Is Vinyl and CD making a Comeback?

Geekoid · 06-18-2012, 11:26 PM

Great points duga. I was listening to a broadcast on the radio last night, and the show's topic was how board games are making a comeback in popularity (as an alternative to video games) because they're tangible and highly social- you can get to know people well when you play a board game with them. Having a record collection can be something to be proud of and to talk to people about face to face. To some, that might be less appealing than chatting online or with people on last.fm, but for me, talking to people face to face about music really makes an impact on me, and can make a more lasting impression. But then again, it all depends on how open you tend to be with people in the physical world. There are really benefits to both; dare I say equal benefits?

What's interesting to me is that there seems to be a growing interest in returning to what is tangible, physical and concrete. The digital world expands so rapidly that it can feel like you're being swallowed whole by it, and it can be hard to keep up with all the constant changes and advancement. Switching to vinyl might not just be nostalgic, elitist or fanatical, it might also be a sign of wanting to be close and connected to what we own- what we can hold and display. It feels more rewarding and secure that way. There's a real difference between a broken record and a deleted file; between a glowing digital thumbnail, and the sheen of ink on paper or card; between typing an album title into iTunes and searching record stores and eBay for that perfect record. The latter examples seem more personal, more human, more rewarding in the long run.

CanwllCorfe · 06-18-2012, 11:42 PM

Back when I first got into EDM, it was all on vinyl. I remember getting releases back then, and it was all vinyl rips (A1, A2, B1, etc.). Good times. Now it's pretty much all digital. I don't really mind it all that much. My mom used to have a few vinyls, and that's all the exposure I got. I've never owned a vinyl, and don't really feel any need to. In another one of my hobbies, fragrances, some people feel the need to own a full bottle of fragrance. They like being able to have the packaging and the design, and like to be able to look at their collection and be proud of it. It'd also be quite the conversation piece if you have it all set up nice...

But then there's people like me, who just own little vials/decants of fragrance decanted from full bottles. No packaging, no real design, just the fragrance. I used to think people who only stuck to small vials were missing out. Not anymore. I realized they were just sitting on a shelf, in the dark, until I used them. Furthermore, I could carry a vial/decant around with me all day easily. It's cheaper, but more importantly, it's convenient. I almost never listen to music at home, unless it's new and I'm checking it out, and then whatever I like the most gets put on my phone. Then when I'm driving around or travelling, I listen to it. So vinyls would be rather purposeless for me personally.

CDs on the other hand, I still buy. I usually download music, and then if I really like it, I purchase it. This is exceedingly rare, but it does happen. Burial - Untrue was the fastest I've ever made that decision, Arms & Sleepers - Black Paris 86 being another one I bought shortly after (and for only $5!)

Duraddict · 06-19-2012, 12:55 PM

Vinyl is having a rebirth. CDs are dead. But at the same time... I like how cheap and affordable it's making new discs.

Holerbot6000 · 06-20-2012, 06:21 AM

Great stuff Geekoid. I couldn't agree more. Record hunting is not only fun, it has taken me to some very interesting places and I've met some really cool people, both young and old. Of course, the record store as a social center/hang out is another kind of generational thing that some folks just won't have a frame of reference for, but I still dig it and I think another benefit of the Vinyl resurgence is that it's allowed some of these places to hang in there a little longer.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 06-20-2012, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duraddict

Vinyl is having a rebirth. CDs are dead.

Yes you're right

A format that comprises 80% of all music sales is a dead format.

Howard the Duck · 06-20-2012, 07:35 AM

still don't care much

as long as I get to hear something

Duraddict · 06-20-2012, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

Yes you're right

A format that comprises 80% of all music sales is a dead format.

Stack that against music sales as a whole. CDs are not as king as they used to be.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 06-20-2012, 08:04 AM

That is music sales as a whole. CDs have gone down from being 90% in 2007 to 80% in 2011.

It's going down but the collapse isn't happening. The only people buying digital downloads & vinyl are the 18 to 35 year olds, the older generations are sticking to the CD format like glue.

Just out of interest when you buy your parents or grandparents some music for a gift what format do you buy it on?

Duraddict · 06-20-2012, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

That is music sales as a whole. CDs have gone down from being 90% in 2007 to 80% in 2011.

