Is vinyl making a comeback?
Photo by williamedia
I’m not an aging baby boomer, a die-hard indie rock fan, or a geeky audiophile. But there’s something about vinyl records that I love, and based on growing LP sales, I’m not alone. Could it be that vinyl is making a comeback?
A few Answers users have asked about the resurgence of vinyl, perhaps due to the reappearance of vinyl in some music stores. Major retailers like Fred Meyer and Best Buy are testing vinyl sales, and Amazon.com has its own vinyl section.
To be honest, I’m not surprised at vinyl’s renewed appeal. I first started collecting vinyl as a DJ, but even after switching to digital music for mixing, I still loved digging through dusty bargain bins to find out-of-print novelty records and old classics. Where else can you find forgotten gems like “Learn to Speak Metric” right next to Munich Machine’s disco cover of “A Whiter Shade of Pale”?
I find vinyl has a unique sound, but I’m so used to digital music that I’m not sure whether I prefer one over the other. If you’re interested in the age-old argument of analog versus digital, Answers can provide enough reading material to make your eyes glaze over. For those of you who do own records, Answers is also a great resource for info on converting analog to digital, and on finding, storing, and caring for vinyl.
I don’t think vinyl’s resurgence is simply a matter of analog sounding better than digital music—after all, what’s the chance of cassette tapes showing up in stores again? So what is it about vinyl records that still appeals to so many people?
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I tend to think the entire experience is different. It requires “mindfulness” and slowing down - being stationary. You can’t throw a record on at 75mph on a highway - you can’t even do it while you’re walking. If you eschew the auto needle function of your record player (which I don’t but …) you have to be very careful. All of that sets a mood for listening to music. Have you ever noticed that a song sounds different to you in different states of mind? That you notice things you hadn’t before - the vinyl experience is distinct. I’m especially a big fan of listening to old acid rock and “hippie” genre music in their original formats - Iron Butterfly and Mammas and Poppas I wouldn’t even bother cueing the CD player.
Records are coming back. I have been going to punk and hardcore shows for about six years now and I have seen bands start making records instead of cds. Being in a band I know people don’t buy cds anymore. The internet has ruined a lot of things for smaller bands; kids can now get online and download any album they want for free. Records, they are unique, there is only a certain amount pressed, they look pretty, kids collect them. I personally have tons of records and none of them are from a band older that 8 years (other than a Black Flag record). I can name a few bands that have never released anything on cd, only vinyl. In my opinion I think this is awesome, I love records!
this ouestion is weird
I grew up with vinyl and frankly, it’s hard to care for. You have to keep records clean and store them just right or they get scratched and dusty and skip. They’re large and hard to carry around. You can’t play them in your car. You can’t play a lot of them at once unless you want to ruin them. You need bulky equipment to play them. They DO sound nice, I admit. But I don’t think they’ll make a comeback.
I still have my collection back from when I (too) was a DJ. I like to play them sometimes - but the only place I can nowadays is at my parents house because they are the only people I know who still have a record player.
Yes - I do prefer the sound that comes from a new vinyl - but I also like the sound to be the same the first time I play it and the 100th time.
I converted them all to digital files years ago, kept in the crackle, and am now able to revisit them any time I want
I can only hope that vinyl comes back. Despite the size of the media and the propensity for records to get scratched and skip, the audio quality is superb and has a very desirable “old school” feel to it. I prefer records to CDs anyday, as I feel that digital music lacks a warm tonal quality, kind of like the soul of music itself…It’s kind of hard to explain, either you have experienced true vinyl bliss through a good stereo, or you haven’t…
I remember in the mid-90’s when I was in High School that I saw a small resurgence in Vinyl LP’s and singles being sold. The one record that stuck out in my mind was Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy, and that was kind of weird seeing that on a shelf of a local music store…It was a very welcome sight, but it didn’t last. Music stores are a dying breed unfortunately, everyone gets their tunes from the internet or iTunes…
Wouldn’t it be great if a core group of dedicated music enthusiasts pioneered the resurrection of Vinyl LP’s again? That would be so cool. Hey, I am still waiting for the Reel-to Reel revival to come to fruition…Ever hear how good some 1960’s jazz (Miles Davis, late Trane) sounds on 7 inch tapes on an Akai glass ferrite deck? Woooo, thats ecstasy baby….
