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Vinyl now outselling digital!


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Old 09-12-2016, 11:42
starry_rune
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http://time.com/money/4056464/vinyl-...ming-revenues/

https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...for-first-time

So - meet me back here in 20 years and we will discuss cassettes outselling musical holograms
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Old 09-12-2016, 20:24
CLL Dodge
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Only because old folks are buying vinyl re-issues of old albums at inflated prices.

And digital downloads are are being replaced by streaming.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/mu...nt-see-benefit
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Old 09-12-2016, 21:45
Hitstastic
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I can't wait for the revival of the CD player in 2035.
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Old 11-12-2016, 10:46
Hav_mor91
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Only because old folks are buying vinyl re-issues of old albums at inflated prices.

And digital downloads are are being replaced by streaming.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/mu...nt-see-benefit
I wouldn't credit it all to the old folks, I myself and alot of my friends have discovered Vinyl. I stream but if I buy physical it is now almost exclusively vinyl.
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Old 11-12-2016, 11:36
Inkblot
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I wouldn't credit it all to the old folks, I myself and alot of my friends have discovered Vinyl. I stream but if I buy physical it is now almost exclusively vinyl.
That Guardian article in the first post has a nice quote from the manager of the Rough Trade shop in Notting Hill:

“Now it’s everyone who comes in to buy it, from 10-year-olds to 90-year-olds, we get the whole breadth,” said Forbes. “We now get a lot of people come in with their kids, and mum and dad want to start them off with a starter pack of good records. But you also still have the 65-year-old man who smells of weed who will always come into a record shop, stand around and then ask for something you haven’t got, and then leave."

Sounds like it's young adults and their parents who are the biggest market for vinyl. I'm sure I read somewhere that in the USA, fashion shop Urban Outfitters is now the biggest seller of vinyl.
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Old 11-12-2016, 13:05
AcerBen
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It's not outselling digital. The revenue from vinyl albums is higher than that of download albums - because they're so damn expensive!
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Old 11-12-2016, 13:16
gomezz
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The price may be worth it if they are good pressings from good recording on heavyweight vinyl unlike the flimsy efforts that first became the norm during the 70s oil crisis. Are they?
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Old 11-12-2016, 13:28
mb@2day
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The price may be worth it if they are good pressings from good recording on heavyweight vinyl unlike the flimsy efforts that first became the norm during the 70s oil crisis. Are they?
Oh yes I like the old 180g 12 inchers, nice and thick !

My local record shop that has survived the digital years is loving the vinyl comeback now. They tweeted an hour ago thats its shoulder to shoulder in there with record buyers.
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Old 11-12-2016, 21:02
hazydayz
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I miss singles. 7" singles for 99p and £1.99 from HMV. 12" singles for £3.99.
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Old 12-12-2016, 08:08
TheTruth1983
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I would say one week's sales don't tell us anything of note
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Old 12-12-2016, 08:10
TheTruth1983
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It's not outselling digital. The revenue from vinyl albums is higher than that of download albums - because they're so damn expensive!
Yes, £30+ for new vinyl is ridiculous. High res downloads and SACDs are cheaper.
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Old 12-12-2016, 09:12
Peter the Great
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I remember seeing something reported on a poll that showed many people who are buying vinyl don't even own a turntable to play them on?
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Old 12-12-2016, 09:17
gomezz
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I wonder if there is a market for high resolution downloads which included the vinyl sized sleeve artwork and bumph?
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Old 12-12-2016, 10:04
Inkblot
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I remember seeing something reported on a poll that showed many people who are buying vinyl don't even own a turntable to play them on?
I suspect that's an urban myth. In real terms entry-level turntables are very cheap nowadays and some come with USB or even Bluetooth connectivity so you don't need a fancy hifi system. Though listening on a fancy hifi system is more fun.
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Old 12-12-2016, 10:24
FusionFury
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Vinyl just sounds better. More natural. Bring it back to them old school days.
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Old 12-12-2016, 12:29
TheTruth1983
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Vinyl just sounds better. More natural. Bring it back to them old school days.
That depends on the source recordings. If the material is recorded to digital, as is the case with most recordings, you will be better off with CD or high res download
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Old 12-12-2016, 13:46
unique
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Vinyl just sounds better.
that's subjective



More natural.

that's not true. it introduces all sorts of changes from the original performance and recording
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Old 12-12-2016, 14:05
d'@ve
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Vinyl just sounds better. More natural. Bring it back to them old school days.
Entirely a matter of personal opinion. I'm one of those old fogies mentioned a few times and I have a large vinyl collection and a nice working turntable but these days I listen almost exclusively to CDs and lossless streaming through my Hifi setup.

Give me a decently recorded lossless digital recording any day over vinyl, for the convenience and crackle-pop-free sound. You can't beat the big album covers and artwork you get with vinyl but for clear interference-free sound, digital wins every time for me. But you do need a high quality hifi system to get the best out of digital; I suspect that vinyl smoothes out the rough edges of some music systems.

As for 96/192 kHz 24 bit sound, well I have tried that too but I cannot hear *any* improvement of the same original recording over 16 bit. Maybe my old ears aren't up to the job any more but I suspect they sometimes take more care in the production of 24 bit audio than they did with the 16 bit versions and so we are not comparing like with like. Or maybe it's just a "young person ears" thing.

