Wax and Wane: The Tough Realities Behind Vinyl's Comeback

Vinyl is final -- digital is ephemeral.

 

If they really want the "new" vinyl market to open up, they need to quit this 180 gram gimmick, and just press new LP's at 140 grams with a basic card stock cover and slap a $17.99 price tag on it.

Let's quit this "180 gram with a holographic insert, starting at $33.99" crap.

The importance of "heavy weight" vinyl is completely overstated. IMO, the order of priority of a good record is:

• 85% the quality of the source material/mastering
• 10% the skill of the cutting engineer
• 4.5% the quality of the polyvinyl material itself
• 0.5% the advantage of "heavier weight"

 

I thought the same thing, but I think they probably meant something closer to the "wrrrr" of the groove -- groove noise -- more than what we usually call surface noise, the crackle, pops and ticks that irritate everyone to no end.

 

A lot of the material in this article makes me think the 'vinyl resurgence' is a fad, replete with gimmicks, fans that buy records simply to "own" a physical object from a band they like without ever listening to it, etc.

And some of what's on offer here is just plain weird, to me anyway, like this:

"So enjoying what an LP has to offer is in no way contingent on convincing yourself that they necessarily sound better than CDs.” So if it’s less about sound, then vinyl is a badge as much as a format—a way listeners can self-identify as true music fans. And when assessing the current state of vinyl, perhaps the harbinger of its eventual decline or plateau is the durability of that badge status: If enough music fans decide vinyl’s perceived authenticity has been compromised, will it become a hollow gimmick?"

I don't enjoy an LP unless it sounds better than its counterpart CD. It pisses me off because there's no point buying an LP, to me anyway, unless it produces superior sound quality.

If the vinyl resurgence is all about "perceived authenticity" then its days are numbered.

And even though I'm a vinyl diehard, whether or not the so-called vinyl resurgence continues really matters little to me since 95 percent of the vinyl records I buy are used, NOS and just a small handful of re-issues.

I did pre-order the Beatles mono box, though. Looks like they're taking quality control steps with that one.

 

Major labels will use bullying power to start elbowing out the smaller label stuff. That would be a bad thing for everyone. It's already happened in the lead up to RSD and some major projects like Beatles/Oasis/Doors have bumped back smaller stuff at some plants back weeks/months.

Since colour/picture disc/splatter vinyl adds time to the vinyl pressing process(cleaning/reloading machines) I do wonder if some plant may insist on only doing black vinyl.

 

Agreed. I have a couple MFSL records that are at most 140 gram or less...

 

That episode also spoofed audiophiles with the need for the right gear to hear music.

 

Interesting point in that article about the War on Drugs album (which is one of the best releases of 2014).. Stores in my area didn't have it for a long time, and I even ordered a copy directly from the label.. But because of a delay in keeping up with the pressing I had to, and so did stores, wait for a second pressing run.

 

Yeah, it was great, and lots of plugs for one my favorite bands, The Blasters.

 

some plant will though
http://www.discogs.com/Perfect-*****-Say-Yes-To-Love/release/5509161

 

Interesting article - thanks for sharing.

 

As someone who started my accumulation in 07 right when.the upswing started I've seen the good and the downright ugly of record sales. More people have decided to sell their collections that have been gathering dust making it a great diggers paradise but some of these people search for their pop rock records and assume its a 100 dollar record all day. Too many assumptions and half researched sales make sellers have false facts.

With new records its kinda hit and miss, sometimes the QC isn't there or the mastering/mixing is bad and it takes away from possibly having this great tangible piece of music you love. More independent artists are releasing vinyl and having success but you won't see them stocked by the few record stores that are left, all they want is the pop records that will sell, so you always have to pay that shipping charge. It makes me crave for the days I hear of when the owners would find great music and stock it, and it wasn't just about the cold business transaction it has become.

They're heavy, cumbersome, evasive, expensive and addictive, but if I'm gonna be hooked on anything it might as well be music on wax.

 

Yeah, you have to remember Pitchfork is a hipster website. I don't think this "musical badge" is the main reason vinyl has boomed. Yes, people like to collect things and, like myself, want to buy things they can touch, but it's all about the quality.

 

See, I'm a vinyl fan and love the way that it sounds when well-done. But that's just malarky that you posted there and it gives the anti-vinyl crowd fodder for their arguments and accusations.

 

Agree

180gm vinyl is just a wank and a waste of time and resources in a record plant. 120gm vinyl takes 3 hours to cool down, 180 gm takes at least 8 hours - not adhereing to this longer cooling time is probably the no 1 reason why 180gm vinyl has more dishing/warps.

There is no difference to what is cut into the grooves of a stamper, whether it is pressed @ 120gm or 180gm.

180gm no benefit whatsoever

 

Thanks, a very interesting article.
Just to note; I only buy vinyl because I get better sound quality on my system from the TT than CD player.

 

"Now, you might think adding blood or coffee to vinyl is a sign that the format has officially crossed the line from cultural commodity to tchotchke"

I might.

" If they still crave something physical, will they revert to CDs? Or cassettes?"

Not likely. If it's an art object that plays music that you desire, LPs will always beat Cassettes and CDs. The larger format is a wonderful size and layout for graphics, the disc itself can be an art object. That is a major reason LPs are more collectible than the other formats and always will be.

 

Tube amps also. It was hilarious when he says to the sales clerk will tubes help me feel the pain better or some thing like that? Then clerk says no they are warm, warm pain.

 

my opinion:

the vinyl revival started because it was an extremely cheap alternative to CD's, when CD's were at the height of their popularity. everybody (OK most everybody) was trading in vinyl for 10¢ or 25¢ an album, just to get cash to buy CD's.

the kids, most of which had access to their parents old turntables, could buy the used vinyl at rock bottom prices and they could listen to classic rock without spending $10 a CD.

then the law of supply and demand kicked in...the used vinyl got picked over, the dealers saw that they better take advantage of the situation and that could make more money now, and, their stock was not getting replenished , and now used vinyl (and new) is priced through the roof.

i think the same thing will happen when a new format takes hold like CD's did, no idea what or when that will be, or, with the plethora of free downloads available to these kids, if it will ever be.

 

Very hard to beat free for value.

 

Don't really agree. The vinyl revival really started to take hold 5 years ago but what you are talking about - flea market pricing on records, people selling them for 10 cents each - was taking place 25 years ago.

I think that it was at least in part a response to increasing prevalence of downloads and inferior quality products - namely MP3s. Some music lovers started yearning for something more in both the esthetic as well as sound quality departments - and vinyl offered something tangible on both fronts.

 

Digital won't warp in front of the space heater.

 

And that's only one of its disadvantages.

 

IIRC, I read this in one of the audiophile journals, and the reissue label honcho said they had to do 180-gram pressings because that's where the customer base demands it.

 

I'm a hardcore vinyl junkie, but I buy all of mine used. Here's what's going to kill the new vinyl renaissance. Price-gouging. One example: Neil Young's Psychedelic Pill could have fit onto 2 LPs, but it was released as a triple album, and rather than putting all of the 27-minute "Driftin' Back" on one side, they split it up across two sides. Was it really to achieve better sound quality or to include another record so they could charge $90.00 for it? The double CD is $15.00 and you get "Driftin' Back" all in one piece. Which one to go for? A no-brainer. The only good thing about new overpriced vinyl is the remote possibility that declining sales of it may result in a renaissance of new vinyl cut-out bins.