Bring back the LPs!
I grew up with vinyl (& 8-track tapes!). I love the sound but I never listen to my records anymore. I got rid of over half my collection (but still have about 200). CDs are more convenient. I’ll get around to downloading (legally) someday, but I like to have complete albums and prefer buying CDs to downloading random songs. (For example, you have to hear all of Green Day’s American Idiot album to really appreciate it, even though the individual songs are good by themselves.) I plan to buy a converter and transfer my favorite records to CD/MP3 files. I’ve already bought the CD version of some of them over the years (God bless Amazon).
from what i have been seeing in the stores LP’s are making a comeback and they are being bought as a good rate. i have hundreds of LP’s and an old record player that has just been collecting dust. It;s odd when i go to Goodwill or flea markets i see LP’s for a buck i go thru them and buy all i can. My daughter just loves them she got a record/cd/tape player combo machine for xmas last year and thats all she does is listen to my old music so it’s cool when i can find more for her for a dollar and her friends think it is so cool she even playing my old 8 tracks i have had in storage in my garage for decades.
I have never seen anyone buy a vinyl record at Best Buy, heck, I didnt even know they HAD vinyl at Best Buy. But, I don’t think they will make much of a “comeback”. I think people buy them for the nostalgia quality of them, namely older people.
I am only 16 years old, and I didnt grow up with vinyl. My childhood consisted of vhs/cassete tapes and Nick being on channel 9. Now we have moved on with our DVDs and mp3 players and Nick being on a channel in the hundreds (that’s with satellite). So, I don’t know the quality of vinyl records, and I don’t know the feeling of putting one in and saying “Ohhh, this reminds me of when I was younger…”. I get that feeling when I watch old school pokemon and play outside.
So, in a nutshell, I think this whole thing will pass over soon. It’s just a fad, like those rubber “LiveStrong” wristbands and “emo” (let’s just hope that passes sooner than the wristbands). I’ll give it a few months, and if it doesnt pass, then I will definitly be surprised.
i like yahoo .com a lot. also i like all the features you guys have on the internet. thankyou for lettig me
do the comment.
I wasn’t around when people bought records all the time, but my parents have a record player and still sometimes play records. I think they’re a novelty, sort of make you think of the Beatles or something.
Recently, I bought some blank CDs that have vinyl on the top. There are so many advantages of CDs, but I can see them having more CDs look like records.
It’s all about the covers! Digital music is like sending your mom an e-card for Mothers Day. Me? I like old
fashioned wholesome Hallmark cards… =)
As a music professor, I have dozens of LPs with music I need that will most likely never make it to digital. I use my CD burner, and Cakewalk Pyro software to convert my LPs to digital, either to burn onto a CD, or go straight to the iPod.
There is so much great music on LP, and I agree about the covers. I guess I’m old fashioned, but I just don’t think downloading an album from iTunes will ever bring the young people of today the sense of excitement I had walking back to my dorm room with a RECORD! Then again, they probably don’t get too excited about a long-distance phone call, either!
i dunno but i shure hope so! i LOVE vinyl and im a teenager!
I think so. I actually found some of my parents’ old records, I really like playing with the turntable.
anyone who thinks this question is weird probably shouldn’t be here… too young to understand. i own over 200 vinyl records (just my 33’s, not counting my 45’s) that i collected in my tweens, teens, and twenties. i’m a child of the ’70’s and a teen of the ’80’s and there absolutely is something about vinyl that transports you to another time and place… even the covers, the artistry therein, is something to experience. CD’s are nice, but it’s like comparing a home cooked meal to a TV dinner. records feel positively ALIVE, and each crack and pop gives the song more character. CD’s are cold and clinical. and i agree with a previous poster that the process of putting on a record (even WITH the auto start) forces you to take time and get your mind right, ready for the music to wash over you. i love it. i hope they make a comeback… when i go home to Dayton, Ohio, i always get my vinyl at Gem City Records (Oregon District) or Omega Records (Main Street near Colonel White High School for the Arts), the same two record stores that i frequented in the ’70’s, ’80’s and ’90’s. it’s like going back home and being warmly greeted by old friends who are always glad to see you 0 the people and the records. i’m feeling all warm thinking about it.
