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I’ve been using posters for the in-store displays which are beautiful, but were missing something. They weren’t really letting people actually try the product in the stores, which was unfortunate, because the functionality of the frames is such a big part of the product. So I used the poster as the base inspiration, and I basically shrunk it down to the size of a record album cover. So now, the poster actually sits inside the frame, so people can actually try the product in the store.  And notice the new pictures featuring the album Now, More than Ever by Jim Guthrie.

I will be calling some more stores early next week as soon as the posters come back from the print shop, so hopefully the frames will soon be available in select stores across Canada and parts of the US soon.  If you have any suggestions for the in-store poster, shoot me an email, or a comment on facebook. Thanks for reading!

I’m new to this whole advertising and marketing game for these record album frames, and to be honest, it’s a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I put together my first animated gif for the lp frames and I thought I would show it off to the world wide webs.  Again, many props go to Giulio for helping me out with some graphical magic and tips.  If you have ideas on how to get the word out there (where to advertise, design ideas, etc), let me know.

Jim Guthrie is one of my favorite singer / songwriter’s ever.  It’s honestly a crime that he’s not as well known as he should be, because there are very few artists who can write a melody as catchy as he can.  The reason I contacted Jim is because I was thinking about making some new packaging for the frames, and I wanted to have the artist’s permission, and I figured that it might be tough to get Kurt’s approval (and I’m not sure that a seance would hold up in court).  I was very excited to receive an email reply from Jim saying that he would be willing to give me permission, and was free to meet up for the record swap and he even had a bit of extra time to talk music with a fan.

The picture included here is of Jim holding his 2003 masterpiece Now, More Than Ever sitting nicely in one of our frames (and the background picture is actually one of Jim’s own photographs).  This album is a great early example of the “indie rock + orchestral arrangements = pure awesome” formula, which has seen a huge amount of popularity in recent years with the likes of Sufjan Stevens and the Arcade Fire.  We actually chatted about Jim’s connection with the Arcade Fire during a brief tour for Now, More Than Ever when they opened for him for a few dates.  Owen Pallett, who is responsible for the string arrangements on Now, More Than Ever, all of the Arcade Fire albums, and many more, actually met the Arcade Fire through Jim at these dates, which is a neat little tidbit of Canadian indie rock history.

Jim was also kind enough to offer me a copy of the Human Highway album (Moody Motorcycle), which also has an incredible album cover in it’s own right.  It is a beautiful piece of musical work as well, so I would definitely recommend checking it out.  Overall, I was completely overwhelmed by Jim’s kindness, especially with his time, and it was great to talk about all sorts of things both music related and otherwise (he’s currently working on music for an independent iPhone game called Sword & Sworcery, which should see release soon).  Like I told Jim that day, one of the main reasons I’m in this frame business is so I can have a legitimate excuse to sit and talk music with fellow fans and musicians alike.  If you’re interested in hearing more of Jim’s tunes, you can check out his first two releases here, or check out his homepage for a complete discography.

In case you’re curious, I brought Jim a couple albums for the swap (vinyl for vinyl seemed right) which I thought he may not have heard before, namely, Paradise by My Disco, and Sound on Sound by Bill Nelson’s Red Noise.  Hopefully he will dig them.

*Edit* I forgot to mention that the Now, More Than Ever reissued vinyl edition is only available from a U.K. label called 3 Syllables.  But Jim also drops off a few records periodically in Toronto, so be on the lookout (they go quickly).

Here’s a shot of me chatting up a customer at the musical collectables show in Mississauga.  We had a great time talking to a lot of music lovers and record collectors.  And to be honest, I was a little overwhelmed by all of the positive feedback for the frames.  Thanks to everyone who took the time to stop and check out our product.

There is an incredible amount of vinyl at these kinds of shows, so if you’re just getting into vinyl records, these shows are a great place to jump start your collection.  And for those who have been collecting records for sometime, they are the place to go to fill those gaps in your collection.  There is often a noticeable lack of new vinyl, but the sheer amount of wax there should satisfy any vinyl enthusiast.

Hello Internet!

The LP frames are ready for your enjoyment and can be purchase in the online store.  Presently we are shipping to Canada and the continental United States.  I’m a little saddened by the shipping costs from Canada, but what can I do..  My goal is to bring you these frames as affordably as possible, but  big business always wants to have a piece of the action making it difficult for the little guy (and I’m referring to actual big business, not the amazing rock band from Los Angeles / Seattle area).  Well, nothing has stopped me so far, so I hope to overcome these issues and figure out a way to reduce these costs over time.

I don’t really have a picture to post with this news announcement, so I thought I should commemorate this fine occasion with one of my favorite rock pictures.  My friend G, the real Big Business, and me (Nashville, 2005).

This picture comes courtesy of none other than my friend Giulio – the graphical mastermind behind the RoW logo and our in-store poster.  I was over at Giulio’s last weekend playing bass in one of his phenomenal Twin Beaks sessions, and dropped off some frames.  He didn’t waste any time putting a fine selection of records on his wall, and sent me this pic.  I commend him on his choices – especially Captain Beyond and King Crimson.  Something tells me that In The Court of the Crimson King is going to be a popular album to frame.  What a bad ass cover!

I know these frames are still babies (only three weeks old – how cute!), but I invite any of you out there in the internets to send me a link to some of your own ROW pictures (via facebook, or otherwise) and I’ll be sure to post them.

I just got back from visiting some record stores in southern Ontario with my friend Paul, and I’m pretty excited about all the positive feedback I’m receiving.  I’m proud to include Orange Monkey Music in Waterloo, Encore Records in Kitchener, and Diamond Groove in Dundas to our list of retail locations.  I’ve never been to Orange Monkey in Waterloo, but what a hidden gem!  Vince is super friendly, and has an amazing assortment of records and merchandise (next time I’m in there, it’s going to be impossible to leave without one of the many kick ass t-shirts he carries).  Highly recommended.  Diamond Groove in Dundas, Ontario is another store I’ve never been to before.  It’s actually a ‘double store’, with one half serving up mostly new, and often hard to find, vinyl records (and a healthy selection of amazing box sets).  The other half of the store is called Alternative Audio, and they carry all sorts of super high-hi audio equipment.  All of these stores, and more, can be found on our store locator page.