the single track, concealing the rocks and roots underfoot.
I’ve been running in this area for years, and I know this. As I was cruising the White trail in North Park yesterday, a hidden rock caught my toe and I went down hard. Head first. Superman style. The fall left me with a nice gash on my knee and trail rash on my shin, hip and forearm. My right side, which took the brunt of the impact, is quite sore today.
Luckily I’ve learned how to fall to minimize significant harm. Had I not ‘tucked and rolled,’ this one could have been much worse. Broken wrist, probably. A fall like this comes with the territory of trail running, and is a good reminder to stay present and mindful with footfalls this time of year in the northeast.
Interesting take from Marty Cagan on the topic of Product: Art or Science:
There can be real art and beauty in the engineering, real art and beauty in the design, and real art and beauty in the solutions we build, and this beauty can contribute to the value and desirability of our products.
I’ve always considered product management to be ~ 70% science and ~ 30% art, and over the years that’s been a somewhat controversial opinion. It’s cool to see Cagan acknowledge this important blend of perspectives.
Choice Cuts for Bandcamp Friday
Heads up! Tomorrow is Bandcamp Friday, where Bandcamp waives it’s fees and passes those funds on directly to artists and labels. Here are a couple releases that have caught my interest and will probably make their way into my collection tomorrow:
Dulling the Horns by Wild Pink: Just. Wow. The guitar tones on this record are so interesting. Fuzzed-out and warm like a fleece blanket on a winter day. And the songwriting is so good.
H. E. Double Hockey Sticks by The Hell Hole Store: I really like the vibe of these guys, who are based in Philadelphia. Dope rhymes and sick beats. Wit wiz.
Hurricane Relief by Jon Charles Dwyer: This is a benefit release and Dwyer is donating all his proceeds to the Hurricane Helene relief efforts throughout Appalachia. Tomorrow is a good day to maximize your support.
Exhaust by Pyrrhon: These guys are from NYC and they are siiiick. Epic blast beats, tasteful breakdowns and full-on goblin mode vocals.
opaque by Mo Dotti: Dreamy shoegaze from this LA-based outfit. Jangly guitars and thick tones back reverb-soaked vox. Feels like this one would be good late at night with some bourbon.
sentiment by Claire Rousay: This came out earlier this year, but I slept on grabbing it. I guess you could consider this singer-songwriter? The arrangements and production are so interesting though, so I struggle to pigeon-hole it.
I’m lucky to work on a product team that builds solutions in close partnership with our users. David Allison (engineering lead on our team) describes our process on the REI Engineering blog. This approach creates such a high signal to noise ratio, and it shows in the work we are able to deliver.
Finished reading: Filterworld by Kyle Chayka 📚
This book scratched the right itch for me at precisely the right time. It affirms my choice to walk away from corporate social media and go all-in on the indie or open social web. Chayka’s thesis asserts that proliferation of algorithmic recommendations flattens and homogenizes culture. He weaves a detailed thread from the origins of algorithmic thinking in ancient times, through the early days of Facebook’s News Feed which brought algorithms into every home, through the current algorithmic landscape that feeds from people’s time and attention at every turn. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in mindfulness & digital culture.
Facing tremors, insomnia and pain, Pittsburgh-based artist John Peña searched for answers — and came to blame the noxious air in his neighborhood. Read John’s amazing chronicle of his shifting ailments captured through several years of daily sketches. (via PublicSource; support independent media!)
The Outdoor Inclusion Coalition is hosting it’s first annual BIPOC Climbing Festival. Taking place November 8-10 in New River Gorge National Park, the festival’s mission aims to bring together BIPOC climbers to build meaningful community in nature. Looks like a fantastic event with great guides!
Welcome to town, Pittsburgh Riveters! It’s great that we are adding a pre-professional women’s soccer team to our city’s incredible sports legacy. Our family is looking forward to supporting when the season kicks off next spring.
Update: Dani on Bluesky rightly pointed out that the Riveters are not a professional team, but rather a pre-professional team in the USL W League. This post has been updated to reflect that detail.
I am not a huge baseball fan (my Pirates are forever cellar dwellers), but what Shohei Ohtani did last night was something for the ages. Cresting fifty home runs and fifty stolen bases in one season, via a 3 home run (10 RBI) game. Unbelievable.
Can we all agree public libraries are awesome? Whenever I walk into a library, I feel a profound sense of calm. This photo essay by Brian Sholis highlights some really interesting library spaces from all over the world. BRB…I’m going to go update my travel bucket list to include some of these.
William Peterson breaks the Long Trail FKT and becomes the first person to complete all 272 miles in less than 4 days:
On the morning of September 1, William “Sisyphus” Peterson reached the Vermont-Massachsetts border and set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Long Trail. Peterson completed the route in 3 days, 21 hours, and 10 minutes, breaking John Kelly’s previous record of 4 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes, 50 seconds. Stretching 272 miles (437.74 km) through the state of Vermont, the Long Trail climbs 67,000 feet (20,421 m).
I got out for a nice little sunrise city rip this morning. The weather has been absolutely perfect here for getting out on the bike lately. This is Pittsburgh’s Color Park, a short stretch of river trail on the city’s south side where graffiti and street art abound.