Unless someone has a really nice set up, they won’t be able to tell the difference in sound quality between a CD and an LP. If you’ve got a $300 receiver, $150 CD player, $400 speakers, and are using thin speaker wire, then you won’t hear any improvement from playing LPs on a $300 turntable. And after a while, the LPs will get scratched. You might hear a difference, but it will be due to the hardware, not the LP.
A lot of it has to do with preference - I prefer to try to get a true recreation of the sound. Does the sound coming out of my speakers replicate the sound in the studio? I am currently using a HDCD player and the sound is incredible. Pearl Jam’s Live and the Gorge is simply amazing in HDCD.
anyone who thinks this question is weird probably shouldn’t be here… too young to understand. then again, my 15 year old daughter is well-schooled in LPs and knows how to operate a turntable. she knows all the greats, from reggae to funk to pop to r&b, rock, new wave, you name it. she loves Bob Marley, Al Green, Duran Duran, and Led Zepplin as much as she loves Green Day or The Long Blondes (whoever they are). i own over 200 vinyl records (just my 33’s, not counting my 45’s) that i collected in my tweens, teens, and twenties. i’m a child of the ’70’s and a teen of the ’80’s and there absolutely is something about vinyl that transports you to another time and place… even the covers and the artistry therein, is something to experience. CD’s are nice, but it’s like comparing a home cooked meal to a TV dinner. it’s still food, and they both taste good, but one is substantial, made with love, and sticks with you. the other does the job by filling your belly, but that’s all it does. records feel positively ALIVE, and each crack and pop gives the song more character. CD’s are cold and clinical. and i agree with a previous poster that the process of putting on a record (even WITH the auto start) forces you to take time and get your mind right, ready for the music to wash over you. i love it. i hope they make a comeback… when i go home to Dayton, Ohio, i always get my vinyl at Gem City Records (Oregon District) or Omega Records (Main Street near Colonel White High School for the Arts), the same two record stores that i frequented in the ’70’s, ’80’s and ’90’s. it’s like going back home and being warmly greeted by old friends who are always glad to see you - the people AND the records. i’m feeling all warm thinking about it.
great blog, thanks.
LOL.
You’re out of your mind. I graduated from high school in 1969. I’m in the process of converting my bins of LP’s to MP3, along with all my live concert tapes from the 70’s and 80’s. Portability and immortality are where its at. I can put my music on any machine anywhere, anytime. I have it archived on a couple thumb drives in my safe deposit box at the bank. If the house burns down along with my collection, I’m still golden.
Yes, I love the album art, but still.
I like to collect vinyls and stuff, and have played them on my paarent’s friend’s turntables or whatever, but I don’t know if they will make a comeback…there big and, with the internet ruining music as it has, I notice kids my age just don’t have respect for good music, and would probably be to lazy o keep vinyls and keep them clean or even take out the time to play them.
but you can’t play them in your car, either, but i think the older LP generation will get back into vinyls because you feel more involved with listeneing to the music while CD’s are quick and stuff..and just different.
It’s good we have a choice of CD or niyl because CD’s and cd players are more private and stuff, but i see more of people using mp3’s and stuff…i can’t even afford one so i stick to my cheapy CD player, it would be nice to own a turntable though, and enjoy it.
I remember when the local Wal Marts etc…. where I grew up in Ky stopped carrying vinyl around 1989 except for a few times a year they would bring some of it out at discount prices up until about 1991. I was crushed, but I also had/have a love for other analog formats (Cassette, 8 Track, Reel To Reel) so I just made my mind up that I’d get used to only having my vinyl up to that point. Then a few years later I found out that albums such as ‘Come On Feel The Lemonheads’, Spin Doctors ‘Turn It Upside Down’ etc etc etc… were available on vinyl. Since then, I’ve bought countless albums on vinyl, including John Mayer ‘Room For Squares’, Aerosmith ‘Just Push Play’, Van Halen ‘Balance’ - the list goes on and on. Granted, it may not be as big here in the states as it is in say - the UK - yet. But more and more, I’m hearing people of all ages talk about how they love vinyl. I think if it keeps going the way it is, vinyl will be back full force. Maybe not #1 - but very close. I’m 28 by the way.
Yes, vinyl is appearing in more and more products as leather becomes more expensive.
