Vinyl Records Still Spinning in the Digital Era
It’s no surprise that the decline of vinyl record sales coincided with the rise of cassette tapes and CDs. These new technologies were portable, easier to store, didn’t require cleaning and were far less prone to damage.
But recently the organic crackles and pops of vinyl, and the simple pleasure of watching the stylus skating over them, has endeared a new generation of music lovers to the 140-year-old technology.
With some labels also offering digital downloads with vinyl purchases, there can be little doubt that vinyl has found new life in the digital age.
However, 2015 saw digital formats overtake physical sales for the first time ever. Experts say that the music industry has successfully adapted to the digital era as global music revenues experienced a 3.2% increase in 2016 following twenty years of steady decline.
Streaming remains the fastest growing revenue source for the industry, growing 500% since 2013. It now accounts for around half of all digital music sales.
But a digital download can’t be held, and album artwork is better appreciated on a 12 inch sleeve than through a smartphone screen. Vinyl sales only account for a small fraction of physical music sales. But it’s a fraction that hasn’t been this large since 1991.
While pop records are also being printed onto vinyl, independent labels are benefiting most from this resurgence. While many people only purchase hit singles online, there are still many of those who prefer to seek out and buy physical copies of albums, especially fans of non-mainstream genres.
April 22nd is Record Store Day, a day where record store owners and die-hard music fans celebrate record store culture. For them, the act of rummaging through hundreds of vinyls, cassettes, and CDs by hand is almost as enjoyable as listening to the music itself. Some are simply moved by the fact that the grooves cut into vinyl represent the actual shape of the music’s original waveform.
With a 25-year high in vinyl record sales, experts are no longer asking why vinyl has made a comeback, but whether the trend is going to continue. With a 53% rise in sales over last year, it looks like the vinyl records will keep on spinning.
