Mix Live Blog: Vinyl Rising… Pass It On
Vinyl is back, as music fans of all ages, especially millennials, buy pieces of songs to treasure and enjoy forever.
Last year, for the first time in 30 years, sales of vinyl records exceeded those of CDs in the United States. sold, according to MRC Data.
This is the 16th year in a row that vinyl album sales have increased, a far cry from the “vinyl is dead” cries we heard not too long ago. Top-selling titles include 30 (Adele, 318,000 units), Sour (Olivia Rodrigo, 268,000), Red (Taylor’s version) (Taylor Swift, 260,000), purple rain (Prince and the Revolution, 207,000), and Abbey Road (The Beatles, 201,000).
UK vinyl record sales were equally impressive in 2021: ABBA’s Trip sold 40,000 copies and was not released until November. Close on the heels of Traveler were 30, Rumors (Fleetwood Mac), = (Ed Sheeran) Back to black (Amy Winehouse), and It does not matter (Nirvana). In fact, over 5 million vinyl records were sold in the UK in 2021, the highest total number since 1990.
All good numbers, although those of us who paid attention to record sales in the 80s and 90s clearly remember when a successful artist could sell those numbers. within a week.
Birth of Bootlegs – Part 1: The First Bootleg Disc
What is happening here? Why do people revert to a dead format?
It’s certainly not for convenience. The last time I tried to listen to a vinyl record in my car, it didn’t work very well (don’t laugh too hard; there were actually record players designed for use in automobiles in the 1950s, before cassettes or 8-track tapes were invented). Any DJ who’s been spinning records for over 20 years can tell you about the back pain they’ve had lugging their “software” from gig to gig. Vinyl record storage takes up a lot of space compared to a hard drive or USB flash drive, which can easily store and transport tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of songs. Last I checked, you can’t play vinyl records with your phone, and buying music on vinyl costs at least twice the price of buying it as a download.
Audiophiles who listen seriously to vinyl records go to great lengths to achieve a hi-fi listening experience. It starts with finding the best pressing of a particular release, continues with cleaning up that disk, and then moves on to the hardware. Your average $150 DVD/CD player usually outperforms a turntable at the same price, but those who are lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of money on a turntable, cartridge and phono preamp – more than a few thousand dollars – are going to be spoiled.
Maybe people buy vinyl records because you can enjoy the artwork when it’s in 12×12 inch format. You might even be able to read the credits font! Or maybe it’s because playing vinyl is more interactive. You have to do more than just press play, and you’ll have to get up from your chair after about 20 minutes to return it.
None of these reasons explain why someone in their teens or early twenties buys vinyl. Maybe they found their parents’ collection in the attic and started discovering “new” music (many of my students tell such stories), or maybe their parents have a great stereo. . I’d like to think that the latter is one of them and people appreciate good sound. I would also like to think that people actively Listen to vinyl, instead of just playing music on their phone while doing laundry. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
One thing that vinyl has going for it is that it’s a proven format. At this point, the 12-inch, 33-1/3 RPM LP is pushing 75. You can still play them, regardless of their age. Heck, you can still play 78s. There will be no issues with file compatibility, no worries about operating systems or sample rates.
They are solid. They are collectible. It’s fun to browse used bins at a record store. And once you own a vinyl album, it’s yours until you pass it on to the next generation of listeners.