As a longtime audio enthusiast, I have never eschewed vinyl. LPs that are well cared for, a high quality phonograph and cartridge, and a vintage tube amp sound miles better than the supposedly advanced digital era music. Vinyl has a depth of field and a broad soundstage that has not yet been sufficiently replicated in digital. A stream of 1s and 0s just cant do it. The sad thing is that millions of people have grown up on an inferior format, and dont know better. I have a big CD collection, many releases just arent on vinyl of course. When I put on Dire Straits “Brothers in Arms” on my CD player (a VERY god one) and the same record on my turntable, the turntable blows the cd away. Everyone who mocks my stacks of wax gets blown away when I show them the difference.
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It’s quite likely that vinyl is gaining popularity as a direct response to the newly prevalent practise of digital downloading.
Comparing records and mp3’s is a study of contrasts.
Mp3’s are cold and impersonal. They sort of float around in the void, with no distinguishing characteristics beyond the filename.
On the other hand, a piece of vinyl is a tangible artifact, something to hold. Even playing a record is a tactile experience — you clasp the thing on your way to the turntable, and then lift it over to the other side half way through. They are a collector’s dream.
The artwork, lyrics, and liner notes are the best part of the record.
Gatefold covers are my favourite.
Only an ignoramus would think there is something geeky about being an audiophile. Would you call an aficionado of Ferrari “geeky” because he or she prefers the best supercar?
Vinyl sounds better. For that matter, ANYTHING sounds better than MP3s, but Vinyl captures the presence of an actual life performance better than just about any other medium (though a good hi-def surround piece can give it a run for its money.)
As for making a “comeback”… doubtful. There’s no inherent value in vinyl. It’s a inferior medium, since it wears with each playing, and there are hardly enough people interested in expending the money to purchase a good turntable and cartridge to warrant record labels ramping up production.
If sales are up, it’s almost certainly a passing fad. Some celebrity probably showed his retro gear on MTV’s Cribs.
vinyl records sucks, we are past this. you don’t see anyone adjusting rabbit ears for tvs or cranking autos to start them, either.
Records are made from petroleum products, so it isn’t so much a question of if they will make a comeback, but if the consumer will be able to afford them.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that vinyl is becoming more popular at a time when digital downloading is at an all-time high. I think some people are fed up with the anonymity and coldness of mp3’s and want something more personal and tangible.
A record is an artifact — the packaging, artwork, printed lyrics, liner notes all contribute to the overall enjoyment of the album. Furthermore, listening to a record is a tactile experience: vinyl is thick and heavy, but must be handled carefully. The fragility of it also seems to make it all the more precious. And there’s nothing like the sound of new vinyl. It’s warm and full and luxurious, and the “punch” is definitely worth the odd crackle and hiss.
By contrast, mp3’s sort of float around in cyber-space … nothing tangible about them. You lose out on so much by switching to mp3’s, no beautiful gatefold covers, no exhaustive liner notes. What you see is what you get, 128 kbs of binary code. Not to mention mp3’s sound alot more austere and dry than vinyl, which is literally rich and wet.
That you can carry around 200 gb of mp3’s in your pocket now has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Everyone talks about how convenient it is to bust out their favourite tunes whenever they want: on the bus, at work, in the john … but do we really need music to saturate our live like that?
If something is ubiquitous, we tend to appreciate it less — we eventually tune it out. For me, listening to music should be an event, and something you should be prepared to devote yourself to fully in order to reap all the rewards.
That’s another appeal of vinyl: it’s a big deal to listen to a record. Listening to a record is like curling up with a good book: you have to put everything down to do it and just relax.
YES! I love vinyl. Nothing sounds better than putting on an old 70’s or 80’s vinyl album. I’m 22 years old and have grown up basically with the age of CDs and digital music. My dad introduced me to vinyl when I was about 13 and I’ve always preferred it over digital… I love taking my vinyl records and comparing them to the same album on CD and hearing how differently they sound. I just love it!
It’s probably just a fad. Like Emo (someone mentioned above) — kids jump on the bandwagon because they think it makes them look cool.
Vinyl just doesn’t make sense with the way people consume information in today’s on the go, fast-paced world. That being said, I agree about the unique sound; the covers; and the feeling that goes with it all.
