Just out of curiosity...over the past few years, how many or what percentage of new albums did you buy on vinyl?


Here's an interesting article I came across today:

Back in the groove: young music fans ditch downloads and spark vinyl revival


· Sales of 7" singles rise by 13% in first half of year
· New bands and collectors turning to old format

Katie Allen, media business correspondent
Monday July 16, 2007
The Guardian

The format was supposed to have been badly wounded by the introduction of CDs and killed off completely by the ipod-generation that bought music online.

But in a rare case of cheerful news for the record labels, the latest phenomenon in a notoriously fickle industry is one nobody dared predict: a vinyl revival. Latest figures show a big jump in vinyl sales in the first half of this year, confirming the anecdotal evidence from specialist shops throughout the UK.


Back in the groove: young music fans ditch downloads and spark vinyl revival


· Sales of 7in singles rise by 13% in first half of year
· New bands and collectors turning to old format

Katie Allen, media business correspondent
Monday July 16, 2007
The Guardian

The format was supposed to have been badly wounded by the introduction of CDs and killed off completely by the ipod-generation that bought music online.

But in a rare case of cheerful news for the record labels, the latest phenomenon in a notoriously fickle industry is one nobody dared predict: a vinyl revival. Latest figures show a big jump in vinyl sales in the first half of this year, confirming the anecdotal evidence from specialist shops throughout the UK.

Article continues
It comes as sales of CD singles continue to slide - and it is not being driven by technophobic middle-aged consumers. Teenagers and students are developing a taste for records and are turning away from the clinical method of downloading music on to an MP3 player.

The data, released by the UK's industry group BPI, shows that 7in vinyl sales were up 13% in the first half, with the White Stripes' Icky Thump the best seller.

Two-thirds of all singles in the UK now come out on in the 7in format, with sales topping 1m. Though still a far cry from vinyl's heyday in 1979, when Art Garfunkel's Bright Eyes alone sold that number and the total vinyl singles market was 89m, the latest sales are still up more than fivefold in five years.

For record stores, the resurgence has meant a move from racks of vintage Rolling Stones and Beatles releases to brand new singles and younger buyers. "The student population seem to be loving the 7in," says Stuart Smith, who runs Seismic Records in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. He sells 300-600 records a week and is preparing to launch an online store.

"I'm still not sure about the MP3 generation. You can have a full hard drive and nothing to show for it. Record collections are very personal. You can view into a person's soul really," he says.

The customers rummaging through racks at his store, a small room above a skate shop, are students and DJs.

When Mr Smith opened the vinyl shop in early 2005, digital download sales were rocketing and, amid rampant piracy, global music revenues were several years into their current downward spiral.

A shop selling LPs and 7in singles didn't sound like the most promising business plan. But when his employers at the local outlet of music chain Fopp - now closed down - decided to stop selling vinyl it was something he couldn't resist.

"I just couldn't understand why they decided to turn their backs on it. I saw an opportunity to do something I love doing. I've been a collector myself for years," says the 31-year-old. "It's just one of things. It just felt right."

Two years on, the White Stripes' Icky Thump has just notched up the highest weekly sales for a 7in single for more than 20 years. Retailers and record labels put the rising vinyl sales down to bands rediscovering the format and to music fans' enduring desire to collect. It's not unusual for fans to buy a 7in but have nothing to play it on, says Paul Williams at industry magazine Music Week. "It's about the kind of acts that have very loyal fan bases that want everything to do with that act," he says. "They maybe will buy the download to listen to, but they get the vinyl to own. It's looked at like artwork."

HMV agrees that vinyl is back from the brink, and the chain has been rapidly expanding its record racks to meet rising demand. The group's Gennaro Castaldo cites the huge popularity of "indie" bands, such as Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, which enjoy loyal followings among teenagers and students, especially during the summer festival season.

"Labels have realised that it's cool for bands to release their music on vinyl, especially in limited edition form, which makes it highly collectible," he says.

London company Art Vinyl has built a whole business out of the format's visual and tactile appeal by selling easy-to-open frames to display records and their sleeves.

For fans, buying and owning a record can provide a welcome change from the anonymity of online downloads, says Art Vinyl's founder Andrew Heeps. "If you go into a record shop to buy something, you feel part of something," he says. "The fact that last year we sold over 9,000 frames to people says an awful lot about where the market is going."