As for the original topic title, well clearly vinyl is not "outselling digital", CDs also being digital of course (not to mention streaming subscriptions). It's not even close.
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Old 12-12-2016, 14:36
TheTruth1983
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Entirely a matter of personal opinion. I'm one of those old fogies mentioned a few times and I have a large vinyl collection and a nice working turntable but these days I listen almost exclusively to CDs and lossless streaming through my Hifi setup.

Give me a decently recorded lossless digital recording any day over vinyl, for the convenience and crackle-pop-free sound. You can't beat the big album covers and artwork you get with vinyl but for clear interference-free sound, digital wins every time for me. But you do need a high quality hifi system to get the best out of digital; I suspect that vinyl smoothes out the rough edges of some music systems.

As for 96/192 kHz 24 bit sound, well I have tried that too but I cannot hear *any* improvement of the same original recording over 16 bit. Maybe my old ears aren't up to the job any more but I suspect they sometimes take more care in the production of 24 bit audio than they did with the 16 bit versions and so we are not comparing like with like. Or maybe it's just a "young person ears" thing.

As for the original topic title, well clearly vinyl is not "outselling digital", CDs also being digital of course (not to mention streaming subscriptions). It's not even close.
These 33 year old ears can't tell the difference between 24 bit and 16 bit FLAC either so I don't think it's an age thing. Sometimes I can't even tell the difference between a well encoded 320 kpbs mp3 and FLAC. I do prefer FLAC for archiving purposes though.
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Old 12-12-2016, 17:13
scrilla
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Yes, £30+ for new vinyl is ridiculous. High res downloads and SACDs are cheaper.
A majority of the repress LPs would be in the £15 - £25 bracket. With some significantly under or over.

Singles are just as varied (i.e. ofter extortionate in price). I bought a 12" the other day for a very agreeable £5.99. Most I want are around £9 to £12.

7" seem to be a steal at a fiver with most I'm after being higher - usually £8 to £10. Makes the Japanese pressed 45s seem reasonable at £12-ish.

Of course all these 180g reissue 'classic' LPs the supermarkets are hawking will be worthless. So many are on the vinyl bandwagon, believing that it sounds better and then playing it on junk record players instead of something with a sympathetic tonearm / cartridge / tracking weight.
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Old 12-12-2016, 17:24
scrilla
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But you do need a high quality hifi system to get the best out of digital; I suspect that vinyl smoothes out the rough edges of some music systems.
Some of the best high end hifi components leave people unimpressed for exactly the reason that they reproduce the music too accurately. Ofter people prefer a more coloured 'warmer' sound and dismiss solid state amps in favour of valves etc. People treat CD like they are garbage and sell them for pence believing they don't sound good. They've probably never heard them reproduced on a good system. Unfortunately audio can get prohibitively expensive.

As for 96/192 kHz 24 bit sound, well I have tried that too but I cannot hear *any* improvement of the same original recording over 16 bit. Maybe my old ears aren't up to the job any more but I suspect they sometimes take more care in the production of 24 bit audio than they did with the 16 bit versions and so we are not comparing like with like.
Yep, if it's a different master it isn't a level comparison.
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Old 13-12-2016, 07:45
Peter the Great
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I suspect that's an urban myth. In real terms entry-level turntables are very cheap nowadays and some come with USB or even Bluetooth connectivity so you don't need a fancy hifi system. Though listening on a fancy hifi system is more fun.
And those systems sound absolutely crap. Have you ever listened to those cheap turntables that have the cheap cartridges? Why would you spend £25 on an LP and then play it back on equipment like that? I am sorry but I don't think it is a myth. Many people are buying vinyl strictly for collecting an artists work and never play the record.
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Old 13-12-2016, 08:52
Inkblot
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And those systems sound absolutely crap. Have you ever listened to those cheap turntables that have the cheap cartridges? Why would you spend £25 on an LP and then play it back on equipment like that? I am sorry but I don't think it is a myth. Many people are buying vinyl strictly for collecting an artists work and never play the record.
I don't mean the cheap record players you see in gift shops, I mean budget turntables that need separate amplifier and speakers (or powered speakers).

http://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/hi...get-turntables has some recommendations.. In real terms these turntables are better value than their counterparts back in the heyday of vinyl. The highly popular Pioneer PL12D was £55 back in the late 70s which is over £220 in today's money, but for that price today you'll get a better deck and a good cartridge and maybe even a USB output to digitise your vinyl.
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Old 13-12-2016, 09:01
Peter the Great
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I don't mean the cheap record players you see in gift shops, I mean budget turntables that need separate amplifier and speakers (or powered speakers).

http://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/hi...get-turntables has some recommendations.. In real terms these turntables are better value than their counterparts back in the heyday of vinyl. The highly popular Pioneer PL12D was £55 back in the late 70s which is over £220 in today's money, but for that price today you'll get a better deck and a good cartridge and maybe even a USB output to digitise your vinyl.
And by the looks of it the 1st one on the list the Lenco uses one of those cheapo cartridges so despite the recommendation is still likely to sound awful? It still doesn't dispute the fact that some people are buying vinyl just for collecting and will not play the record.
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Old 13-12-2016, 09:46
welwynrose
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And those systems sound absolutely crap. Have you ever listened to those cheap turntables that have the cheap cartridges? Why would you spend £25 on an LP and then play it back on equipment like that? I am sorry but I don't think it is a myth. Many people are buying vinyl strictly for collecting an artists work and never play the record.
I still buy vinyl but I haven't had anything to play it on for about 15 years
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