Crave Talk: All hail the analogue revolution
Tags: age, records, inch, sales
It sounds like an unlikely revival, but vinyl is scratching and crackling its way back to the top. Seven-inch vinyl records are once again a popular format for some indie singles' sales in the UK. Sales of 7-inch singles have risen to well over one million this year. The last time things looked this good for vinyl was 1998.
It doesn't stop there -- the NME's Alex Needham is championing the format to supersede CD. "I think it's very possible that the CD might become obsolete in an age of download music but the vinyl record will survive," he said.
The latest White Stripes' single, The Denial Twist, was helped into the Top 10 by 7-inch vinyl sales -- the band sold 5,500 singles in the format. Stuart Green, head of sales for the Stripe's label told Crave, "We're seeing more interest in 7-inch. We're now more likely to put out two 7-inch records and one CD whereas in the past the opposite was true." Not bad going in an age where iPods are as integral to the proper functioning of a teenage human body as lungs.
Lily Allen saw fit to initally release her new single, LDN, exclusively on 7-inch. It's arguable that the dying singles chart has been defibrillated by vinyl sales.
So why are thousands of people turning back to vinyl when tapes, and then CDs and MP3s, wiped out the vinyl singles market two decades ago? It's likely that the tactile joy of owning a physical object that represents your attachment to a band is infinitely more enjoyable than entering a credit card number into iTunes. Not to mention the fun of manipulating turntable technology to play vinyl, that sense of physical control of the medium. Sales of record decks appear to bear this out -- turntables had disappeared from high street stores but now we're beginning to see major retailers stocking these antique wonders.
What pleasure is there to be had in clicking a virtual button with a mouse? Very little, really. Whereas the slightly precarious operation of placing a record on a platter and dropping the needle seems like a surgical procedure of a kind that most modern automation has tried to completely erase.
There's a wonderful sense of anticipation when you hear that nervous crackle of needle on fresh groove during that brief moment before the music kicks in. How delightful that a new generation is discovering the joy of 7-inch. -Chris Stevens
- Share this article:
RELATED LINKS
Sonos BU150: I can stream clearly now the range is long
Creative Zen Mozaic: Beauty that's only skin deep
Government wins: Major UK ISPs forced to fight piracy for BPI
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 4:08pm
I have collected vinyl for years. I always buy things from GEMM (gemm.com), since they are great for finding vinyl. I'm glad to read it's coming back into fashion!
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 4:24pm
There is no way vinyl will out last the CD. Sure it will boost music sales and turntables but to say it will out last the CD by saying "owning an object" then you can say the same exact thing about the CD. Yet the sales of CDs have been slumping due to downloadable music. This is just a vinyl craze just like in 1998. Once the novelty of pulling out one of the discs, carefully taking it out of it's sleeve, placing it on the turntable, using surgeon like hands to place the needle down on the edge of the album if you don't have an automatic turntable, carefully removing it from the turntable, placing it back in the sleeve, and putting it away runs out they will be back to the ipods or mp3 players. The CD will last longer than the vinyl but in another ten years (give or take) vinyl will make another seemingly strong comback as long as people remain nostogic or curious. This is the only way I can see vinyl outlasting the CD but I strongly feel that these so called vinyl crazes will end forever.
jaybravoWed 20 September, 2006 5:04pm
"likely that the tactile joy of owning a physical object that represents your attachment to a band is infinitely more enjoyable than entering a credit card number into iTunes" - that's funny, I was under the impression that just like vinyl, CDs are physical objects which you can own...
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 5:06pm
5500 discs sold doesn't sound like much for a band like White Stripes. What's the deal?
Chris StevensWed 20 September, 2006 5:21pm
Because of the sorry state of singles sales in general, 5,500 7-inch single sales is more significant than you'd think. To give this a sense of context, the same White Stripes single sold around 14,000 CDs (UK). As for jaybravo's suggestion that CDs can also be physically owned, this is true, but there's a unique appeal to the packaging of a vinyl single -- there's more room for artwork, for starters. These kids are drawn to the mysterious and ancient feel of vinyl. Also, CDs don't smell of anything, and who in their right mind trusts a music format that doesn't smell?
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 6:00pm
I always thought CDs were superior to vinyl......until I actually bought an underground Beastie Boys vinyl record. From then on I was hooked. You cant beat the sound of a vinyl record and any music enthusiast will agree. There is nothing better than digging through crates to buy a used full record for only $1.99!!!!!! I still will purchase a CD every once in a while to put into my car, but when I am at home the vinyl is what my ears listen to. The only people who I have EVER heard complain about vinyl don't listen to vinyl. To top if off I hate these new DJs that dont even spin wax. Get off your lazy butt and work out if you cant pick up a crate of records to bring to a show.
radu popescuWed 20 September, 2006 7:49pm
to the anonymous poster above that claims CDs will outlast vinyl, better think again.
vinyl came out in 1930. 1930! that's 76 years of existence. and today there's a lot a people that still have them, and modern turntables are still produced. most CDs don't make it past 10 years because they oxidise, rust and decay, while the PVC stays like that for ages. basic idea is: if you don't scratch it it will last forever, which can't be said for CDs or magnetic support such as tapes.
if you were to put in a time capsule a cd, a tape and a cd and open that again in 100 years, guess which you'll be able to play better (if at all in the case of the cd and mag tape). moreover, the vinyl disc will be exactly like the day you put it in.
