Why We Love Vinyl
LPs and their covers create a synaesthetic
experience that CDs simply can’t match.
Lauren Mortimer spins some vinyl . . .
Since the Original Dixieland ‘Jass’ Band released the first ever jazz
record, Livery Stable Blues on 26th February 1917, vinyl has been
responsible for bringing the sound of popular music to homes
worldwide. And despite the continued threat of other mediums to
record and play back sound, vinyl records have not only stood their
ground, but in recent times have actually seen the decline in sales
heralded in by the introduction of the CD halted and reversed.
Time and again the music industry told us that vinyl would
not last and would be superseded by more advanced technology.
Unfortunately, what the music industry failed to take into account is
that people do not necessarily want listening to music to be a pragmatic
task. The turning of a 45 single record, the crackle from the speaker, and
the large sleeve required to house LPs are all unique charms of vinyl.
I started collecting vinyl before I had the means to play them.
The ownership of something more akin to memorabilia, rather than the
simple means to listen to music, created a buzz that a CD case cannot
match. With the purchase of record decks my collection has flourished
and the enjoinment of interaction with my favourite songs has increased
as the fizz of a second hand record emanates from within. And it seems
that I’m not the only one. Vinyl is experiencing a resurgence, one that
enthusiasts have been predicting for years. In 2008, 1.88 million vinyl
albums were bought, the highest number since Nielsen SoundScan
began tracking LP sales in 1991 and nearly double the number reported
for the previous twelve months. Previously the majority of sales
increases had been seen by independent traders, especially those
dealing in second hand wares and those operating at specialist fairs.
However, the trend has now translated to the larger retailers and to
brand new stock.
The history of music is aided by its direct relatio