VINYL SOLUTION: The picketers in front of...

VINYL SOLUTION: The picketers in front of Aron’s record store in the Fairfax District the other day weren’t demonstrating against apartheid or contra aid, but to “Save the LP.” The rally, organized by Rhino Records, was held to lament the fact that LPs have--according to one recent survey--slipped behind compact discs in gross dollar volume and are now the No. 3 configuration for recorded music. (Cassettes have been out front for several years.) Said Rhino President Richard Foos, “We’re not trying to stop progress or change the world . . . but we would like to see equal opportunity for all configurations.”

Rhino has also created a new label, Rampage Records, which specializes in hard rock and metal acts. The label’s first release is a sampler album, “Pure Rock,” featuring 10 local bands chosen in a contest with Long Beach radio station KNAC-FM.