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 7:53pm
CD's are promiscuous. You can play them virtually anywhere, rip them off, do what ever you want to. CD sound is flat also. In the other hand, you can only play a vinyl record on a turntable. Not in your car, not while jogging, not on your computer.The whole ritual of sitting confortably to listen to one song provides you that 'attachment' to a particular song, band, or music that you really enjoy. The sound out of vinyl record is as real as hearing the breathing out of a trumpetist.
And of course this will kick a butt against piracy, since it takes a little more effort to digitize a vinyl record and listen to it on the mp3 player of your choice.
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 8:09pm
CDs suck.
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 8:21pm
It is simply false to say that most CDs won't work after 10 years. The oxidization issue was an early manufacturing flaw and does not affect discs made after the first tentative releases TWO DECADES ago. A modern CD will easily last as long as vinyl and remain playable.
It is also false to say that a CD sound flat. It's all in the mastering and just like vinyl some releases will be done well and others not. Enthusiasts often claim to prefer vinyl and yet every person I have seen take the blind "taste test" fails to discriminate between the two formats for unfamiliar albums.
AnonymousWed 20 September, 2006 9:37pm
This is great to read about. I just got hooked on vinyl a couple weeks ago. Yeah vinyl!
I'll say this much. CDs are a superior technology, but they are an inferior implementation. Today's CDs are so compressed for loudness that they have been made flat at the same time. Almost like listening to the music through a loud telephone. Whereas on vinyl, you can't compress the signal so much, because if you did, the needle would skip. So the music is left in its natural state, which happens to sound amazing... in case you forgot.
Technical details the CD disaster are here: http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicrange.htm And obviously the same problem applies to mp3.
The only technology I've heard sound consistently as good as vinyl are FLAC-compressed bootlegs of live concerts. But me, I prefer studio albums so vinyl is the sweet spot. As far as flipping over the albums, I don't mind it so much, in fact I like to participate in the music playing that way. Although on 2-album sets, it can get annoying to flip after every 3rd song.
radu popescuWed 20 September, 2006 10:34pm
problems with cd manufacturing processes have come up a number of times in the media. one other problem is the quality of cd and dvd players. i own a medium quality dvd player that started exhibiting problems with reading disks after 8 months of light usage; the Tesla turntable from the mid 70s works excellent to this day. eventually I went out and a got myself a mid-fi (as in below hi-fi) cd player from marantz (cd5400) which is far more expensive than most dvd players (two-three times more expensive). now I _trust_ that my brand-name cds will still play in 10-15 years from now, but i _know_ that the vinyls I have from my father, most of which are already some 25-30 years old will still be enjoyed by my grandchildren, just like I _know_ that most of my mp3 backup cds, dating 6 years back, are now unreadable on most cd units (and that's not due to scratching).
AnonymousThu 21 September, 2006 2:54am
I saw a 2 stereo systems - typical stuff: 2 casettes, 3 CD selector... XXX amount of watts w/ subwoofers, tweeters et al - but I was ever so suprised to see a vinyl table on their respective tops...
And this was not a specialty store but a Sears catalog!
R.C. MoodyThu 21 September, 2006 9:40am
I think "Back to Vinyl" will have the same staying power as "Back to Mono" did in the 1980s'. It is odd that the superior listening experience provided by the CD over that of the vinyl record seems to be considered irrelevant.
Lazerf4rtThu 21 September, 2006 1:47pm
RC Moody: We vinyl lovers do not consider sound quality irrelevant. Compare Beck - Guero (which reached #2 on the US charts last year) on CD and vinyl. The CD sounds flat even on the best sound system. The vinyl sounds rich even on a mediocre system. For this album, vinyl wins. Same thing goes for most of today's albums. The problem is not the technology, but how record companies are using it.
If you're not going to listen for yourself, at least educate yourself:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/10109
http://www.mindspring.com/~mrichter/dynamics/dynamics.htm
http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicrange.htm
http://georgegraham.com/compress.html
RichardSun 14 January, 2007 2:10pm
hi there,
If you do love vinyl I'd like to ask youto visit the following site. There's news, reviews and a forum all dedicated to how great vinyl is ;)
http://vinylfanatics.com
Vinyl CollectiveThu 21 September, 2006 4:23pm
I recently launched a vinyl-only online store and it has been doing extremely well. We are also creating a vinyl imprint to release records not ever released on vinyl. In a time where music seems to becoming more and more disposable, there will always be fans of a limited vinyl pressing. Nothing sounds better than an incredible recording put to vinyl!
www.vinylcollective.com
RyanThu 21 September, 2006 10:33pm
Mr Stevens,
How about the wonky idear that vinyl just sounds better? Anyone who's ever heard a reocrd on a decent stereo can tell you this.
