Is Vinyl Making a Comeback?
Some might say that CDs are becoming old news, and streaming platforms are overtaking the music industry. I, personally, am not sure if I agree. I can see both sides of the argument, but if I’m being subjective, I’d say that streaming services can never replace a good old CD. There is something in the physicality of it, you know, holding a favorite album in your hands. But, I’m aware that CDs are becoming less relevant – it’s my job – but at the same time, a lot of artists also put their albums on vinyl.
Now, vinyl has been around since forever, but with the emergence of cassettes and, later, CDs, it was deemed as ‘old-fashioned’ or ‘not-forward-looking’ or ‘music-for-old-people’ kind of medium. There were small, pretentious groups of collectors of vinyl during the 1990s and early 2000s, but during those times, shiny CDs were the future. It was all about being ‘compact’, whereas now it’s about being minimal, having access to everything on the same device. So, how does vinyl fit into this model?
Like I said, there is something nice in the tangibility of things. In this respect, vinyl is pretty neat. It makes you feel cool, it makes a great gift for someone, and it also symbolizes something in your space. It’s different when you see it placed somewhere in your collection. Not to mention that every artist who’s ever made an album cover deserves for it to be printed on a big, square carton for other people to see.
My point is that vinyl actually offers a very good listening experience. It’s proved to be more durable than cassettes (those collectors will attest to that!) and even CDs, in some cases. Plus, the sound is really unique. You can’t deny you like it. Everybody likes it. Everybody.
And in addition to this, from what I’ve heard from my customers, the ritual of preparing to listen to a record – from setting your record player to spending a few minutes deciding on what record to play, and all that jazz – is pretty special. Also, some people are being nostalgic, but let’s leave nostalgia out and try to get a fresh perspective on this comeback, and play some records!
Filed under: Uncategorized - @ November 26, 2020 7:58 pm