Thursday 31 January 2013

A Waxen Revival.


  • A quick reflection on the "Vinyl Revival".


I would never consider myself to be "manly". I like to read novels, not Nuts. I played in the wind band in high school, not on the football team. I drink gin and tonic, not Strongbow. Nonetheless, a week ago I found myself stripping various lengths of wire. With tools

Admittedly a lot of pretty decent wire was lost in the process, but eventually I succeeded. I was attempting to wire up my flatmate and I's first hi-fi system, complete with record player, digital radio (courtesy of my grandmother's kitchen), iPod dock, 2 speakers (courtesy of my parents' attic), and an amplifier. Whilst we might be somewhat late bandwagon jumpers, we're part of what many are calling a vinyl revival

A 30 second Google research session involving pulling data erratically from various sources indicates that vinyl sales increased 5% in 2009, 55% in 2010, and 43.7% in 2011. Last year, however, sales only increased a further 10.3%. Whether this means that growth has experienced a temporary blip as we enter the octuple dip recession or whether the vinyl market is saturated is unclear. 

The dubious statistical evidence on which I base this analysis and my amateur statistician/economist status probably mean that no rash decisions should be made just yet. Regardless, there's no reason to let optimism die until we reach the end of 2013 and we have a new set of stats to look. For the time being, it's interesting to ask why a vinyl revival makes sense. With Urban Outfitters selling vinyl (only Arcade Fire's first LP. Only to be listened to on record players that looks like a Blitz evacuee's suitcase) it would be unreasonable to deny that hipsterism hasn't played a part in all this. Nonetheless, more substantial reasons appear to exist. Some believe that as the initial hysteria surrounding MP3 is dying away, people are again realising that the tangible, permanent element of a music collection has a certain value that simply cannot be replicated on an iPod. Anyone who has watched or read Hi Fidelity can appreciate that collecting and organising is in the blood of any music fan. Phrases like "limited release" or "special edition" have an undeniable attraction. I was moments away from impulsively spending £30 I don't have on latest The Joy Formidable record because of all the cool stuff that comes with it.

LPs also have a particular advantage over CDs - their size. When an album sleeve is 12" rather than 12cm it's easy to see why it's called "album art". Our flat has three Ikea record sleeve frames hanging behind the TV which not only provide a cheap means of decorating the walls, but an ever-growing record collection also means an ever-growing supply of artwork which can easily swapped in and out depending on our mood. (For those interested, currently up there are Greetings from Asbury ParkThe Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place, and Black Sheep Boy. Springsteen may have to make way for Hospice in the near future.)

What's more, underlying all this is the fact they vinyl simply sounds better. A sound engineer  friend once explained to me why this is the case, but I didn't understand it. "It just does, okay" is the best summary I can give here, but the point still stands unless, of course, you're listening to vinyl on a record player that looks like a Blitz evacuee's suitcase which also, by the way, comes fitted with an EU plug despite being sold on Urban Outfitters' UK website. (Whether this is due to the nature of mass production or because having "the wrong plug" is now cool is unclear). Finally, with most modern records coming packaged with a free digital download of the album there is no risk of losing the portability of your music collection by choosing to invest in a record player (or by digging out a very old one).

All in all, the vinyl revival is a fascinating phenomenon to witness. Superior sound quality and the inclusion of free downloads mean that it has real potential to be more than just a fad. Perhaps the real test will be whether it can survive the likes of Spotify. It's all very well to say that music fans prefer to pay £15 for a record rather than £10 for an iTunes download because of the advantages it brings, but where the choice is £15 for a record or every record you ever wanted ever for free then choice becomes less clear. Of course, question marks hang over the long term sustainability of Spotify, too. Perhaps all that can be taken from all this is that the music industry is at a turning point. Perhaps it isn't worth jumping on the vinyl bandwagon just yet, but it's certainly worth keeping an eye on.

2 comments:

  1. 'Springsteen may have to make way for Hospice in the near future.' You can fuck right off.

    '[W]here the choice is £15 for a record or every record you ever wanted ever for free then choice becomes less clear.' The choice predominantly revolves around the valuation you attach to a specific record. Owning something physically will always outlast the advantages of on-demand media - you take pride that you own it; it's cool to look at; you can show it off etc.

    The two can easily co-exist - with youtube and free-streaming outlets, you are never going to be faced with a definitive choice between one or the other.

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    1. You may well be right.

      I suppose when I said that the choice was "less clear" rather than "obvious" I was trying to emphasise that there are a range of possibilities and that we'll have to wait and see what happens.

      Perhaps that was "less clear" than I had hoped...

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