Updates and Shine vinyl release! FINALLY!
Hello all! It's been awhile since I've updated this and I wanted to resurface this petition in the hopes that we'd see some more updates. Luckily, we have! But I also wanted to come here to update you all on some other information.
Good news is it looks like the petition may have caught steam with record companies! Joni's 2007 album, "Shine", which would become her last album to date, has just gotten a release on vinyl that was officially released on Friday April 3rd! The album was released by Craft Recordings. It was originally released under a label owned by Starbucks back in 2007 called Hear Music. It has since gone defunct and was bought out by Concord Music, a subsidiary of UMG (Universal Music Group).
This album is unique as it is so far the only album in Joni's discography that is not owned by Warner Music Group. Most if not all of Joni's albums are now owned completely by Warner including her Reprise recordings from 1967-1971, her Asylum recordings from 1972-1980, her Geffen recordings from 1981-1991, as well as her Warner/second iteration with Reprise/Nonesuch recordings from 1992-2002.
Unfortunately, since this petition was created, last year a news article surfaced that claimed hundreds of thousands of recordings were destroyed in a fire in 2008 at Universal Studios. Joni Mitchell's name was mentioned in the roster. It is unknown which recordings exactly were destroyed and how much of these recordings were destroyed.
To add insult to injury, as I'm sure many of you know, the COVID-19 outbreak has unfortunately impacted vinyl pressing plants as well as record companies. Amazon, a large contributor to the sales of vinyl and physical music in general, announced last month that they were prioritizing essential items and thus reducing their shelf space for music and more for items such as cleaning products, hospital supplies and food. This, of course, is far more important than records at this point as, as of writing this update, the virus has continued to spread here in the United States and may be a good while before it shows any signs of curving and being contained.
However, I am going to reopen this petition in the hopes that once the dust settles, we'll see some more Joni albums getting a release! With the release of "Shine", it seems that our chances are getting much higher! So I still have hope that we can make this happen! After all, in these trying times, music is our safe haven, our refuge and our calm through the storm for many of us right now.
Please share this petition and continue to spread it through the Joni Mitchell fanpages and discords throughout social media! I appreciate those who have signed and have shared this petition! I look forward to seeing this petition make the rounds even more and hopefully we'll see some more of these great latter-career Joni recordings get the wax treatment!
Please stay safe, wash your hands and stay home as much as you possibly can during this pandemic.
Thank you all!
Tyler Day
PS: I am adding a link to the Shine vinyl release! :)