Posted solely for the comment section.
I like listening to records because I like knowing that I'm listening to what the artist okayed for the public to hear. Would they have liked modern recording? Maybe, maybe not. But to know I'm listening to the same quality adds another dimension to the experience. Not only that, but listening to records makes listening to music an event. Many times I've been at a friend's place or have had people over and listening to old jazz records was the main purpose of our gathering. I don't know that too many gather around an iPod to listen to a Miley Cyrus song. I think there's something to be said about the degenerative aspect of listening to records. Call me a romantic, but it's a beautiful thing to know that what you're listening to won't be the same the next time around because of the warping or scratches the article demonizes. All things fade, and records are no exception.
I think there's something to be said about the degenerative aspect of listening to records. Call me a romantic, but it's a beautiful thing to know that what you're listening to won't be the same the next time around because of the warping or scratches the article demonizes. All things fade, and records are no exception.
Well said B_C, all things do fade and I suppose I've never thought of a record in those terms. Nice little metaphor there.
If I had to pick one format to live with for the rest of my life it would be digital. It's extremely portable, rugged and easy to make backups. I think most of this article is shit (I understand that you posted for the comments). I've got albums that were made from before I was born that play great. I'd say that the average price I've paid per record in my collection is probably right around $0.50 the cost of a digital album in my collection is higher by some orders of magnitude. My CD's always became scuffed up way within a few years at best, I don't miss them a bit. I enjoy the aesthetic of records, I like how they sound as well. besides we just inherited a jukebox that looks almost like this one and a few 100 45's, I feel pretty happy to suffer such a curse. http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/8887/10065238_1.jpg?v=8C...
It's nice that more music is available in digital formats, though I hope that FLAC will soon become the accepted standard instead of mp3 or whatever it is Apple uses. I see fewer formats than I used to, but sometimes the odd .ogg or other exotic pops up. Another thing I don't like about digital is that when transferring large amounts of files to a backup, sometimes files become corrupted and one might not notice until the original data or hard drive it was on has long been discarded/erased/stopped working, but I guess no storage medium is perfect.
I love when people write articles that are from an entirely personal viewpoint. This is the blog section so I'm just going to treat as an opinion article and ignore everything she said. The nice thing about purchasing vinyl nowadays (new) is that they almost always come with a digital download code. So I'm spending $15 on a new record AND the digital version of it.
It would be awesome if new records (and opportunist reprints) were only $15. Trouble is they're typically twice that. I'm lucky if I can get a new import dance single from a hot-shit label for only $15 at some shops, and that's for no more than four tracks. The "vinyl resurgence" is pushing me towards digital. And if you talk to people who get to see the numbers, vinyl only makes up less than a %1 of all reported music sales in the US.
Huh. Where are you buying your records from? There's a couple of good stores in the city where my college is where I can buy almost all of the new stuff for $20 or less. Usually between $15-$20. Used is a crapshoot depending on what exactly it is. Same goes for buying online, with standard shipping I can usually get at least one record for around $20. But when I buy online I usually just buy things that are on sale which makes it even better. Meanwhile 7-inch and 10-inch records are even cheaper, around $5-$10 unless there's something special about them, super-limited pressing, etc. Last night, for instance, I bought an LP for $11 w/ $3 shipping and handling. That 1% figure could also be because of the used records market (which I would guess doesn't report) which is a very big part of the market.
hiss, Like ButterflyEffect, I usually see them at record stores somewhere between $12 and $20. Also, you could probably buy them online for about the same. But to the original point, at this point I expect that I will get the MP3 along with the vinyl when I buy a new record. If it's a rerelease then all bets are off. But especially up and coming artists, they always give the MP3 away with the vinyl. This is great because often I will already own the MP3 and will just give the passcode to a friend that hasn't heard the band yet. It's a fantastic way to spread your music via those that already want to evangelize on your behalf. I agree with cgod though that digital is the format I would choose if I only had to pick one for the rest of my life. It's extremely practical. Luckily, we don't have to pick just one. Also, this was my favorite comment from the NJ.com crew: Not sure if it has been mentioned yet, but Edison's recording of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was recorded on a foil cylinder, and not a vinyl record. asshat. -Well said Kevin Jones