Why do hipsters love analog?
 

Hipsters seem to love analog only, like vinyl records, cassette tapes, 8-track, R2R and some vintage audio gear. Why is that? I'm referring to the younger generation that got into analog after the year 2000. Hipsters don't go for CDs, SACDs, DVD-A, Blu-Ray audio or Hi-Rez.

Hello?

I thought we retired that word in like 2015?

what hipsters are still buying 8-track tapes?

Do they even still make 8-track tapes?

I don't think so.

Did you just get pissy about nobody responding to your stupid thread for nine hours during which the majority of the western hemisphere was either asleep, about to go to sleep, or just waking up?

You'll do well here. Can't wait.

To answer your question...let people enjoy things.

Oh, and I get high school kids buying CDs all the time inmy shop. We sell them for $3-$4. They're driving around in their dads old 2002 Camry having a blast. It's what they can afford getting minimum wage in this sh*thole country.

:laughing: Yeah you're definitely looking for something much more active than this forum.

Was thinking the same, are hipsters even a thing anymore?

i feel like im a hipster still buying cds ...... so IDK

What about those at Starbucks with their briefcase turntables? :laughing:

Doesn't the word imply the answer? Hipsters love analog because it's hip. It's in style again. That's not to take away from those who've been collecting since before the vinyl resurgence, nor are hipsters.

Correct me if I'm wrong here. I'm no longer hip, nor hip to be square.

What about hip-hop though? Or hip-hip-hooray? What about hip replacements? Has nobody considered these important questions? Shoot from the hip, that's what I say.

Lol, those are fair points.

Does the hipster uniform still include the big beard, plaid, tight jeans with the cuffs rolled up? I'd call it the hipster lumberjack uniform, but I don't want to insult lumberjacks. They carry axes and know how to wield them.

Lumberjacks are okay. They sleep all night and they work all day. They cut down trees, they eat their lunch, they go to the lavatory. On Wednesdays they go shopping and have buttered scones for tea.

What I wanna know is why do Preppies love popped collars?

It's because the first rule of being a preppie is that you need to be a Three 6 Mafia fan. It's a requirement.

Oh, ok. Neat. Thnx

This guy listens to 432 Mafia.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8J16Z5zXAm...00/collars.jpg

Hipsters don't buy CDs, so you're fine. Hipsters love analog. Everytime I go to a music store that has vinyl records, the hipsters are all over them.

Hooray, I'm not a hipster. I buy way too many CDs.

The collar looks awful. Has the scarf officially replaced that collar?

Because it's all about embodying a certain lifestyle... as well as having another excuse to go further down the rabbit hole known as consumerism.

I grew up with analogue music formats and I have no desire to go back there. Digital formats may not possess that 'warmth' but at least the recordings don't degrade.

This is true. Analog formats degrade with each use. Hipsters deny this, but it is true. Digital plays perfectly each time (assuming you're not deliberately scratching up the discs).

I love to own vinyl LPs of albums that I hold dear. It's not about embodying a lifestyle, it's not about projecting an image, it's not about consumerism. It's not even about the sound. Hell, many of them, I just keep sealed.

It's more about the authenticity - the feeling of owning a piece of something meaningful to me and also supporting the artist. Some day, when my kids are forced to divvy up my records and decide what to do with them, you bet they're gonna know that my autographed LP copy of the Manic Street Preachers' Holy Bible meant something to me.

I love the convenience of digital formats and streaming - but when your hard drives fail, your subscriptions to streaming services run out, or the company that you own purchase rights on digital songs folds, you don't own that music any more. It's gone.

Is there vanity involved in this? Sure, probably. Maybe my kids won't give two ****s what albums meant the world to me. But in a time when music is as expendable as a piece of bubblegum, it's nice to give something back to an artist that provided you something meaningful - to have a memento of this experience in the physical world. A piece of art, truly.

I'll get off the soap box now. Whatever way you love to own and consume music, just support the artists you love, somehow, even if it's just buying some merch or attending shows. They deserve it.

It's mainly the love of everything vintage, that causes hipsters to like things analog.(See also, 80s and 90s nostalgia and to a lesser extent, 60s and 70s nostalgia)

When it comes to supporting artists, you can buy digital releases.

For small artists, printing LPs or whatever is going to cost money that they're probably not gonna make back, so even for them it's more or less a vanity project.

