Roots singer Milton Blake is looking to tap into the thriving vinyl market with the re-release of his album, Temporary Obstacle, on that format. It was released digitally six years ago.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the Rastafarian artiste cited two reasons for giving Temporary Obstacle a second run — a global demand for vinyl music, and requests from his fans.
“I set up a pre-release order link on my Bandcamp page, and orders have been placed. With that, I acted immediately, sending Temporary Obstacle to the pressing plant,” he said.
Temporary Obstacle, which has 12 songs, is Blake’s third album. It is produced by Lloyd Dennis for Pickout Records, a British company known for producing songs such as Cover Me by Tinga Stewart and Ninjaman, and True Love by Conrad Crystal.
The past 10 years has seen a resurgence in the vinyl market, which, since the 1980s, gave way to the compact disc, DVD and digital formats. As demand grows, record companies have released vinyl albums by leading acts such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Tupac Shakur and The Beatles.
Blake launched his recording career in the early 1990s when there was still a big reggae vinyl market. While there was a dip in sales, he said it always had a niche following.
“Vinyls have never been out. The sales slowed down due to the enforcing of downloads. Many selectors/DJs found it more convenient, not having to carry the boxes of records anymore,” Blake noted. “Yet, there are many other selectors who just play vinyls only.”
The dreadlocked Blake, who is from Clarendon, was raised in Central Village, St Catherine. He migrated to the United States in 2009 and has made a name in the Midwest touring with his River Nile Band.
— Howard Campbell
