Tucked away in the hills of North Carolina is the city of Asheville, a cultural center of abundant pleasures. With a recent construction in tourism, the city is full of artists and independent places. A rich history is filtered through the music scene, closely related to the traditions of Appalachia in which the city was raised.
At the center of downtown’s dominance is a gigantic three-story art building that in the past served the Asheville Citizen and Asheville Times and WWNC newspapers. The radio station “Wonderful Western North Carolina” was born in 1927, welcoming “father of country music”, Jimmie Rodgers, on the same level the same year. Over the next decade, regional musical traditions spread with their suppliers as they fled Appalachia en masse, searching for paintings in major cities. Bill Monroe made his third-floor construction debut in 1939, presenting the world with a new sound that popularized as “Bluegrass”.
CEO and music industry veteran Gar Ragland announced this month the revitalization of this iconic space, revealing his new identity: Citizen Vinyl. The historic site will serve as an urgent vinyl shop, a record store and a local bar and café. Citizen Vinyl is proud to become the first record urgent plant in North Carolina, its project goes beyond high-quality manufacturing.
Ragland, a North Carolina local, ended his career leaving Brooklyn for Asheville eight years ago. The movement was driven through an invitation to register on the network surrounding Echo Mountain Recording, the city’s first-class studio. The record manufacturer and owner of NewSong Records enrolled in NPR’s Mountain Stage 19 years ago, co-founder of the NewSong Performance and Songwriting Competition.
From the days of the Dave Matthews Band of Charlottesville to his graduate paintings at the New England Conservatory, Ragland has captured the industry comprehensively. After all these years, he discovered that his hobby lies in the progression of artists. His rating exposed him to the demanding situations and frustrations of distributing vinyl records and put him on the global path.
Ragland and his “ideal team” of professionals and craftsmen are determined to streamline record production in a manageable and available way. Its purpose is to succeed in independent artists and leading labels in a similar capacity. The three-hundred production minimum is incredibly low for foreign competitors. Citizen Vinyl’s internal technical dynamics create new opportunities for emerging artists of low value, while bringing together the desires of the largest stamps up to 35,000.
Ragland’s plan to cultivate vinyl call in the middle of a global pandemic is not as damning as it seems. From his point of view, Citizen Vinyl comes to life amid what he believes to be an artistic and fashion revival. According to their deep market research, vinyl sales have increased to 11% this year alone. Ragland attributes this building to the recreational due to the insulation. He correlates the broader resurgence with what he called “digital fatigue.”
“As human beings, we are born to settle for almost everything online, which is convenient,” Ragland said. “We were also born to recognize that just because you can do it on a device, convenience doesn’t guarantee satisfaction.”
This conclusion is supported by knowledge that a resumption of sales of Moleskin board games and magazines appears. In the same spirit, he discussed an increase in market attendance through farmers. Ragland’s main concern, however, is whether this movement is a trend or not.
“Did you know I was coming back, but I wondered how long it would last” in vogue? “remembered his initial doubts.” I am firmly convinced that vinyl will be the main physical music product of choice, at least for the foreseeable future,” Ragland continued with confidence.
He explained the disappearance of the CD without merit of competitive sound to the convenience of transmission. As a physical product with a utilitarian aspect, the customer is also not motivated through the artistic element, so the call has evaporated. While some say the fashion world is a society that only transmits, Ragland does not feel threatened by services. Instead, he sees it as a contributor to vinyl sales.
“Streaming gives you the opportunity to preview an album and if you’re able to dig deeper into it,” he said. “I’m a proud user of Spotify, I never apologize. In fact, I use it more for my attention wishes than for vinyl,” he continued, adding: “There’s no way I’m a purist. But there is a very vital position in my life and my lifestyle to pay attention to vinyl, it is when I need to live a joy, it is a more tactile and attractive date with music and artists.
He described the procedure of bringing the vinyl disc home, tearing the retractable film and conscientiously hitting the needle as a “initiation rite”. To take a look at the photos, broadcast the cover representation as the album passes through the deliberately decided track list.
“It’s a general immersion in this multisensory delight that transmission doesn’t offer and that CDs don’t offer,” Ragland insisted. The growing demand for less vinyl-related themes as a medium, and more towards a broader cultural trend that came down from 21st century romance with virtual technology.
The expansion in popularity has exceeded the industry’s ability to make records. Ragland saw this business opportunity as the “project of his life.” “It’s transparent that the industry wants a quality boost, and Asheville is a glorious position for that. Our network loves music at home, going to exhibits in our big places and shopping for groceries at local record stores. The tourists we attract are culturally adventurous ».
The team plans to capitalize on Asheville’s annual pull of about 12 million tourists by offering factory tours. Retail components will include an on-site record store, a Hi-Fi craft cocktail bar, and a farm-to-table cafe. Citizen Vinyl and Session bar/cafe plans to open on a limited capacity basis starting mid-September.
In the wake of a turbulent period, Citizen Vinyl hopes to serve as a networking hub for independent artists. Multifaceted construction plans are filled with album listening nights, rotating art installations, lectures and music history seminars.
For more information, visit www.citizenvinyl.com.
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