PLEASE don’t kill me for sharing this, but when I was a kid (in the 80s) I remember thinking tapes were the cool “in” thing (gotta love that walkman!). I THREW OUT all my records. Yes, you heard me right. I threw them all away. I actually recall breaking some in half and into pieces because I thought it was fun.
Boy, was I a spoiled little brat. I really wish I had them now.
Slightly off topic, I found some of my grandparent’s old 80-track tapes the other day. Some classics — best of Frank Sinatra is one. Pretty neat. I promise not to put them in the garbage.
Sorry … typo. 8-track tapes, not 80-track. I bet my Grandpa would have thought being able to take along 80 songs on one tape was pretty sweet, tho.
I love vinyl and I have heard it’s coming back.
Which makes me really happy because, like, vinyl just feels right to listen to. (I say this while listening to iTunes playing Dirty Pretty Things)…
I heard this on an actual television show, that digital music lines things up funny, so sometimes the actual sound that is supposed to be heard is not heard, vinyl is the only true stuff.
I dig it and I’m only 16.
Vinyl started coming back like 15 years ago. Whatever.
Vinyl is awesome! Ive seen a bunch of vinyls at Hot Topic lately. And the other day I found a bunch of my moms old vinyls in my closet. I dont know what it is, but im very fond of vinyls as well.
Not only is Vinyl making a comeback, but artists who are recording digitally are also moving toward a less “pristine” sound. A musician friend of mine straight refuses to jack into the the recording equipment, like so many home recording and studio professionals seem to recomend. Instead, we mic the heck out of the room, the amp, and right in front of the guitar with cross mics. One take migh use six tracs with all the mics we use. The fuzz and room sound comes across as more real, and closer to what you hear in concert.
Super clean digital music is a let down. You can’t possibly replicate it in practice, so why sell what you can’t perform? Old school musicians had it right. Don’t overestimate and abuse the use of advanced recording technology
I’m a 16 year old girl who owns over 600 lps (not my parents!)
from 50’s to today
i’ve got every beatles album, zeppelin, credence clearwater, as well as the white stripes, bright eyes, and the cribs.
don’t automatically assume that the younger generations don’t care or are too lazy, ’cause we aren’t
I have an ipod, but there’s really no comparison for me
i love vinyl, it sounds better, and i can “feel” the music more
You can buy record players again!! a company named Crosley is making them and are at Linens N Things and Target for 99.99.. they play old 78s, 33rpms and 45s(the model I got plays cassettes and is an AM/FM radio too).
My Mom left me a huge record collection that I love to play from time to time. I got old records from the early 1900s they are vintage and precious to listen to what my great grandparents did when they were young. CDs can get scratched, need to be cleaned and skip just like vinyl. so I see no plus’s to them but that they are smaller and can be played in a car.
I don’t like playing music in the car its too distracting when your are in traffic.
hi
I once had over 5000 vinyls of all kinds in good shape.
Some albums were never opened. I had to end up putting them in storage and after having to move all of them 4 different times,I knew I had to sell them even tho I didn’t want to. I really loved them and the sound was better than any CD,Ipod,etc. Unfortunately I could not get people to buy them so I had to end up giving them away. I now wish I would have kept them.
Hey, let’s not forget about the deadly shower curtains!
I like the crisp, clean sound of cd’s. Nothing is better for me (as of yet). But there is something special about the crackling sounds you get from an LP.
Nowadays, music is all recorded digitally, so even if that music gets pressed onto vinyl, it won’t be the same as before, since it’s just transcribing digital source onto analog media. In the past, all recording equipment was analog, so the analog recordings were put onto analog media and gave it that special warm sound that cannot be replicated by cd’s and digital recordings. That’s why artists who sample recordings from the 60’s and 70’s use the LP sources, not cd’s. In some cases those LP’s are not available on cd, but even if they were I suspect that the LP would be the preferred media for sampling.
Even though I’ll always prefer cd’s over lp’s, the sound of a somewhat scratchy and worn record can add to the listening experience of certain music.
Ha! Iron Butterly “In A Gadda Da Vida” and its drum solo! I was just thinking about it today!
I’m a baby boomer and NEVER owned a CD player for music. Never bought music CDs. I’m a die-hard vinyl lover. Even the SILENCE on a vinyl is rich and deep. I knew musicians who hated the CD format. I’ve heard of a classical singer who didn’t recognize her voice on a CD. Frank Zappa himself didn’t like CDs.
