The potential outcome of shelving: Vinyl Theater
The state of today’s music industry is rife with a plethora of bad practices and immoral companies infesting the business. One amoral strategy commonly used by these companies, one that sucks the metaphorical souls out of artists and their music, is called “shelving.” Companies practice shelving when their ideals or desires for a project aren’t met, and as a result, delay the project’s release until the artists make the changes the company sees fit. It’s a strategy that stifles artists’ room to grow or properly promote, ensuring the production of riskless, soulless cash grabs. Unfortunately, I believe the alternative rock band Vinyl Theater is one of many victims of this practice.
Formed in 2012, it took Vinyl Theater two years to sign with Fueled By Ramen LLC, a prominent American record label best known for signing bands like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Twenty-One Pilots, Panic! at the Disco, and Grandson.
One would think that the record label allowing Vinyl Theater to open on tour with the likes of Twenty-One Pilots during the release of their first album, Electrogram (2014), would put them ahead of the game, but unfortunately, that was not the case.
I must disclaim that when I say Vinyl Theater was shelved, it is mere speculation, as there is no direct way to prove this group's suffering derives from the act of shelving. The stunted release of Vinyl Theater’s second album, Origami (2017), is my main support for this theory. One of the prolific indicators being that the album was not accompanied by any music video releases or notable promotion beforehand, thus significantly dimming its overall traction to returning or potential new fans alike. Another reason I believe the band was shelved lies in a rumor suggesting that either Paramore or Fueled By Ramen LLC forced Vinyl Theater to hold their album release date in an attempt to prioritize Paramore’s album After Laughter (2017). Neither of these rumors are confirmed, though, as they possess little validity outside of certain online spheres.
One year after the release of Origami (2017), Vinyl Theater left Fueled by Ramen LLC to release music independently. They recently released their single “More Than Friends” (2023) for a small yet loyal fanbase that remains more akin to the individuality of their music before Origami (2027).
The shelving Vinyl Theater might have faced after “joining the big leagues” is a sad story as, in my opinion, they had already been producing genuinely good music. It’s clear why Fueled By Ramen LLC picked them up; the synths and guitar solo in their song, “Breaking Up My Bones,” along with the pop-influenced singing and powerful drumming on the breakdown, give the song a unique energy. Additionally, their song, “I Need You Here” contains soulful instrumentals leading into the chorus, and “If You Say So” has a powerful narrative undertone.
A simple answer as to why Fueled By Ramen LLC parted ways with this innovative group is that Vinyl Theater didn’t have the luck. I’m taken aback by the unfairness of the music industry—not every debut album needs to be a success, not every single needs to be an instant classic, and not every band even needs to succeed. If everyone succeeded, no one would. While they may not have suffered the worst of conflicts between artists and their labels, Vinyl Theatre’s experience is a tragedy that shouldn’t be ignored.
Vinyl Theater is available to listen to on all standard streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) Give them a chance where their first record label didn’t!