I went in one on my lunch hour to kill some time and ended up buying Revolver.
What the hell? It was a small but decent selection of albums.
The LP is back (officially)
- Thread starter tomcatmixd
- Start date
I went in one on my lunch hour to kill some time and ended up buying Revolver.
What the hell? It was a small but decent selection of albums.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
This shows a (IMHO mistaken) perspective that "audiophiles" are driving the vinyl resurgence. I know more than a few 20-somethings or younger with modest systems who enjoy the whole vinyl experience. I even know a couple who I can't dissuade from their Crosleys. Audiophile indeed.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
And I know hipsters who have no stereo but have more albums than I do. Anecdotes fail to override the fact that the top two selling groups of the 1977 to 1981 time frame singly all sold more albums each year than the total sold last year. That is, realistically, pitiful.
Shelby 412
New Member
Oh contrary, the fact that record sales are increasing at all, especially after being relegated to commercial obscurity, with those who didn't grow up with the media, is remarkable and proves that we old timers were right all along... there is some inscrutable goodness in records that seems to be timeless. It goes even deeper than the sound of records, it is the total experience.
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mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
Well -- in fairness, I do think records (in terms of sales trends) are faring better than photographic film :-(
(speaking of desert islands)
Mind y'all -- I enjoy records. A lot. I have... umm... well... quite a few (in the thousands, ahem, I think...). But at the moment they're a fad, a curiosity. Get 'em while you can.
I don't think there are any Urban Outfitters out here in the wilds of New Hampsha, though...
(speaking of desert islands)
Mind y'all -- I enjoy records. A lot. I have... umm... well... quite a few (in the thousands, ahem, I think...). But at the moment they're a fad, a curiosity. Get 'em while you can.
I don't think there are any Urban Outfitters out here in the wilds of New Hampsha, though...
1970's Fan
Super Member
One nice thing I've noticed is the number of youngsters who are enjoying vinyl. The more of them getting a taste for records the better, then sales may increase a lot more. I will jump for joy if the day dawns that I see a new record store opening.
Where you are, there isn't even a Suburban Outfitters. :yes:
Zolton
Well-Known Member
The L.P. resurgence (if it can be called that) is a very interesting phenomena in today's world of convenience.
While most things are trending towards saving time, footsteps, thoughts, money...the L.P. goes in the opposite direction.
To the younger crowd which didn't grow up with the L.P. it represents the fact that they are music connoisseurs. Willing to put up with the bother of playing a record because of the quality of playback (whether real or imagined) it offers.
To those of my generation, in addition to the above reason, it also represents more than a tad of nostalgia.
It reminds me of a modern coffee nut. Willing to seek out and pay for high quality beans, take them home to grind them and then brew the perfect cup of java in their cherished coffee machine (some of which cost lots of $). All to enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting back to sip on a hot beverage that could have been acquired at a drive through, or made in a Tassimo, or even instant crystals.
It's a ritual required to get your high (music, caffeine, weed...whatever)
While most things are trending towards saving time, footsteps, thoughts, money...the L.P. goes in the opposite direction.
To the younger crowd which didn't grow up with the L.P. it represents the fact that they are music connoisseurs. Willing to put up with the bother of playing a record because of the quality of playback (whether real or imagined) it offers.
To those of my generation, in addition to the above reason, it also represents more than a tad of nostalgia.
It reminds me of a modern coffee nut. Willing to seek out and pay for high quality beans, take them home to grind them and then brew the perfect cup of java in their cherished coffee machine (some of which cost lots of $). All to enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting back to sip on a hot beverage that could have been acquired at a drive through, or made in a Tassimo, or even instant crystals.
It's a ritual required to get your high (music, caffeine, weed...whatever)
I got into vinyl during the dark days of the format, when stores had switched to selling new albums on CD format only. The one store I did find selling records only had 12" singles of R&B and hip-hop. A few years later, I found another store which sold vinyl, but pretty much all they had, again, was R&B and hip-hop, though they did have a small divider section of reissues. Eventually, the reissues bin began to grow, and over time became a full rock/pop section with alphabetized dividers, and new album releases as well as reissues of classic albums. Sure, it may be dwarfed by the number of CD bins they have, but compared to how it used to be, it's a welcome change. :yes:
-Adam
-Adam
If one thing is for certain, threads like these will poison the atmosphere around here like a container of nerve gas.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
It's a half-hour to the nearest Tractor Supply Company!
That's OK, these guys prefer it that way (& so do I)...
bob4 by mhardy6647, on Flickrback on topic -- let's revisit this thread in three years.
just dave
vintage rules!
I disagree, the Black Keys make it a priority to release their albums on vinyl,so we must have had some effect.
And a dose of cold hard reality is also telling someone they're fat but it's just not a nice thing to do.
maximillian
New Member
It's a good trend. Hopefully quality follows the quantity trend. The whole reason for getting into LP's is quality sound. Yet, I know there are new releases being put out that sound like crap. To make matters even worse, most new LP's are selling for more than CD's. So there's nothing more discouraging than spending a good amount of money on an LP only to be really disappointed.
This happened to me with U2 Joshua Tree. I thought it was my system but the more I listen to other records the more I realize it's the recording itself that sucks. I want to purchase U2 War but at ~$24 there's no way I want to risk spending money on yet another dud.
This happened to me with U2 Joshua Tree. I thought it was my system but the more I listen to other records the more I realize it's the recording itself that sucks. I want to purchase U2 War but at ~$24 there's no way I want to risk spending money on yet another dud.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
I would be curious to see how many people here buy more than ten new albums a month. Back in the 1980s, in college I knew at least a hundred people who did this. That creates a sustainable industry.
Shelby 412
New Member
Define sustainable?
So long as someone buys the records that get made, there is no reason why it has to be globally "scalable" in the modern economic sense in order to sustain or survive. The fact it is a niche market and is growing on a small but steady scale seems to prove it will go on for the near future. Also there are several used record exchanges here that do a brisk business and always have customers when I drop by to buy a record. I really think this will continue into the foreseeable future. Why? Because digital downloads just can't match the total experience you get from buying and listening to tangible records.
jsisk
Not 2 Old 2 Rock & Roll
Pressing vinyl records today is more like a cottage industry compared to during its hayday. Smaller companies, smaller batches, less employees. So long as their operations are scaled properly, they should be able to make a profit and we should be able to buy records for a long, long time.
^This. Not every outfit has to be the size of General Electric or Capitol/EMI in the record industry heydey.
Shelby 412
New Member
Also I would hope that being a craft industry, the quality and consistency of the pressings could keep improving with time.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
Sustainable is when ALL the mainstream new releases are also available in vinyl. Sustainable means an artist's entire catalog in in store, stocked, and turned over on a monthly basis. Sustainable means you can build a broad collection from your hometown store, without mail order, and not merely catching the odd selection to augment or fill a hole.
It's great that there is life renewal, but it still is a cottage industry. At 15 million albums, some major players will jump back in. And we won't see that market shift, because production costs are such that there are substantial fixed capital costs. Barrier to entry is extremely high for a marginal business profit. And that profit melts away with every specious increase in petroleum.
It's great that there is life renewal, but it still is a cottage industry. At 15 million albums, some major players will jump back in. And we won't see that market shift, because production costs are such that there are substantial fixed capital costs. Barrier to entry is extremely high for a marginal business profit. And that profit melts away with every specious increase in petroleum.
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