I believe that it’s because the harmonics which give a sound its depth and richness of tone are filtered out in the digital media but fully reproduced in the analog.
And it’s true that to play an LP (aka “vinyl”) you need to make time for it. You need to sit at the correct spot to hear the stereo sound coming out of a good pair of loudspeakers. You need to get up to turn it over carefully by holding it by the thin edge. And there’s something deeply relaxing about this ceremonial. No wonder it goes so well with the practice of a special smoke.
Yes, vinyl is indeed making a comeback, but it’s only a nitche market at best at this time. We can only hope that niche will somehow grow in the future.
Along those lines, I also have notice a renisiance of the venerable vacuum tube, but so many of these new tubes can have questionable quality compaired to the original tubes made in the past. Again, we can only hope that they’ll continue to perpetuate and become better quality products like their ancestors.
The special thing about vinyl is its special kind of TOUCH. I recorded my favorite songs from vinyl to CDs (with the use of a computer, of course) back in 1995. I later re-recorded some in better quality, as technology advanced. I almost exclusively listen to mp3s now, but I still own all my records from my younger days, and I do own a record player, too. There are some records among them you just wouldn’t like to break down to single tracks on a CD, like some Jethro Tull’s or Alan Parsons’ albums which you just want to listen to as a whole, and with all the cracks and scratches the record might probably have.
And as to cassette tapes: Well, they weren’t so bad. Portable CD players never really worked (they used to swallow batteries, you remember?), so the mp3 players were their rightful successors. But Sony’s “Walkman” DID work, and all its successors did so, too. I still own some self-recorded tapes, and a tape deck to play them, and recording and mixing tapes from a record makes me feel better than anything, and there’s much more feeling involved, than in burning a CD on my computer.
So I’m “old-school”, and I like the “itchy and scratchy” records, and when modern people re-appreciate ancient technology, they’re some of my kind.
Ive been buying some of my favorite albums on vinyl ever since i got a record player. listening to vinyl is different than a cd or an ipod. it is more rewarding listening to Led Zeppelin III when you know it was made around the time they originally recorded it.
i think most of the people who buy vinyl already have that album on cd, they just want to complete the discography in every format.
a lot of indie bands have been using vinyl as their main format, because its not like a cd, that you can burn onto your computer and download artwork from itunes. indie artists releasing albums on vinyl isa genious idea, no one is going to burn the vinyl. they can, but not everyone has the equipment to do so, unlike cd burning.
It is all a matter of preference. The newer digital sounds are quite crisp BUT if you went to that concert…you will still be playing the album!
If there are any Baby Boomers out there…come visit me some time.
Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
BabyBoomerAdvisorClub.com
The reason vinyl records appeal to me is for craft reasons. After I rip the songs to a cd, I create earing holders and purses. It is a great way to upcycle!!
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I Love Vinyl! They are historical artifacts as far as I am concerned and at the moment, I am listening to Steely Dan on vinyl. I can make a CD myself. CD’s are boring. All the great rock-n-roll bands, all the great artists period, always pressed vinyl! You’ll never find Britney Spears on vinyl.
I have 2 jukeboxes, one from 1961 and the other from 1965. These run on what’s called “45’s”, 45rpm singles also known as 7″ singles. It’s fun to find a song you like and add it to one of the jukeboxes. Mine hold 100 records each and plays both sides so 200 selections each. Nothing better than punching upa bunch of songs while puttering around the house, and I LOVE the analog sound.
The difference in CD and vinyl is the “flow” of the sound. Digital offers quick “packets” in better clarity, but analog offers a smooth flow in continuous form.
You may never hear “digital” music at concerts, due the the power and quality that tubes offer, which no other technology can match.
Vinyl will never match CD in sales but us old folks know the “older” sound and will never forget it.
The crunchy sound is awesome! keep in mind i’m 13 and into green day! i jost love the sound u get from it! coincidentally, i just got a bunch of old vinyls and mounted them oon my wall…… it looks REALLY GOOD!
I have to tell you, I’ve been seeing some things on vinyl records, I was shocked. I also know soooo many people who still have their records and seek out record players. Maybe with new and improved?
