Vinyl instead of a postage stamp: an unusual rarity
In the 1970s, the Kingdom of Bhutan issued postage stamps made in the form of mini vinyl records. After almost half a century, they remain the subject of interest of many collectors. We will tell you how the record labels appeared, and talk about another unusual vinyl.
Photo by Will Fisher / CC BY
The author of the idea of these postage stamps was the American Bert Kerr Todd (Bert Kerr Todd). While studying at Oxford in the late 1940s, he became friends with the future Queen of Bhutan, Kesang Choden.
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After graduating from university in 1951, Todd received an invitation to the wedding of Kesang in Bhutan. At that time, the country was almost unknown in Europe and America, and Bert was one of the first tourists from the West. During the journey, he became close to the royal family and fell in love with the culture and traditions of Bhutan.
Since Todd was from a wealthy and influential family, the King of Bhutan offered him to become an adviser who would advise the government on finance. The American agreed, and the kingdom needed his help in the late 1950s.
Due to territorial disputes with India, Bhutan could not get a loan from the World Bank, which the state needed for the development of transport and medicine. Todd offered to make money in an alternative way - the release of unusual brands that will attract the attention of philatelists from around the world.
The country began printing stamps with innovative designs in 1966. In Bhutan, for the first time in the world, signs of postal payment made of gold foil and silk, stamps with a 3D effect, with a smell and bas-reliefs printed in plastic appeared. In 1972, they were added to the world's first brand in the form of records.
“Speaking postage marks,” as they were called upon release, looked like tiny multi-colored plates with a diameter of several centimeters. They were designed for ordinary players and were published in the standard format of 33⅓ revolutions per minute - however, many "turntables" could not reproduce such a small record to the end.
The mini-vinyl was recorded on the national anthem of Bhutan , folk music and a story about the country's history - in the official language of the Dzong-Ka kingdom or in English (the latter was voiced by Bert Todd himself).
Stamps quickly became popular: about 300 thousand sets of seven pieces were sold . However, the real demand from collectors, they began to use only in the last decade.
If in 1993 the set of “talking marks” was sold for 28 pounds, then in 2015 its minimum price was already 300 pounds (about 26 thousand rubles). According to collectors, this is due to the increasing popularity of vinyl in recent years.
Since 1972, the brand-plates have not been re-released, but the concept was waiting for a renaissance in the 2000s. The daughter of Bert Todd, Francis Todd Stewart, together with the Kingdom of Bhutan, created the world's first brands in the form of miniature CDs with a diameter of 80 mm. In total, two batches were released: in 2008 and 2009.
Videotapes about the history of the royal dynasty of Bhutan were recorded on discs - the stamp issue was timed to coincide with the centenary of family rule.
Photo by Julieta Álvarez Leal / CC BY-SA
Modern vinyl collectors "hunt" not only for vintage vintage formats - today there are many unusual records.
Some musicians release vinyl of unusual shape. For example, in 2016, the British group Sugar Coat created the world's first plate-puzzle, which the owners had to assemble independently before drying. Other non-standard records were also produced: vinyl with a smooth surface and vinyl decorated with artificial fur are known.
Sometimes manufacturers change not the form, but the material from which the carrier is made. In 2012, French electronic music producer Breakbot recorded their single on chocolate vinyl. In the same year, the Swedish group Shout Out Lords released a record of ice: they did not sell the records themselves, but the form for creating them at home.
Another unconventional material in the plates is liquid. Musicians Jack White and Worthless released a multi-colored solution vinyl. There are also cases when the plates were filled with real blood. For example, the group Flaming Lips has released ten such carriers, for which famous musicians have become “donors”: Nick Cave, Erica Badu and Chris Martin. The money from the sale went to charity.
Some records are remarkable not by their material or form, but by accompanying technologies. Brian Eno and Carl Heyde released a vinyl edition with an AR-based smartphone application that, when the camera was pointing, created three-dimensional moving patterns on a record.
The growing interest in rare records and the desire of musicians and producers to surprise buyers with unusual solutions for vinyl indicates that the media is gradually regaining its former popularity. Sales of records are beginning to outperform the indicators of other physical formats: experts estimate that in 2019 in the United States, vinyl sales will exceed sales of CDs.
The main reason for the growing popularity of records is the feeling of the "materiality" of music. Half of the vinyl buyers are people under 25 who grew up in the digital audio era. Listening to records for them becomes a kind of ritual that helps to feel the work invested in the creation of compositions.
Vinyl itself becomes not just a carrier, but an art object worthy of collecting. Therefore, in the near future, rare and unusual records will continue to appear on the music market.
On March 30, Audiomania will hold an Academy of Vinyl in St. Petersburg. Participants are expected by theory and practice, master classes and live listening equipment. Representatives of iconic brands in the vinyl market will give tips on working with turntables and records.
For example, Alexey Kalinichev from Pro-Ject will share his experience with the choice of “turntables”, and the CEO of the German brand Clearaudio Robert Suha will tell you what tools are required to fine-tune the player (and when you can do without them).
The event will be held in the conference hall of the hotel “St. Petersburg” at 5/2 Pirogovskaya Embankment - directly opposite Aurora. The ticket costs 300 rubles. You can buy it on our website . The number of places is limited .
