CNN story on vinyl explosion
Robert Harley -- Tue, 06/10/2008 - 13:44
Check out this story on today's CNN about the explosive growth of vinyl.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/10/vinyl.records.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
It's interesting that the store ordered LPs by mistake, put them on display, and discovered to their surprise that customers bought the records. The market for vinyl could grow even faster if record companies and retailers would make LPs more readily accessible.
Wow! I guess there's hope yet for an even larger vinyl resurgence.
The good news is that the resurgence is also being fueled by vinyl fans in their 20s; I have several friends that age who buy vinyl exclusively.
Is that because LPs sound better to them, or is it the "retro cool" factor?
I think it's great that a whole new generation is discovering vinyl. There is a unique pleasure in holding a record jacket in your hand and actually being able to read the liner notes, not to mention the ritual of cleaning and playing a record. I hope this will lead to the rediscovery of what the term "playing a side" means.
Robert--I think they love the sound and the feel. I'm not sure that it's retro-based. A friend of mine (25-years-old) who is a journalist recently contributed to a Washingtonian magazine blog about his favorite local records stores. Frankly, I was stunned when I learned how into vinyl he is, by which I mean he is a complete fanatic, and his friends are too! It was a very pleasant surprise.
To back you up Jacob, I am a 20 year old college student and I love vinyl for the sound quality. As nice as my iPod is for portability, I find the playlist-centered user interface and, more importantly, the lack of depth and richness in the sound can ruin a perfectly good piece of music. CDs or SACDs are better, but there's nothing like coming home at night, putting an LP on the turntable and listening all the way through.
There's something more deliberate about putting on an LP side. It's like committing to do nothing else for the next 20 minutes and give the music your full attention.
All through the '80s, as friends were abandoning vinyl as a playback medium and switching to CDs, I became the beneficiary of their record collections. Back then, I would recite the mantra "Vinyl is valuable". The years have shown I was right.
Larry
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