Dylan Foy
IADT student Dylan takes a look at the Vinyl format and music as it in this 21st Century.
If you happen to be a record collector, what's the most you've ever willingly paid for a 'rare' record? €50? €100? Vinyl has made an extreme resurgence in recent years, with sales up over 16% in the last year alone, reaching a six year high according to the Official Charts Company. The CD is now fast becoming the obsolete medium. While (many of us don't like to admit) torrents, direct downloads and countless file-sharing sites out there on today's lawless internet just make listening the music that much easier. Record labels don't like to admit it either, but it's essentially the radio of the 21st century. It's how the independent and smaller bands survive; you'll listen to a band, tell your friend you listened to them and then share it around to your friends. This means more people listen to the artist, the artist gains a following and if the artist decides to go on tour near your town, you might even consider going to see them because at least you're familiar with their sound. It's one of the main reasons why many smaller bands will opt to use sites such as Bandcamp to distribute their demos for streaming or download free of charge.
One can't help but feel like one of the world's biggest bands, Radiohead, ushered in this new mentality and outlook on digital music with their 'pay-what-you-wish' method for 2007's In Rainbows. It caused people to actually think about what you were doing when downloading. It was essentially Thom Yorke holding out two hands in front of you: one hand clutching the In Rainbows album, and the other hand's palm wide open, ready to accept your spare change. If you paid nothing, you'd feel guilty; it would feel like actually stealing the album. If you gave poor, old Thom what you felt he deserved for making the spectacular In Rainbows, you'd feel a little bit better about yourself. It's because you know you're giving money to the artists, themselves, rather than a faceless music company. A survey by Record of the Day showed that out of 3,000 purchasers, roughly one-third paid nothing. However, when Radiohead were asked in a 2007 by The Observer as to how many of their special edition vinyl discboxes were ordered, various band members said it was between 60,000 and 80,000.
So, in this digital age, why are vinyls coming back? It can be brushed off as many throwaway comments such as nostalgia and to simply 'look cool,' but many record collectors list more valid reasons:
1) Authenticity: It sounds materialistic, but there's something special about physically holding an album in your hands. The packaging, the liner notes, the large album artwork. Coloured vinyl gives a personal touch to owning a record too, seeing as many bands limit certain shades, hues and colours to a couple hundred pressings. If you're a collector, it can hit your wallet hard. But if you're OCD and you have the complete set, it feels right.
2) Sound quality: This is debatable, but the difference is between analog and digital recording. Digital recordings take snapshots of the original analog signal at certain rates, meaning that it is not capturing the complete analog soundwave. Vinyl records have grooves that mirror the original analog waveform – meaning no information is lost (creating a richer sound). Of course there's minor downsides like specs of dust getting caught in the grooves, but some people like that warm, crackly sound it gives off.
3) Participation: When's the last time you 'used' a CD to listen to music? Nowadays, you buy the CD, rip it to your computer and the case gets lost under your bed somewhere. Vinyl requires an active participation when listening to the album. Sliding the record out of its sleeve, placing it on the platter, gently lowering the needle and then flipping to side B when it's ended. It's a more attentive and rewarding experience.
Of course, record collectors can list hundreds of reasons why vinyl is superior to other mediums, but those seem to be the big three. I'll leave you with one last thing to show that records are not just a niche market anymore, but a cult following. American punk band Title Fight had a release show for their latest album a little while ago, but I doubt they ever expected one of their limited to 150 records to sell for this much to die-hard fans on eBay. Floral Green is close to being my album of the year, but is it $25,000 good? Well...
