Vinyl (2012)

In the year 2004, Johnny Jones, a faded punk rocker from the vibrant 80s, orchestrates a boozy reunion with his former band, Weapons of Happiness, at an old friend's farewell. Driven by a spark of inspiration, he creates a comeback single, "Free Rock 'n' Roll," certain of its potential to set the charts ablaze. However, the merciless music industry, hell-bent on favoring youth over talent, dismisses Johnny as a washed-up relic. The executives and DJs, gatekeepers of success, are quick to condemn him for not fitting into their neatly packaged demographic. Refusing to bow to such prejudice, Johnny crafts an ingenious scheme. He hires a crew of camera-ready, market-friendly teenagers to be the poster faces for his song. His ploy? Trick the industry into embracing him, only to reveal the truth once the single achieves its destined success. The teens convincingly lip-sync to his beats, contracts are inked, and just as Johnny predicted, "Free Rock 'n' Roll" charts its way into the UK singles list. But victory comes with its own set of complications. The rest of the band, craving their share of recognition for this collective triumph, stirs up a storm. An explosive clash between Johnny and bandmate Minto unleashes their secret to the press, and suddenly, Johnny is thrust back into the limelight. A media circus ensues, and he finds himself wrestling against the industry's ageist and biased norms that once spurned him. Now, he must navigate this tumultuous landscape, all while holding on to his hard-earned success.

Vinyl is a comedy movie featuring Phil Daniels and directed by Sara Sugarman.

Vinyl is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Freevee, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, The Roku Channel and Tubi TV.

It is also possible to buy Vinyl on Amazon Video.