KINGSTON, Jamaica – In the age of Spotify and Amazon Music, streaming is the way to go if artists want to reach a wide audience. But there are some acts, like Jamaican desmond the songwriter, who still pitch their product the old-fashioned way.
The singer/songwriter has sold vinyl copies of his 2020 debut album, Happiness is Priceless, at record collector shows for the past two years. The response has been so strong he has not let up.
desmond the Songwriter
“When I released my first album in 2020, I pressed 4000 CDs only, and shortly thereafter I started getting requests from fans at shows and at record collector shows for vinyl records. I also noticed that most record stores only sell vinyl records and so I realized then that if I wanted to get into the stores I had to carry vinyl records,” said desmond the songwriter. “I decided to sell them independently because when I contacted all the major distributors especially the ones that specialized in reggae music, they all told me, ‘don’t call us, we will call you’. So I was left with no choice but to sell it myself directly to fans and to 174 stores across 48 states and four countries.”
Happiness is Priceless has some credentials. It was named as one of the 50 albums of 2020 by the British magazine, Pop. That kind of acclaim has made it easier for the Kingston-born artist to sell it to respected music industry figures like Tom Lounges, owner of Tom Lounges Record Bin stores in Indiana and host of a popular radio show on NPR.
Record collector and Disc Jockey Tom Lounges with his vinyl copy of Happiness is Priceless, debut album by singer desmond the songwriter.
According to desmond the songwriter, he sold the entire initial stock of 1,000 copies of Happiness is Priceless. There have been orders for another 1,000.
Some of the shows he has shopped the album at are Keystone Record Collectors shows in Pennsylvania, the Long Island Record Collectors Shows and the Tarrytown Record Collectors Shows.
While streaming is the go-to platform for contemporary acts, vinyl has been the most resurgent format of the past 10 years. Superstars such as Adele, Drake and Taylor Swift have released songs and albums on vinyl.
Given the favorable buzz for Happiness is Priceless, desmond the songwriter is considering putting Another Guess Coming, his second album, on vinyl.
“Ultimately, demand from fans will dictate what I do,” he said.
