NEWS – Music Fans Are Turning to Vinyl Once Again
Published on January 27, 2012 by Christian Sellers · No Comments
There is no denying the convenience of modern digital technology, which allows consumers to download and play songs immediately without having to travel to the nearest store in the hope that their album of choice will be in stock. Yet there was something about purchasing vinyl that has never been replaced, not even by compact disc. During the late 1980s the format produced an array of impressive releases that varied from picture discs to coloured vinyl, while the artwork would often include gatefold sleeves, stencils, patches and posters. Over recent years CDs have predictably begun to suffer due to downloading and file sharing, yet perhaps most surprisingly is that vinyl has begun to enjoy something of a revival.
According to the Wall Street Journal; “The LP still represents just a sliver of music sales. But last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan data, while CD sales fell by more than 5%, vinyl record sales grew more than 36%… The majority of vinyl sells in independent record stores, which have championed the format in their quixotic quest to survive. But now big-box stores such as Best Buy are carrying vinyl. Amazon—loath to let any niche escape its domination—has a “Vinyl Store” and recently introduced shipping boxes designed to coddle LP records in transit… Who’s buying? Hipster-centric indie genres skew vinyl-heavy—alt rock, garage, punk. The list of last year’s best-selling LPs includes discs from the Black Keys, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Radiohead. Classic jazz does pretty well, and then there is classic rock: For several years running, the Beatles‘ Abbey Road (1969) has been the top-selling vinyl LP.”
A sign that vinyl has been making a comeback can be seen with numerous artists releasing their albums, both old and new, on the old format, including Slayer, Therapy?, Pearl Jam, Trent Reznor and the Smashing Pumpkins.
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