It's going down but the collapse isn't happening. The only people buying digital downloads & vinyl are the 18 to 35 year olds, the older generations are sticking to the CD format like glue.

Just out of interest when you buy your parents or grandparents some music for a gift what format do you buy it on?

I don't. They make me torrent it for them. Otherwise, my mother uses AmazonMP3.

Howard the Duck · 06-20-2012, 10:24 AM

my parents still pretty much listen to the radio - they can't be arsed with diddling about with CDs

all my grandparents have gone to the hereafter

(i know, nobody asked me)

06-18-2012, 11:42 PM	#42 (permalink)
CanwllCorfe Quiet Man in the Corner Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pocono Mountains Posts: 2,480	Back when I first got into EDM, it was all on vinyl. I remember getting releases back then, and it was all vinyl rips (A1, A2, B1, etc.). Good times. Now it's pretty much all digital. I don't really mind it all that much. My mom used to have a few vinyls, and that's all the exposure I got. I've never owned a vinyl, and don't really feel any need to. In another one of my hobbies, fragrances, some people feel the need to own a full bottle of fragrance. They like being able to have the packaging and the design, and like to be able to look at their collection and be proud of it. It'd also be quite the conversation piece if you have it all set up nice... But then there's people like me, who just own little vials/decants of fragrance decanted from full bottles. No packaging, no real design, just the fragrance. I used to think people who only stuck to small vials were missing out. Not anymore. I realized they were just sitting on a shelf, in the dark, until I used them. Furthermore, I could carry a vial/decant around with me all day easily. It's cheaper, but more importantly, it's convenient. I almost never listen to music at home, unless it's new and I'm checking it out, and then whatever I like the most gets put on my phone. Then when I'm driving around or travelling, I listen to it. So vinyls would be rather purposeless for me personally. CDs on the other hand, I still buy. I usually download music, and then if I really like it, I purchase it. This is exceedingly rare, but it does happen. Burial - Untrue was the fastest I've ever made that decision, Arms & Sleepers - Black Paris 86 being another one I bought shortly after (and for only $5!) __________________ Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind.

06-20-2012, 08:04 AM	#48 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	That is music sales as a whole. CDs have gone down from being 90% in 2007 to 80% in 2011. It's going down but the collapse isn't happening. The only people buying digital downloads & vinyl are the 18 to 35 year olds, the older generations are sticking to the CD format like glue. Just out of interest when you buy your parents or grandparents some music for a gift what format do you buy it on? __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

06-18-2012, 11:26 PM	#41 (permalink)
Geekoid Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 171	Great points duga. I was listening to a broadcast on the radio last night, and the show's topic was how board games are making a comeback in popularity (as an alternative to video games) because they're tangible and highly social- you can get to know people well when you play a board game with them. Having a record collection can be something to be proud of and to talk to people about face to face. To some, that might be less appealing than chatting online or with people on last.fm, but for me, talking to people face to face about music really makes an impact on me, and can make a more lasting impression. But then again, it all depends on how open you tend to be with people in the physical world. There are really benefits to both; dare I say equal benefits? What's interesting to me is that there seems to be a growing interest in returning to what is tangible, physical and concrete. The digital world expands so rapidly that it can feel like you're being swallowed whole by it, and it can be hard to keep up with all the constant changes and advancement. Switching to vinyl might not just be nostalgic, elitist or fanatical, it might also be a sign of wanting to be close and connected to what we own- what we can hold and display. It feels more rewarding and secure that way. There's a real difference between a broken record and a deleted file; between a glowing digital thumbnail, and the sheen of ink on paper or card; between typing an album title into iTunes and searching record stores and eBay for that perfect record. The latter examples seem more personal, more human, more rewarding in the long run.

06-20-2012, 06:21 AM	#44 (permalink)
Holerbot6000 Music Mutant Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: near a record store Posts: 327	Great stuff Geekoid. I couldn't agree more. Record hunting is not only fun, it has taken me to some very interesting places and I've met some really cool people, both young and old. Of course, the record store as a social center/hang out is another kind of generational thing that some folks just won't have a frame of reference for, but I still dig it and I think another benefit of the Vinyl resurgence is that it's allowed some of these places to hang in there a little longer.