Saw this very cool post from my buddy Mark Morton and had to share it here for everyone’s enjoyment. In the post, Mark and a panel of heavy hitters from the industry take a look at the renewed popularity of vinyl, specifically the metal genre, and the overall impact that it is making in the world of metal.

Kudos to Pat Egan for making mention of the exorbitant prices that some labels are charging for new vinyl. I totally agree, and appreciate all of the labels that ARE doing the right thing by embracing and supporting the format, without socking it to the consumer in the final price.

I’d also like for all pressings to come with a CD or MP3 download. Oh, to dream!

Here’s an excerpt:

To commemorate this year’s Record Store Day, I have coordinated a round-table discussion with several record label executives and got their opinions on the resurgence and collectability of heavy metal vinyl. Participating in this discussion are Paula Hogan (General Manager, CANDLELIGHT RECORDS USA), Austin Stephens (Director of Sales, ROADRUNNER RECORDS), Pat Egan (Director of Sales, RELAPSE RECORDS), Tracy Vera (Senior VP, METAL BLADE RECORDS), and Simon Füllemann (General Manager, METAL BLADE RECORDS GmbH).

HEAVY METAL EXAMINER: What do you think of the resurgence in the interest in metal vinyl?

PAULA HOGAN (PH): Vinyl and metal I feel is a “taste” fans never lose interest in. Metal is, for the most part, always a genre that is a consistent seller regardless of fashion or trends. Sure it has its peaks and lulls, but it is always there. With vinyl, the packaging, oftentimes special artwork is something that feels so much more personal and unique in your hands versus a CD and the unphysical nature of the mp3. I think the resurgence in vinyl popularity is a combination of elements. First, as noted, is the uniqueness and the natural excitability factor of having a special/limited edition piece of your favorite band, but second, the continued argument of labels and artists about the accessibility CDs give to illegal downloading, which for vinyl is far more limited.

AUSTIN STEPHENS (AS): Vinyl in general has made a huge comeback, relatively, compared to other physical formats. As far as metal as a genre for the format, I think there is something to be said for the level of musicianship that compliments the genre, and though vinyl is still a product line that appeals to a much defined niche consumer, its growth is undeniable.

PAT EGAN (PE): The renewed interest in vinyl may be a passing trend, but in the metal world it has never gone away. At Relapse we never stopped pressing vinyl (unlike most of our peers). We knew all along that the metal fans loved the packaging that you can’t get from a digital download or even a CD. There’s something to be said about pouring over the liner notes inside a record, or how awesome that new Baroness cover that John Baizley did. The major labels are already starting to screw up the vinyl format again, by over charging fans for a standard record. I mean $29.99 for the new Paul McCartney Fireman LP? Way to f*** the people who are actually willing to PAY for music. Sure there are 2 LP’s in it and it may be 180 gram, but that is just pure major label greed.

TRACY VERA (TV):It excites me and I love it.

SIMON FULLERMAN (SF):It is cool again to collect vinyl and, since you can buy record players with USB connection everywhere, this is an easy tool to put vinyl on your portable players.

Check out the entire discussion here, and visit Mark’s great website!

Related: The new Chimaira album The Infection hits stores on Tuesday, and will be available on picture disc vinyl (pictured above!) – Grab your vinyl copy right here! The album is also available in multiple formats here, and autographed copies can be obtained via Newbury Comics.