Russ Solomon, founder of the legendary Tower Records chain, died on Sunday night, while drinking whisky and watching The Oscars. Solomon, 92, died from a heart attack, his son, Michael Solomon, told the Sacramento Bee.

Here Sunny Stuart Winter sat down to chat with Dr. Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, author of Why Vinyl Matters about the longevity of the format's resurgence, it's subcultural capital, and the strong connects which it has with fans.

The price of vinyl  is continuing to soar, with many new records costing upwards of $40. Used vinyl prices are also hitting unbelievable highs. Here we look at some of the most expensive releases sold in 2017.

In the current music economy, a robust merch section is key when it comes to making money on tour. While t-shirts and albums are obvious, we here look at four important but commonly overlooked items that are must-haves at the merch table.

While streaming has become the dominant form of music consumption, the road to get here was a complex and varied one. Here we look at the history of the physical music formats, dating back as far as the 1870s, and how it led us to where we are now.

Given everything that the music industry's been through, it's understandable that the word "free" can often evoke a negative reaction when dropped in music business circles. That said, however, judiciously applied giveaways can yield decidedly positive results in the long run.

Bandcamp marked its 6th straight year as a profitable company in 2017 with revenue and usage on the indie music platform rising by double digits across multiple categories, including the sale of physical goods. Industry wide, physical goods sales fell 20% last  year. 

Music streaming has changed how people discover and consume music forever, as well as rejuvenated the recorded music industry after years of decline. But its growth came at the expense of a vital income stream for artists and labels - music sales in the form of both physical goods and paid downloads. 

When it comes to selling physical copies of your album, packaging is king, with many records having been sold based on looks alone. Here we look five artists who took packaging to the next level when preparing their music for sale.

Online music database and vinyl marketplace Discogs has raised $2.5 million. The additional funding comes from former  Warner Music Group board member Jörg Mohaupt, who will join the company's board of directors. 

As we dive into 2018, it's important to take a look back at some of the music consumption data from last year which shows an unsurprising bump and streaming, as well a rise overall.

[UPDATED] With the rise of streaming, the job of producer has declined to a much less lucrative position, as many producer deals are built around physical sales. Atlantic Records has found a way to cut into this limited revenue further, however, by retitling some albums as 'mixtapes' or 'compilation albums,' writes Bobby Owsinski.

How much will consumers pay for music? A new survey conducted by MusiComms of 5,000 consumers across all demographics and regions in the United States offered some surprising, contradictory and yet hopeful trends amoun music fans. A new MusiComms surveyed asked 5000 U.S. consumers  questions like:

Despite their turbulent sales histories and brushes with obsolescence, print on paper books and Swiss watches have both managed to make impressive rebounds and have of late shown steady profitability. Here we look look at some important takeaways that could potentially apply to the music industry.

In a year end post filled with the usual irreverence and a deep-in-its-DNA love of music, Bandcamp Engineer Ben Walker shared impressive and unusual 2017 stats for the popular indie platform.

Although some may album art is a dead medium, it appears 2017 didn't get the memo. Here David Deal looks at some of the most memorable album covers to be released in 2017, and what the artists were trying to communicate with them.

In this piece Joe Rinaldi reflects on the state of the live music industry, and how the rise of the streaming age and the drop off in retail sales has further increased the necessity of live performance for artists looking to make it in the music industry.

SoundScan, a tracking platform owned and operated by Nielsen, allows artists to get a close and detailed look at how their music's sales are performing on a week by week basis in both retail and non-traditional marketplaces.

Black Friday sales reports from the Coalition Of  Independent Music Stores are in  and they were universally positive, according to Michael Bunnell, CIMS Executive Director. Less comprehensive data showed an up day on Small Business Saturday, as well.

Much like the recorded music industry, record stores are making a comeback. While the gains are modest, some new stores are opening successfully with a mix of vinyl, merch, used music and more. One independent chain has grown to 82 stores, fueled by the vinyl resurgence and guided by technology. 

In an effort to close the value gap, Taylor Swift has taken advantage of her industry position and utilized a variety of techniques in the marketing of her albums, making particularly smart use of 'windowing,' writes Chris Castle.

In the case of artist Bob Seger, retail and plays on AM/FM radio are not sufficient for fans, and streaming provides a better way to match fans with the music they might enjoy. Here we look at some of Seger's numbers to see how streaming has allowed him to access a broader scope of listeners.

LyricMech is bringing song lyrics to merch on a massive scale. Remember those lines in songs that say it all, simply and perfectly? Now fans can emblazon these lines on t-shirts, caps, mugs, and even shower curtains - and do it legally in way that also makes money for their favorite songwriters and artists.

Taylor Swift's new album "Reputation" topped 1 million units on Tuesday morning, less than 5 days after it's release. More retail outlets are due to report throughout the day. First day sales for Taylor Swift's new album "Reputation" topped 717,000, according to data gathered by BuzzAngle Music.

In an effort to capture maximum Swift Dollars, the popular singer's legal team has been outdoing themselves by attempting to  to copyright multiple key phrases from Taylor Swift's lyrics, and "swiftly" bringing down the hammer on any unlicensed fan made goods which feature them.

With November well under way, the sleigh bells are already ringing out, and holiday classics will soon dominate the airwaves, but for all the music played around the holidays, is releasing new holiday music really that profitable for the creator?

[UPDATED] First day sales for Taylor Swift's new album "Reputation" topped 717,000, according to data gathered by BuzzAngle Music. "She's got a shot at 1.5M for the week given this," says BuzzAngle CEO Jim Ledestri. That makes it the biggest first day release so far in 2017.