I just got my regular spam from Amazon, this time promoting a new release of Hendrix live performances. On vinyl. Which I think is really cool.
But is there anything else of significance still being pressed onto vinyl? To me it seems like even the CD is becoming obsolete.
Absolutely. Vinyl is coming back big time. People who want to make listening to music an experience again prefer the feel and handling of real vinyl. You won’t find every Top 40 album on vinyl, but there are many, many rock acts that take advantage of that niche/collector’s market.
Not to mention old, used vinyl.
I wandered by a music shop yesterday that had a sidewalk display of used CDs (at eye level) and used vinyl (on the ground in crates). The price was $2 a disc, either vinyl or CD.
I noticed that three people were crouched down thumbing through the lps; nobody was checking out the CDs.
Hardly scientific, I know, but I thought it interesting.
mmm
I happened to notice that the new They Might Be Giants album is available on vinyl (cite), so no, it hasn’t completely gone away.
A lot of indie/niche stuff is coming out on vinyl nowadays–often accompanied by a coupon for a digital download version for iPodding purposes. The big labels are also lately including both vinyl and CD versions of the same albums in super-deluxe box sets (see upcoming boxed editions of Aqualung, Achtung Baby and Smile).
I can understand the resurgence of vinyl for an audiophile market, but the great thing about digital is the low barrier to entry. How do indie bands get on vinyl? Or even why, when they can easily make and distribute their own MP3s with relatively cheap equipment? Are there pressing services that will stamp out a batch of LPs cheaply? Hard to imagine you can do this without economies of scale.
My friends The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band just came out with the ultimate retro vinyl release: Peyton on Patton as a 10" 78 RPM mono record.
Given that virtually nobody has a working 78 RPM turntable, it comes with a download link for digital versions of the songs.
It was recorded in one day, with a single microphone attempting to duplicate the methods used to record Charlie Patton’s originals.
Yeah vinyl is alive and well in the indie rock world. I actually read an article that said name indie rock acts like Fleet Foxes often sell up to 10% of their new albums on vinyl. Overall vinyl sales are about 1% of the market, increasing to 5-10% in independent stores (according to Billboard’s figures). It differs greatly by genre of course:indie rock and collectors’ genres like rockabilly and garage rock are almost always on vinyl, while stuff like country and teen pop almost never release LPs.
Punk and Hardcore never stopped getting released on vinyl. There was never a resurgence: DIY 7" and 12" releases have been the norm since the 80’s.
Granted you had to order many of the records directly from the record labels and bands themselves, and the press runs are / were quite small.
Vanity search FAIL
Pretty much all the newer Tom Waits albums are available on vinyl. As are all of Johnny Cash’s American Recordings albums. Also, much of the more interesting electronic/dance music is still released on vinyl.
Recording an album is not cheap. If you’re a band, you need to rent a decent recording studio for a bunch of days, drag your stuff there, probably come back a few more times to finish recording all the tracks and fix mistakes, and you have to hire someone to record & produce. That will probably set you back a few thousand bucks minimum. If you’re all electronic or a solo artist, you can probably get away with doing almost everything yourself, but recording a band is not easy.
MP3 only is fine if you’ve already got an audience, but selling CDs and vinyl is a good way to make a little extra money from a live performance.
IIRC, CDs are cheaper to produce (CD mastering and manufacturing is something like half the price of 12" vinyl for a small run) but personally I think vinyl is much nicer looking and feels less impersonal.
Also distros at gigs - I’ve seen boxes of vinyl at the merch stands at gigs relatively recently. I’ve not bought any for a few years, but people I know who do tend to display it rather than listen to it.
I have lots of friends who still swear by vinyl. Heck, there is still at least one site that schleps 8-Track tapes. 8trackheaven.com. Go figure.