Dude, vinyl has been making a comeback for 20 freaking years! Wake up! “This” has been happening EVER since CDs came onto the market. *shrug* It’s even worse NOW that CDs are passe, and there are NEWER and NEATER methods of storing your music. It’s NOT a story! Were cassette tapes to make a comeback, THEN you would have a story. This is the SAME cr@p nearly unemployed writers have been telling us for 30 freakin’ years! Don’t tell me that you’re THIS desperate!
The better your equipment, the easier it is to detect differences between various media. Some audiophiles prefer the sound of records recorded before 1962 because the masters were cut using tube based equipment, but anyone with good electronics and excellent speakers will sing the praises of vinyl.
I would certainly have to agree with Jaded Robot - where have you all been? This is FAR from a new “comeback.”
Vinyl “came back” years ago, most prominently in the underground spheres of punk rock, college/indie rock, as well as hip hop and electronic music. Some would argue that it never “went away” at all - just got nudged aside briefly by the Compact Disc. One can see this especially with the prominence of the classic punk 7″ (or 45), which has remained a constant all these years.
Independent rock labels like Drag City, Matador and Thrill Jockey have been selling LPs for up to two decades now, and I can remember seeing major label albums appearing on vinyl again back in the mid-nineties - so it’s not just a phenomenon of the “underground.” True, it may not hold the same place in the mainstream - but as many in a number of ever-expanding “niche markets” will tell you, this is nothing new.
to thespagoddess: Actually, you CAN buy Britney Spears on vinyl. It’s part of one of the more negative repercussions of vinyl’s resurgence. Just look on eBay if you don’t believe me.
And to “Tapestry”, who said:
“You can buy record players again!! a company named Crosley is making them and are at Linens N Things and Target for 99.99″
Again, new record players have been on the market for many years - and some from companies who, again, never stopped making them!
Does something only become recognized as having made a “comeback” when Wal-Mart or Target starts stocking it? Keep your ear to the ground, people.
My mother has records dating back to Disney, such as Bozo the Clown. I would like to see vinyl records come back. They didn’t cost as much as the Cd’s , and it was orignal.To be honest in this day and age I think getting to computerized is a mistake. Although the younger generation wont think so it will happen.I can remeber even the eight tracks. who else can.
I love vinyl! I have over 3000 records and many cds, probably well over 100. If I have a choice, I always pick listening to the vinyl over the cd. I have what I call “the goose-bump test.” You know, that feeling you get when the sound is just so great that you get actual goose-bumps? When I get them, they are usually with the records rather than the cds.
My advice to people with a lot of LPs is NOT to convert them to cds. Get a turntable instead and have a better listening experience while saving yourself lots of time and money.
I like Vinyls. I actually just recently saw the Juno soundtrack on Vinyl for 14.99. Sounds pretty cool.
Vinyl sounds better hands down!
I have owned CD and they just dont sound as rich or warm as vinyl. People complain about surface noise must not have very good turntables. I never hear surface noise on mine- and I have records that well over 40 years old!
Vinyl is FOREVER.
I think that vinyl is “returning” because there are now ways of “ripping” vinyl to the average computer now without most of the problems of doing it in the past. In other words, if a favorite of yours was never available on CD, but only available on vinyl, now it’s easier to “rip it” to computer. I do agree that in some case the LP version sounds better than the CD. But, I still feel that the ease of “ripping” LP to computer is helping with its comeback.
I’m a 14 year old kid who just discovered vinyl, and i have only one statement: i love it. the ability vinyl records seem to have of transporting me back in time to the actual performance is unbelievable. i don’t know what, but lps just seem more real to me. there’s nothing i now love more than being whizzed back to the 60’s and 70’s with the who’s won’t get fooled again or reo’s take it on the run.
Im sorry but its not fair to say the “younger generation would think that vinyl isnt cool or what ever!” I happen to think records are cool and i too would like to listen to records but here in Indiana i dont know where to buy them at (BIG LED ZEPPELIN AN DOOR fan!!)
im 16 and i love my vinyl records.
cassetes wont come back i think cause they have terrible sound quality and sound so lifeless. records have a great warm sound to them and i like watching the record needle spin across the record
it’s mostly coming back because of the rave scene
My 24 year old boyfriend and I (21) have been collecting vinyl for a while now and we have some 50 odd records and as far as popularity goes, the number of record stores that have sprung up in Melbourne, and the number of music stores that have begun to sell vinyl, indicate that yes - vinyl is finally being recognised as a superior sound to digital
Vinyl is to cds what film is to digital. Vinyl and film have actual dimensions whereas digital is flat and I am glad it’s making a comeback. Sound is superior on vinyl. Who does’t love that sound the needle makes when it hits the vinyl?!