Cara Henn, a DJ and regular Seismic Records customer says going to the store puts her in touch with her peers and has hammered home the vinyl trend. "I've really been getting back into my vinyl. I love it," she says. "I like to hear crackling, as if it's actually real. Especially with drum'n'bass, DJs are really encouraging fans to buy vinyl."

Thats the key, isn't it? If they make a product 'special', people will be willing to buy CD's, etc again.

Well, that and many independent labels offer free mp3s of the album if you buy the vinyl so you can more easily put it on yr ipod or a cd for the car. If thats an option, I'd much rather buy vinyl than a cd.

whenever I download a record I like and I go see the band (which is often, cause I'm full of guilt) I will always buy the vinyl if they have it.

i really don't think it has much to do with limited or special editions. It has everything to do with snobbery and elitism.

In their words: "It just sounds better"

Could be that with the advent of the internets that people have access to more music than ever before. Even the most obscure stuff. Thus producing more music geeks than ever before and that increased pool of people are now discovering vinyl.

Just one theory but I'm not buying that "vinyl is back" for most folks.


I don't think I've ever bought a new album on vinyl. It's always older albums for cheap. If I'm going to pay full price ($15+) for a record it's gonna be a cd. More versatile. I have been tempted at shows though.

And this is mainly a UK thing, as well. I don't think it's happening in the US to nearly the same degree.

i like the nice big art

don't think it has anything to do with snobbery or elitism

the few purchases that i make every year are gonna be vinyl when available
still gonna listen to my download 99% of the time

I like vinyl and don't see anything snobby about it. I've already got a bunch of it from years past, so I gotta have a turntable to play it. I like the big cover art, and considering my cd player is in a cabinet down low and the turntable sits right up top, it's actually easier for me to flip through records.

I don't get too caught up in the argument about what sounds better. I've heard great examples of both. I just like the physical product better and am in the habit.

But, there has been increased interest. I notice the shops where I get records stock more and more and when I go to record shows, the crowds showing up have increased dramatically over the last year or so.

I coulda sworn that this has been going on since the early mid 90's.

Oh yeah, and I have seen people who collect records that don't even have a turntable to play them on. Personally, I think those people are idiots and should be forced into giving all their records to people like me that actually will get some use out of them.

It's been going on for a while, but it really has picked up steam more recently.

Especially 7"s. They're only £2 (which I recently found out). Even with the terrible exchange rate, that's still cheaper than they are here.

But it does.

And the big cover art, liner notes etc add value.

And have you ever tried rolling a joint on a cd case?

Yeah, now that I've got a proper shelving unit just for vinyl, I'm on full-tilt boogie with the stuff. I just need to figure out how to get rid of the 15+ milk crates I had.

True...but ever try to cut some lines on an LP?

Your mp3 collection ain't worth shit!

I'd buy more records if bootleggaz didn't download.

i didn't buy vinyl for awhile because it's costly, but i caved in and started... but i limited myself to certain rules -

- only buy the record if i absolutely love it
- usually will buy vinyl @ shows

haven't bought cd's in awhile, been using lala a lot to get rid of old stuff i rarely listen to.

I actually buy less vinyl than I used to, but with my current stereo setup (I can now listen to records while I work) I should start buying more again.

In addition to often coming with free mp3 downloads (or in some cases even a free CD), vinyl is sometimes cheaper than CDs depending on the label. SubPop vinyl is always cheap.

i've found the exact opposite, all my LP shops are closing and the records shows are barren compaired with the late 90's and early 00's

Weird...must depend on the area.

Around here, of the two main places that carry vinyl, they have both increased the portion of the stores dedicated to vinyl over the last year or so and a new mostly vinyl shop has opened. And, the last couple times I went to the local record shows, the crowds were dramatically larger...where half the parking lot would be full before, the last couple the lot was jammed and cars were parked along nearby streets.

i think the rise and fall in my town was based on DJ'ing which has all gone digital. where do you live?

it scrapes up all the little paper fibers.
might as well snort dryer lint.

This statement has nothing to do with snobbery or elitism (but in some instances it may be stated to be a snob or elitist); vinyl does sound different than, and to most people sounds better than, CDs (and blows MP3s out of the water) on a decent system.

Edit: I should have read the whole thread. Dusty beat me to it.

and thags why it soundy goodgerz
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question487.htm