kirbypuckett Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Time.com is running an article on vinyl: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702369,00.html From college dorm rooms to high school sleepovers, an all-but-extinct music medium has been showing up lately. And we don't mean CDs. Vinyl records, especially the full-length LPs that helped define the golden era of rock in the 1960s and '70s, are suddenly cool again. Some of the new fans are baby boomers nostalgic for their youth. But to the surprise and delight of music executives, increasing numbers of the iPod generation are also purchasing turntables (or dusting off Dad's), buying long-playing vinyl records and giving them a spin. Related Articles Radiohead Says: Pay What You Want Thom Yorke of Radiohead performs in Chelmsford, England, August 19, 2006 Jo... 5 CDs You Should Not Miss SHOUT OUT LOUDS HOWL HOWL GAFF GAFF Telling everyone you’re a sucker for love without being extrem... 10 Best Albums 1. WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT’S WHAT I’M NOT ARCTIC MONKEYS THEY RIPPED OFF THE BEST BITS of F... Why Prince’s Free CD Ploy Worked When Prince’s new album Planet Earth was released in the U.K. on July 15, almost 3 million people pi... Like the comeback of Puma sneakers or vintage T shirts, vinyl's resurgence has benefited from its retro-rock aura. Many young listeners discovered LPs after they rifled through their parents' collections looking for oldies and found that they liked the warmer sound quality of records, the more elaborate album covers and liner notes that come with them, and the experience of putting one on and sharing it with friends, as opposed to plugging in some earbuds and listening alone. "Bad sound on an iPod has had an impact on a lot of people going back to vinyl," says David MacRunnel, a 15-year-old high school sophomore from Creve Coeur, Mo., who owns more than 1,000 records. The music industry, hoping to find another revenue source that doesn't easily lend itself to illegal downloads, has happily jumped on the bandwagon. Contemporary artists like the Killers and Ryan Adams have begun issuing their new releases on vinyl in addition to the CD and MP3 formats. As an extra lure, many labels are including coupons for free audio downloads with their vinyl albums so that Generation Y music fans can get the best of both worlds: high-quality sound at home and iPod portability for the road. Also, vinyl's different shapes (hearts, triangles) and eye-catching designs (bright colors, sparkles) are created to appeal to a younger audience. While new records sell for about $14, used LPs go for as little as a penny--perfect for a teenager's budget--or as much as $2,400 for a collectible, autographed copy of Beck's Steve Threw Up. Vinyl records are just a small scratch on the surface when it comes to total album sales--only about 0.2%, compared to 10% for digital downloads and 89.7% for CDs, according to Nielsen SoundScan--but these numbers may underrepresent the vinyl trend since they don't always include sales at smaller indie shops where vinyl does best. Still, 990,000 vinyl albums were sold in 2007, up 15.4% from the 858,000 units bought in 2006. Mike Dreese, CEO of Newbury Comics, a New England chain of independent music retailers that sells LPs and CDs, says his vinyl sales were up 37% last year, and Patrick Amory, general manager of indie label Matador Records, whose artists include Cat Power and the New Pornographers, claims, "We can't keep up with the demand." Big players are starting to take notice too. "It's not a significant part of our business, but there is enough there for me to take someone and have half their time devoted to making vinyl a real business," says John Esposito, president and CEO of WEA Corp., the U.S. distribution company of Warner Music Group, which posted a 30% increase in LP sales last year. In October, Amazon.com introduced a vinyl-only store and increased its selection to 150,000 titles across 20 genres. Its biggest sellers? Alternative rock, followed by classic rock albums. "I'm not saying vinyl will become a mainstream format, just like gourmet eating is not going to take over from McDonald's," says Michael Fremer, senior contributing editor at Stereophile. "But there is a growing group of people who are going back to a high-resolution format." Here are some of the reasons they're doing it and why you might want to consider it: Sound quality LPs generally exhibit a warmer, more nuanced sound than CDs and digital downloads. MP3 files tend to produce tinnier notes, especially if compressed into a lower-resolution format that pares down the sonic information. "Most things sound better on vinyl, even with the crackles and pops and hisses," says MacRunnel, the young Missouri record collector. Album extras Large album covers with imaginative graphics, pullout photos (some even have full-size posters tucked in the sleeve) and liner notes are a big draw for young fans. "Alternative rock used to have 16-page booklets and album sleeves, but with iTunes there isn't anything collectible to show I own a piece of this artist," says Dreese of Newbury Comics. In a nod to modern technology, albums known as picture discs come with an image of the band or artist printed on the vinyl. "People who are used to CDs see the artwork and the colored vinyl, and they think it's really cool," says Jordan Yates, 15, a Nashville-based vinyl enthusiast. Some LP releases even come with bonus tracks not on the CD version, giving customers added value. Social experience Crowding around a record player to listen to a new album with friends, discussing the foldout photos, even getting up to flip over a record makes vinyl a more socially interactive way to enjoy music. "As far as a communal experience, like with family and friends, it feels better to listen to vinyl," says Jason Bini, 24, a recent graduate of Fordham University. "It's definitely more social." