TURNING THE TABLES : RETURN OF THE VINYL RECORD
In recent years , several music labels have emerged that , either fully dedicate themselves to the production of vinyl records , such as the Dutch Music On Vinyl or the German Speakers Corner , have either decided to " strongly " consider this format in their catalog , like Analogue Productions , Fonè Records or Tacet , among many others . From this , it can be inferred that only minority labels that aim to reach audiophiles are betting on vinyl records , but nothing could be further from the truth . Even Sony , Columbia , Philips , EMI , and Decca have started focusing on vinyl . Some are produced by these firms ( in the case of those that still exist ), and others have been reissued by specialized labels , such as Speakers Corner .
ARE NEW ALBUMS AVAILABLE ON VINYL ? On the other hand , some people may think that on new vinyl , and not second-hand , it is only pos-sible to find music of an audiophile nature ( classical , jazz , ethnic , etc .), which , moreover , is not exactly recent . Of course , these vinyls can be obtained without difficulty , but many modern rock and pop soloists and bands are also releasing their latest works on vinyl . Albums that are availa-ble for digital download , are available on vinyl as well ( even though they are much more expen-sive ).
HOW ARE THE SALES FIGURES OF VINYL ? It is clear that if new vinyl continues to reach the market , it is because they sell less than CDs , and , of course , much less than digital downloads . But they are sold . According to IFPI , a Swiss association representing the interests of 1,300 music companies around the world , vinyl record sales increased 32 % in the United States and 101 % in the United Kingdom . In countries like Ja-pan , Germany and France , vinyls are also working very well , so it is possible that their numbers are located between those of the United States and the United Kingdom .
In particular , in the case of Japan it is possible that they are at a similar level to that of the British because there , on the one hand , they are passionate about hi-fi , and , on the other hand , the hip-ster subculture also has a lot of " pull " among the Japanese .
WHAT MAKES VINYL SPECIAL ? One of the reasons some music fans like to listen to vinyl records is simply because they are drawn to the sound of it . While high definition digital formats also sound fantastic , there is some-thing special about vinyl . We all know that it is more practical and much more comfortable to play a digital medium because if we want vinyl to sound good we have to periodically adjust our turn-table , clean our vinyl almost every time we play it , get up from the sofa to turn the record over when it is over . We save all this when we listen to a CD or a Blu-ray Pure Audio , for example , but this certain discomfort can also be seen as a more peaceful and calm way of listening to music .
Many vinyl fans enjoy this ritual that needs to be carried out before playing each record . Of course , if you don ’ t have a lot of time in hand , a digital medium is much more practical .
It is clear that vinyl records offer us a different way of consuming music . Not better , not worse . Simply different . As we have just seen , they require us to be more dedicated ; they do not offer us comforts , such as playlists or the possibility of using a remote control ( although there are some exceptions that do incorporate a remote control ); they suffer a certain deterioration derived from use . For all this , vinyl records tend to invite us to enjoy them in a different , more reflective and less immediate way , which some people are attracted to , and others are scared away .
Another reason why many fans continue to buy vinyl records is collecting . And it is understanda-ble . Anyone who has the opportunity to hold one in their hands for a moment , even if they have not heard it , may realize that the perception of value as an object that can be collected ( it does not have to go hand in hand with economic value ) is greater than that offered by a CD or any digital medium . The size of the record and the cardboard sleeve that protects it , the image on the cover ( which greatly benefits from the larger size of the vinyl ), those careful editions with two or more records inside , that invite you to collect them .
The Score Magazine
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