The label that is going out of business for selling high-priced vinyls is trying to save itself with... high-priced vinyls? Clearly no one is taking my suggestion to heart.
Just now, Hydra Head announced they were going to release a bunch of expensive and limited edition merchandise in an effort to alleviate some of their debt. Among the merchandise includes some smaller items like a $3 sticker and a $10 three-cd grab bag, and larger items like $3,333 for HHR's entire collection on CD and $10,000 for a "Hydra Head Office Spree + Disneyland vacation". All sorts of things exist in between, including Isis' 12xLP vinyl box set for $350.
Ironically, HHR admits that high-priced, yet artistic packages for albums was a "financially unsound approach to running a label." Yet that same model might save it?
That being said, the limited edition poster does look pretty sweet. And I'll probably throw in a couple mystery grab bags.
Also, last week Hydra Head announced they were throwing a benefit concert with The Austerity Program and the premier of Blood, Sweat & Vinyl--some documentary that's about the indie music world.
Will this be enough to save the label? I highly doubt it. Especially if HHR only gets $5 of every $12 ticket. If the venue only has a 440 person capacity, that's only $2,200 total.
I'm positive HHR made more in the 20 minutes it took for the repressing of Botch's We Are the Romans to sell out than they will make in this one night. At $30 for 450 copies, that's $13,500. IN JUST 20 MINUTES.
I'm all for saving Hydra Head, but this benefit show doesn't seem like it will even make a dent in their debt.
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