While it seems that the majority of the consumers purchasing music these days believe that digital music is far superior to analog, there is a growing demand for the vinyl records from yesteryear, as this article from The Free Press Online reports. These traditionalist audiophiles believe that many of the classic albums were meant to be heard on old 33s or 88s, and because they were recorded for vinyl, they actually sound better in that format rather than on a CD or MP3. Best Buy even has a vinyl section now. This is counter intuitive given the fact that the digital format has dominated nearly every other form of media.
Part of vinyl's new-found popularity no doubt comes from nostalgic baby-boomers. Re
cords were first marketed to teenagers in the mid and late fifties, when record producers recognized that for the first time, many teenagers now had a disposable income. This led to an entirely new segment of the population that remained untapped, and opened the door for teen-idols like Elvis, Buddy Holly and Little Richard. Those teens feel emotionally attached to vinyl records, and have generated enough demand for the medium that retailers are beginning to carry the records again.
cords were first marketed to teenagers in the mid and late fifties, when record producers recognized that for the first time, many teenagers now had a disposable income. This led to an entirely new segment of the population that remained untapped, and opened the door for teen-idols like Elvis, Buddy Holly and Little Richard. Those teens feel emotionally attached to vinyl records, and have generated enough demand for the medium that retailers are beginning to carry the records again. There's no way to tell if this is just a trend, or if the popularity of vinyl records will continue in an increasingly digital age. But one thing is for sure: Many local record stores are experiencing a surge in sales, and have no plans of shutting their doors anytime soon.
Check out this short video about how the vinyl revival is effecting EMI's former record-pressing facility:
1 comment:
I love the video on how records are made. I guess that is one of those things you always wonder about, but never really know. I find it interesting that there is still a market for records too. I remember going to the record store in the early 80's and getting my first 45 which was Abba's Take a Chance on Me. Although I really loved my records back in the day, I also really love my digital music now because it is so much more versatile. With that said if I had a decent turn-table, I wouldn't mind finding some classic AC/DC albums to be nostalgic with. :)
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