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk0nuggets Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 People are taking notice! Good article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markalark17 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. Most kids do whatever they can to not spend money, and record collecting obviously doesn't help that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counterfiction Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. Most kids do whatever they can to not spend money, and record collecting obviously doesn't help that. but they'll spend a ton just to look cool. i mean come on, flat brimmed fitted hats with the stickers still on? we'll see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatlinemole Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I'm not saying vinyl will become a mainstream format, just like gourmet eating is not going to take over from McDonald's good line. listening to vinyl: eating gourmet foods. amen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. Most kids do whatever they can to not spend money, and record collecting obviously doesn't help that. but they'll spend a ton just to look cool. i mean come on, flat brimmed fitted hats with the stickers still on? Paging amsterdamned... Amsterdamned, to the "Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back" thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. God I hope not...that's what we need...bunch of scene kids buying vinly left and right...and most of them probably don't even listen to it. They'll just buy the shit to have it b/c their favorite band put it out and they gotta have everything... Geez... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivsavage Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. God I hope not...that's what we need...bunch of scene kids buying vinly left and right...and most of them probably don't even listen to it. They'll just buy the shit to have it b/c their favorite band put it out and they gotta have everything... Geez... Then we can get it from them on eBay in 2 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markalark17 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. God I hope not...that's what we need...bunch of scene kids buying vinly left and right...and most of them probably don't even listen to it. They'll just buy the shit to have it b/c their favorite band put it out and they gotta have everything... Geez... Haha, I'm glad I'm not alone in that opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadetapplesauce Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 damn 15 with 1,000 records?? probably all given to him by family or something... i knew i wasn't making that kind of money when i was 15 to but all new records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markalark17 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 damn 15 with 1,000 records?? probably all given to him by family or something Hell to the yeah. There's no way he bought all of those, even if his parents paid for a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsterdamned Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 but they'll spend a ton just to look cool. i mean come on, flat brimmed fitted hats with the stickers still on? Paging amsterdamned... Amsterdamned, to the "Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back" thread... Hahaha! Well done sir. Damn right I wear them, and I definitely don't care. Although upon this revelation, I wonder if Counterfiction will still want to trade with me, haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickbuysvinyl Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 That's cool. I'm pretty sure record collecting isn't going to become the "scene" thing to do though. God I hope not...that's what we need...bunch of scene kids buying vinly left and right...and most of them probably don't even listen to it. They'll just buy the shit to have it b/c their favorite band put it out and they gotta have everything... Geez... couldn't agree more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivsavage Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I'm all for the increase in popularity of vinyl. The more kids that get into it the more bands will press their stuff on vinyl. Also, this helps to keep the local record shops in business and stocked with new and used records. It may make it more difficult to track down the OOP items, but they'll surface again when the popularity fades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lokithelion Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I love that more kids are getting into vinyl. Digital music is partly to blame for the flash in the pan status of a lot of indie music these days. People consume music like fast food these days, downloading hundreds of tracks a week that they only listen to once before going on to their next musical big mac. Vinyl is like a nice steak diner. you sit down and enjoy it, instead of plowing through it on your 23 minute lunch break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hootenanny Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 yeah i hope it doesnt become to popular. I then the market will be flooded with people that have no idea whats really going on. LIKe scott heisel's myspace inbox. no one will be able to buy anything they want, and in a few years, there will be more of those records than people that want them. making the records completely worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supchillinyou Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 "albums known as picture discs come with an image of the band or artist printed on the vinyl." haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirbypuckett Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 I hope it gets more popular. Its selfish to think that you don't want vinyl to increase in popularity because "scene" kids will jump on it. How old are the people who said that statement? Get over yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest baseball Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I hope it gets more popular.Its selfish to think that you don't want vinyl to increase in popularity because "scene" kids will jump on it. How old are the people who said that statement? Get over yourself. I agree. I don't really see how increasing popularity in vinyl is a bad thing. Why wouldn't we want more people to get the same joy out of the format that we do? Do you actually think you're more 'deserving' to house the format than someone else? Gimme a break. If the vinyl resurgence becomes that huge, the supply will be stepped up to meet demand just like anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakland Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 If a bunch of scene kids buy a ton of vinyl it will be a win/win. They'll support the labels and in a year, when they're into hacky-sack or gay sex they'll put all those records up on ebay. You win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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