I mean, technically apple music does something like that and even then, it's not giving the artist a whole lot of money anyway...
https://www.orpheusaudioacademy.com/...ay-per-stream/

The best way to support artist is to see them live, since most artist now make money by performing their songs live(some even make money by selling their catelog, or have jobs in other fields outside of music).

As a small artist, digital buys from google play or whatever is very noticeable in a digital landscape where most consumption comes from streaming.

As you mention, gigs are the main source of income.

For us, we make like 0,3 cent or so from a single song streaming. Selling a digital EP is more like 7 dollars or so? A small gig pays about 1200 USD. Roughly.

Split 3 ways in a band.

That may not be the case for you but that doesn’t mean everyone else is the same.

I’ve been on music forums where members are clearly more into owning two dozen versions of the same album, or are more into acquiring (or hoarding) as much hi-tech gear as possible. In both cases, I gained the impression that their supposed love for music is secondary (and often very limited or conservative).

What was did you say about consumerism again?

If you knew anything about the music industry, you’d realise that most of what you spend on music goes into the pockets of the music labels and not the artist. But I hear you – I miss owning music formats myself.

Not if you invest in regular back-ups and upgrade your hard drives every five years.

Agreed.

The funny thing about analogue and vintage music formats is how the general public was very quick to forsake them, as soon as something new and shiny started gaining some traction (e.g. iPods). Now that these ‘obsolete’ formats aren’t household staples anymore, they’ve become more desirable. Go figure…

I’ve always been a late adopter, because of my scepticism of the corporations. It took me years to get into MiniDisc and I still use that format. However, around 15 years ago, everyone was dumping their MiniDisc gear on eBay for next to nothing. As a result, I ended up buying quite a bit of MiniDisc gear for very little. Now, the same stuff I purchased is going for at least ten times the price I paid for them!

Sorry but I find most humans to be fickle creatures, who are easily swayed by whatever’s fashionable at any particular moment in time. In other words, most of the interest isn't actually genuine.

We're much cooler than Steve Hoffman - on that you have my word. With that said, we're not all that cool.

I'm definitely not.
I remember when I was cool (no I don't) but now what's cool seems weird and disturbing to me.

You watch too much Simpsons, Trolls

Not one of you has the slightest idea what you’re talking about.
Do you imagine the technology illustrated below is all about status and showing off to your visitors or some other irrational theory that’s been thrown thoughtlessly around here ? OK, you need a healthy bank account to go down this path but dont assume everyone dedicated to following it is some kind of technology moron.

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/art...s-50000-and-up

LOL! Fair enough.

I think we do. We're just not factoring in the ultra-affluent music lovers.

Btw, I read about extremely expensive turntables, hi-fi components and speakers back in the late '90s, and have made my peace with them. They are beyond my reach. Besides, for me, it's always been about discovering as much great music as possible than the equipment it's played on.

Woah, easy tiger…

In answer to your comments:

A) Yes, I’m well aware of that. I’m also aware that some remasters are inferior to the original master pressings due to either sound degradation of the masters or technical incompetence. However, I was raised listening to music on below par hi-fi equipment, so I’m not desperate to discover the nuances in dynamics of a studio or live performance on ultra-expensive music systems.

B) I never said that there aren’t any genuine music enthusiasts who use ultra-expensive music systems but, from my experiences, they seem to be a minority. And, yes, owning such equipment is an extravagance, whether or not you like to admit it. To own an extremely expensive turntable requires one to also own equally expensive amplifiers and speakers. And then there’s the maintenance involved – not just in the equipment but also in vinyl care products. As for the last part of your comment, have you ever considered that not everyone has the means or is knowledgeable about owning a quality vinyl collection and stereo system?

C) You were never asked to justify your ‘extravagance’. I just joined and hardly know anything about you. Whatever set-up you have doesn’t bother me – it’s always about one’s music tastes first and foremost. IMHO, the more eclectic and unconventional, the better.

Everyone on this thread: yeah there are plenty of guys stuck in a bespoke identity from 2006 but it's not like digital doesn't suck

AryanMarx: HOW FU%KING DARE YOU! You know NOTHING about me and my life, which is definitely very interesting. Before you thoughtlessly hurl around your irrational confabulations, have you considered the thousands upon thousands of vinyl records kept pristinely in my lovely little shed?