There are a good number of us who have this memory as a kid: a dusty box or shelf with some covers that we may or may not recognize from our favorite CDs. You ask to see one of them and you pull out a flat, head-shaped disc of wax.
That, my friends, is vinyl. An invention that dates all the way back to the 19th century.
Record stores and music executives would almost universally say vinyl is a dying musical medium. It is the same with the cassette, the Walkman and the CD player.
With the rise of streaming services, it seemed like the final nail in the coffin for vinyl was finally in. However, this may not be the case.
In September 2019, rollingstones.com reported vinyl is on-pace to outsell CDs for the first time since 1986. CDs outsold vinyl by $18 million in the first half of 2019, but the sales of vinyl have grown by over 12% in both the last half of 2018 and the first half of 2019. So, the question is – how is vinyl not only surviving in the modern age of streaming services and online downloads, but flourishing?
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In the last couple years, brands like Champion and Fila made comebacks in popularity and arguably exceeded their previous peaks. Hairstyles like mullets are making a comeback. And the baggy style of bling-era hip-hop is being reintroduced to the mainstream.
With these realities and conditions, it makes sense the aesthetic of vinyl would be appealing to teens and young adults. The fact that many current and relevant artists like Drake and Ariana Grande release vinyl on their merchandise websites could be another reason vinyl is making a comeback.
Another factor contributing to the revival of vinyl is the sense of ownership that comes with purchasing a record. No one would argue that owning a record is more convenient than using streaming services. However, people don’t own the music they’re playing with those apps.
This leads to music in a streaming library being likely to change. For example, Jay-Z is the founder and president of the streaming service, Tidal. To encourage people to subscribe to Tidal, Jay-Z took all his solo material off Spotify.
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This situation was frustrating to Jay-Z fans subscribed to Spotify. It is not only a hassle; it is sometimes financially unsustainable for someone to be subscribed to Spotify, Apple Music and/or Tidal. However, recently his music was put back on the streaming service.
Needless to say, this is not a problem with vinyl.
Although a vinyl record is more expensive than a monthly subscription to Spotify, it can be a great feeling to buy the album and listen to tracks like “99 Problems” and “Lucifer” again.
Another reason people enjoy vinyl is the events attached to records by artists and retailers alike. There is a national record store day in which labels ship out or make available special eddition records, merchandise, discounted classic records and other merchandise.
Regardless of the reason, the resurgence of vinyl is undoubtedly a good thing. Local record stores like Moscow’s Paradise Ridge Records are now in a safe place instead of being on the brink of extinction.
Whether you’re an audiophile, a casual music lover or one who doesn’t buy vinyl, it can be argued the resurgence of vinyl is a great reality for music, businesses and communities alike.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected]