“Get Out Those Vinyl LPs: Albums Are Making a Comeback
I’m a bit slow when it comes to technological advances (or, this case, a technological shout out to the good ole’ days.)
But when I overheard a woman in my yoga class say something about the owner of the music store down the block paying up to $35 for an LP in pristine shape, I took to the basement and my office closet.
There wasn’t any point in checking out my husband’s coverless collection. Years ago, he’d left the skylight ajar during a torrential downpour and . . . well, you get the soggy, sad saga.
Among my Jimi Hendrix, Moody Blues, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills and Nash LPs, there were three LPs still encased in shrink wrap: “Electric Blues Chicago Style,” by Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins; another blues LP, “Old Friends”; “Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers.”
When the rain stops, I’m heading out to see what these LPs might fetch.
So, why the resurgence in LPs? And how big of a deal is it?
Nielsen Music released its 2015 US mid-year report, finding that overall music consumption had increased by 14 percent in the first half of the year. What’s driving that boom? Well, certainly a growth in streaming. But it’s the continued resurgence in LPs with sales up 38 percent.
According to the report, vinyl LP sales increased from 6.1 million units in 2013 to 9.2 million units in 2014, the ninth consecutive year of growth for vinyl sales in the United States.
So, who’s buying the vinyls?
Answer: Younger people, especially indie-rock fans, who are attracted to the perceived superior sound quality and the “ritual of putting needle to groove.”
But who has a stereo player these days (or what we old farts called a record player)? I know I don’t. I gave ours away at a garage sale some six or seven years ago. Boy, am I regretting that decision!
But you can do your shopping online with the price dependent on whether you’re a serious audiophile or just someone who likes music and wants to check out the new/old rage. For those in the latter category, a turntable can run anywhere from $20 to $100. But for those committed music freaks, you might pay anywhere from $399.99 (Let’s make it $400) to $2000.
Not only will the serious among you have to shell out potentially big bucks for a new stereo, you will also have to consider a hefty $89 for original LPs like the Rolling Stones “Sticky Fingers” (1971, US 1st pressing). And if you don’t have that kind of change, a rereleased, remastered “Sticky Fingers” will not have a real zipper on the cover that, when you pulled it down, exposed the model’s underwear. (I could kill my husband for leaving that skylight ajar. The original Stones’ cover was among the 100 or so ruined LP covers.)
Nate Mansfield, co-creator of Wax Stacks, vinyl storage crates, sums up the resurgence of vinyl LPs this way: “Just pushing play does not make a connection,” Mansfield said. “Vinyl LPs connect with people on a more personal and intimate level than digital downloads ever will. CDs allow you to cheapen the experience. Records require you to engage.”
So, come one, come on. Put your digital devices away if you can and take a stroll down memory lane or, maybe for the first time, give a listen to what the sixties and seventies were really all about.
Blogging at janeleder.net