Additional reading - from the “Hi-Fi World” and the Telegram channel:
Go
Vinyl is back and it's different
Go Porsche made a tire disc from the winner of the race Le Mans
6 interesting gadgets for vinyl
How filmmakers use vinyl in movies
Photo by Will Fisher / CC BY
History of stamps
The author of the idea of these postage stamps was the American Bert Kerr Todd (Bert Kerr Todd). While studying at Oxford in the late 1940s, he became friends with the future Queen of Bhutan, Kesang Choden.
')
After graduating from university in 1951, Todd received an invitation to the wedding of Kesang in Bhutan. At that time, the country was almost unknown in Europe and America, and Bert was one of the first tourists from the West. During the journey, he became close to the royal family and fell in love with the culture and traditions of Bhutan.
Since Todd was from a wealthy and influential family, the King of Bhutan offered him to become an adviser who would advise the government on finance. The American agreed, and the kingdom needed his help in the late 1950s.
Due to territorial disputes with India, Bhutan could not get a loan from the World Bank, which the state needed for the development of transport and medicine. Todd offered to make money in an alternative way - the release of unusual brands that will attract the attention of philatelists from around the world.
The country began printing stamps with innovative designs in 1966. In Bhutan, for the first time in the world, signs of postal payment made of gold foil and silk, stamps with a 3D effect, with a smell and bas-reliefs printed in plastic appeared. In 1972, they were added to the world's first brand in the form of records.
What were the brand plates
“Speaking postage marks,” as they were called upon release, looked like tiny multi-colored plates with a diameter of several centimeters. They were designed for ordinary players and were published in the standard format of 33⅓ revolutions per minute - however, many "turntables" could not reproduce such a small record to the end.
The mini-vinyl was recorded on the national anthem of Bhutan , folk music and a story about the country's history - in the official language of the Dzong-Ka kingdom or in English (the latter was voiced by Bert Todd himself).
Stamps quickly became popular: about 300 thousand sets of seven pieces were sold . However, the real demand from collectors, they began to use only in the last decade.
If in 1993 the set of “talking marks” was sold for 28 pounds, then in 2015 its minimum price was already 300 pounds (about 26 thousand rubles). According to collectors, this is due to the increasing popularity of vinyl in recent years.
Since 1972, the brand-plates have not been re-released, but the concept was waiting for a renaissance in the 2000s. The daughter of Bert Todd, Francis Todd Stewart, together with the Kingdom of Bhutan, created the world's first brands in the form of miniature CDs with a diameter of 80 mm. In total, two batches were released: in 2008 and 2009.
Videotapes about the history of the royal dynasty of Bhutan were recorded on discs - the stamp issue was timed to coincide with the centenary of family rule.
Photo by Julieta Álvarez Leal / CC BY-SA
What unusual records are coming out now
Modern vinyl collectors "hunt" not only for vintage vintage formats - today there are many unusual records.
Some musicians release vinyl of unusual shape. For example, in 2016, the British group Sugar Coat created the world's first plate-puzzle, which the owners had to assemble independently before drying. Other non-standard records were also produced: vinyl with a smooth surface and vinyl decorated with artificial fur are known.
Sometimes manufacturers change not the form, but the material from which the carrier is made. In 2012, French electronic music producer Breakbot recorded their single on chocolate vinyl. In the same year, the Swedish group Shout Out Lords released a record of ice: they did not sell the records themselves, but the form for creating them at home.
Another unconventional material in the plates is liquid. Musicians Jack White and Worthless released a multi-colored solution vinyl. There are also cases when the plates were filled with real blood. For example, the group Flaming Lips has released ten such carriers, for which famous musicians have become “donors”: Nick Cave, Erica Badu and Chris Martin. The money from the sale went to charity.
Some records are remarkable not by their material or form, but by accompanying technologies. Brian Eno and Carl Heyde released a vinyl edition with an AR-based smartphone application that, when the camera was pointing, created three-dimensional moving patterns on a record.
Vinyl in modern times
The growing interest in rare records and the desire of musicians and producers to surprise buyers with unusual solutions for vinyl indicates that the media is gradually regaining its former popularity. Sales of records are beginning to outperform the indicators of other physical formats: experts estimate that in 2019 in the United States, vinyl sales will exceed sales of CDs.
The main reason for the growing popularity of records is the feeling of the "materiality" of music. Half of the vinyl buyers are people under 25 who grew up in the digital audio era. Listening to records for them becomes a kind of ritual that helps to feel the work invested in the creation of compositions.
Vinyl itself becomes not just a carrier, but an art object worthy of collecting. Therefore, in the near future, rare and unusual records will continue to appear on the music market.
On March 30, Audiomania will hold an Academy of Vinyl in St. Petersburg. Participants are expected by theory and practice, master classes and live listening equipment. Representatives of iconic brands in the vinyl market will give tips on working with turntables and records.
For example, Alexey Kalinichev from Pro-Ject will share his experience with the choice of “turntables”, and the CEO of the German brand Clearaudio Robert Suha will tell you what tools are required to fine-tune the player (and when you can do without them).
The event will be held in the conference hall of the hotel “St. Petersburg” at 5/2 Pirogovskaya Embankment - directly opposite Aurora. The ticket costs 300 rubles. You can buy it on our website . The number of places is limited .
Additional reading - from the “Hi-Fi World” and the Telegram channel:
Go
Vinyl is back and it's different
Go
Porsche made a tire disc from the winner of the race Le Mans
6 interesting gadgets for vinyl
How filmmakers use vinyl in movies
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/443676/
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