The vinyl reckoning: Council’s $21,000 record stash
It’s a record collection any vinyl junkie would be proud of – and it cost Wellington Central Library $21,000.
More than a decade after it ditched its last records, the library has mirrored the cultural shift back to vinyl and invested in a new collection for borrowers earlier this year.
Details revealed under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act show Wellington City Council spent $14,800 on the records, $2796 on bins to store them in, $749 on a turntable, and $2330 on cardboard sleeves, all from within an existing library budget.
Slow Boat Records assistant manager Jeremy Taylor said he gave a few tips to a Wellington City Libraries representative when they visited the Cuba St store earlier this year, looking to cater for a diverse range of tastes.
‘‘In an age where downloading and streaming is so rife, it represents a return for those sort of people wanting to hear an album from start to finish ... to really appreciate the love and time and care that goes into making an album,’’ Taylor said.
‘‘My only concern is that people are aware of how to handle a record properly . . . not thinking they’re going to play DJ and do the old wiccy-wiccy [record scratching] back and forth.’’
Nationally, vinyl sales rose 116 per cent from 2013-14 – a total of $1.7 million in revenue last year.
A council spokesman said an extra $10,000 a year could be spent on adding to the collection, depending on its popularity. In the first six weeks, records had been issued more than 600 times.
‘‘The popularity of formats may decline so that they form a smaller part of the collection, freeing funds to spend on alternative content. Cassette tapes are an example of a format we no longer provide, and CDs are declining in popularity.’’
All local suppliers of the records provided discounts of between 10 and 20 per cent off the retail price.
The Taxpayers’ Union, which requested the figures, criticised the spending as wasteful.
Spokesman Matthew Rhodes said the council should focus on providing essential services and infrastructure in a cost-effective manner, ‘‘rather than funding a few hipsters’ vinyl obsession’’.
‘‘Why the council would waste precious library money on a collection which is unlikely to last needs answering.’’