Who Killed The Vinyl LP?
Where did lp's disappear and what's spurring the comeback of vinyl
In the 1980’s, the major label record industry foisted a fallacy on us, the record buying public. We were told, among other things, that CDs would never degrade, that they were difficult to damage, and that the price of the CD, which was double that of the LP, would come down to meet that of the newly obsolete record. Shortly thereafter the record industry allowed us to believe rumors that records were no longer being made.
Most people believed this, and as most “record” stores transitioned to selling only CDs, moving away from both records and cassettes, the belief naturally became more and more widespread.
Meanwhile, throughout the 80’s and 90’s, small record labels continued to press vinyl. Europe and Japan continued to press vinyl. Vinyl continued to be sold worldwide and retained a devoted audience.
Somehow, and there are many theories as to exactly how and why, at the same time that the CD waned in popularity and the mp3 became the new standard, people began to return to certain ideas whose times were considered past.
Steampunks. Hipsters. Nerds. Regular people. Mostly regular people. People that had been buying records all along kept buying records, and people that had become disillusioned with CDs and mp3s turned back to their LPs and found they still liked them. As the CD market hemorrhaged customers, the LP easily became the fastest growing segment of the industry. And that was news. Even though the LP was nowhere near the sales numbers it had reached at its earlier peak, it was growing in sales, and sales growth is news in a capitalist society.
News begat news, and interest grew. Independent record stores banded together and created a special event called Record Store Day to help keep small businesses alive and support recording artists. News outlets noticed, and as happens, popularity continued, and still continues to mount.
For this I am grateful, because I love records. I love looking at them, reading the information on the covers, and most of all, listening to them.
Geoff Walker plays with his record collection during one of his regular trips to share the vinyl lp experience with Marquette area residents. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Growing up in Marquette, I shopped at Music Street, Ozone Of The North, Tele-Tronics, and others. I worked at Tele-Tronics while at Marquette Senior High School. Record stores have always been among my most important sources for education about not just music, but also world culture, art, history, and friendship. The bonds people make over music are, in my experience, among the strongest.
Music is as old as language. It is as human as smiling, as happiness, and as love. Music is the best, and I think records are the best way to listen to recorded music!
I am pleased to bring records, and the weekend-long record store experience, to Marquette as often as I can.
Learn More About Vinyl With Geoff:
Tips For Record Care and Storage
How To Handle Your Vinyl Records
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