As much as i love vinyl, hip-hop, record digging, etc vinyl WILL NOT MAKE A COMEBACK.
The problem with vinyl is that people don’t buy it, people collect it. Some people see themselves investing in a piece of history rather than buying it for music.
It’s only really DJ’s, sound engineers, hip-hop beatmakers, old men and the anorack crowd that really collect vinyl.
No-one can stop evolution. Eventually tangible formats will die and digital formats such as MP3 will take over.
MP3 is just so much easier than vinyl. Of course the quality is crap but you can take it anywhere, get tracks from the comfort of your living room and get thousands of MP3s on 1 little iPod.
Big UK high street retailer Woolworths even stopped selling CD singles due to people not buying them.
The one thing I miss, from the Vinyl Age, is the package — the cover art and liner notes. I’m not the first person ever to say this, I know. But it’s almost impossible for people to imagine what those liner notes meant in pre-net days. They were often the only source of information about artists who might never be mentioned anywhere else in culture — not on TV, general circulation magazines or books. I remember returning again and again to the package while listening to the music, absorbing the images of the album artists, or savoring the phraseology the essayist used to paint the artist’s history. (Not to sound weird about it — too late! — but some of the exact wordings I read on those notes are still a part of my consciousness.) It was a definite “value added” to the ritual/experience of discovering the new music. - - - On another note, I think vinyl sound was more vibrant that CDs. But there’s a trade-off here. “Skating” was a major problem unless you had a near-professional set-up, which as a teenager, I never did. (”Skating” is the tendency of the needle to skip to the next groove when the groove walls were too thinly sliced, or the vibration within the groove was too dramatic, on an analog record — hence “anti-skating” controls, which on cheap models was basically just a weight increaser. A cheap anti-skating control may have stopped the skipping across grooves, but it usually dug the needle deeper into the vinyl, and in short time damaged the sound quality of the record.) So CDs are better for withstanding physical perils and handling.
I’m heartened to read the comments from so many teenagers that are “into” vinyl today.
I’m also hearted to read a post that some think that vinyl is “making a comeback” - I had no idea- thanks to all for the links.
As others have said- it turns music appreciation into a mindful event. Perhaps that indicates a bit of a backlash tward digital impersonality.
I do wonder about what another poster said earlier- what of the cost of Petroleum ??
Don’t agree about cd’s superiority at all- they are garbage in terms of a product- a case that shatters like it’s namesake- “jewel case”, and zero durability- my records last longer. Mp3 trumps them for sure if you are looking for portability, which is why all my cds are now in storage- but my vinyl stays out
And as far as “upcycle” crafting goes- please do me a favor and do what I do- if the album is unscathed & in top condition- please don’t hack up the album for your purses, or melt the record into a candy dish- perhaps someone would really like to actually use it for it’s intended purposes. That’s the first “r” ( REUSE)
-HTG
I’d say it never really went out, just stepped back and leant against the back wall. Vinyl has a richer sound quality and is more “real” sounding. Vinyl is nice to listen to after nothing but digital for a while.
Personally, I like vinyl because it’s something tangible that you can actually hold in your hands as opposed to a set of zeroes and ones in a computer file. The album sleeves are like works of art in themselves and you don’t really get that on a CD and certainly not in a download. There’s an acutal process involved in putting a record on a turntable and putting the little needle on it, whereas you don’t need to do anything at all to play something on a computer. Convenient though it may be, there’s a certain charm about records that CDs and downloads don’t have. I’m 18 and I only wish that records were more popular during my childhood.
Yeah, it’s definitely coming back. I’m actually starting a collection myself - and I’m supposed to be in the generation that’s done with vinyl. But I’m only seventeen, and lovin’ the sound of those Simon and Garfunkel LP’s. Some things just sound better on vinyl, you know?
Now, if I could only track down an original Tim Buckley…
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