AnonymousThu 21 September, 2006 11:13pm
To me this has all the hallmarks of a record industry marketing campaign. The reason? Simply because you can't pirate a vinyl disk like you can a CD.
GrantFri 22 September, 2006 6:34pm
I've been listening to vinyl records since I was about 6 or seven, making it 11 years now I've been highly attached to the record format. I remember thinking it wastful that my dad had all these records and a working turntable, but it was never used. When I turned on the old amplifier, it let out a "whomp!" that I presumed was an indication that it was happy to be used once again.
Quality-wise, the sound that comes from vinyl when compared to properly produced CD's is definately different, though not arguably "better," to the regular ear. I recently played a popular hit of a recent artist on vinyl for friends, and compared with listening to it on their computer from legal online sources, however. They were floored by the difference in quality. Of course, the physicality of records is also an important factor in purchasing them, coupled with the exclusivity of even owning a working turntable.
I have become very pleased with the rise of vinyl once again, as it simply makes more of my favorite music accessable. I think the difference between vinyl and CD's comes down to the age-old difference between the sciences and the arts- they both have similar goals, but one is logical and predictable, while the other is interpretive and based on emotional feeling.
DanSun 24 September, 2006 11:48pm
CD's were never an audiophile format. There is simply not enough resolution and the digitally remastered stuff is simply crap. Can't listen to it. Vinyl, on the other hand, especially when it's transferred from original masters, will shine more times than not as opposed to the CD. Vinyl holds much more information and resolution than the CD. Additionally, you can't beat Vinyl's large format "coolness" and cover art. I look at the CD as convenience and Vinyl as a true audiophile's medium, provided that an adequate playback system is used. A cheap $100 turntable simply won't do. If you look at the long history of Vinyl and one of the CD, which is now being replaced by "newer" technology, you'll have to admit that it doesn't look good for the CD. As for mp3's, ipod and such ... heh .. forget about it. Sounds even worse than the CD, which at least is an adequate listening medium. I feel that the hallmark of truly classic technology is that it remains useful for decades and Vinyl proves that over and over. It will outlast the Compact Disc. No doubt.
AnonymousMon 25 September, 2006 12:54am
There's still quite a lot of interest in vinyl - check out the Interest Groups on Yahoo for example:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/musiccollectables/
AnonymousWed 4 October, 2006 12:35pm
CD's are sampled audio recordings, bit like films are sampled light, they take advantage of human senses being too slow the notice the flicker. Your phone is sampled JUST enough for you to recognise the voice at the other end. Maybe our ears are better at recognising the gaps, To me CD's can sound very bright compared to vinyl where you get all of the audio, harmonics, noise everything! A vinyl version just sounds warmer.
Your CD's will stilll be good in years to come as long as your player is the same age because sooner or later some smart arse will change the sampling rate to 'improve' things and make everyone get a new system obsoleting your old discs.
Maybe it's just cheap CD player lasers don't last and you need a whole new machine rather than a new needle you can fit yourself?
AnonymousSat 19 January, 2008 5:25am
It's interesting that no one here has mentioned the ultimate-if-risky-in-production vinyl experience, good ol' direct-to-disk. Remember these? I'm a music educator and classical vinyl nut, and a buddy of mine had a cathedral organ recital of organ thundering barn-burners on direct-to-disk once; huge, monster concert-hall works mastered and lathe-cut right on the spot in Boston (which had to be tricky in terms of bass-bleed to the cutting unit). With a set of massive and super-clean speakers and even only mid-level amplification, this was nonetheless the listening experience like the old Maxell logo of the guy listening while hunkering down plastered into his chair, with his scarf streaming/blasting off out behind him. Direct-to-disk was stupendous. You had to have very specific equipment, particularly speakers, to safely and sanely listen, or you'd rip your speakers apart with bass. I examined a direct-to-disk cut once of a classical work by Holst recorded by the Cleveland Winds -- maybe 1978 or so -- and you could actually see obtuse-angle tracking in the disk grooves. The record label/jacket actually came with a disclaimer!
Simply being in the literally-transferred presence of this sound, bypassing the tape mastering, was something not to be missed. Granted, it was an extremely specialized market in terms of equipment, but I've never heard the like in anything in the purely digital.
It's also interesting to think that we might, should our media pals pick up the ball here, start hearing again about radio studios with a re-emergence of Grey turntables with their honking-large Grey Research (perfectly balanced) tone arms (roughly half the size of an adult forearm) and gargantuan turntable platters. I'll be waiting. It won't be long!
Vinyl's final! Love my 1975 Pioneer PL-12D, never serviced and WORKING PERFECTLY, b.t.w. Just got new belts. Yeh!
Fivelks in Minnesota
Ask questions, share opinions and find answers in the CNET.co.uk forums
8.8
7.9
5.7
6.5
SkelbagzWed 20 September, 2006 3:45pm
Something tells me that dance music, whether it's House/Trance/Drum And Bass/Breakbeat/etc have more to do with strong vinyl sales than 1 or 2 pop groups releasing a few singles on vinyl.