Sex & drugs & Arctic roll
Sainsbury’s launches own vinyl record label
SAINSBURY’S is cashing in on the retro vinyl craze by launching its own record label, with the first two compilation LPs going on sale tomorrow.
Own Label is the first supermarket record brand and the £18 albums feature middle-of-the-road tracks from classic LPs, such as Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, Easy by the Commodores and Elton John’s Song for Guy.
Bob Stanley of indie pop band Saint Etienne put together the 20-track double albums, Hi-Fidelity: A Taste of Stereo Sound and Coming Into Los Angeles: A Taste of West Coast, with favourites from the 1960s and 1970s.
Pete Selby, Sainsbury’s head of music, said: “Our exclusive Own Label records have been carefully tailored towards the inquisitive, cultured tastes of our customers.”
The record sleeves have a retro feel and feature artwork from original Sainsbury’s packaging created by its design studio between 1962 and 1977.
The albums, created in partnership with Universal and Warner Music, will be available in 168 stores. While grocery shoppers looking for Bread, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Orange Juice will be disappointed, the West Coast album does feature The Flying Burrito Brothers’ cover version of Wild Horses. It also has hits from Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac and The Mamas & The Papas.
Sainsbury’s has sold almost 300,000 albums on vinyl since 2016. The chain already has a 70% share of the supermarket vinyl market and accounts for 5% of total UK sales. Despite the rise of music streaming services, the British vinyl market increased by 37.6% in the first six months of this year, to £37.3million.
Nine years ago, just 205,000 vinyl albums were sold, but last year sales hit three million, a 25-year high.
Mr Selby said: “Love of vinyl shows no sign of abating, so alongside the classic albums, we want to offer our shoppers something they won’t find anywhere else.”