Vinyl Outsells CDs For the First Time in Decades

Vinyl outpacing CD is not "going backwards" because neither LP or CD is a way forward. Streaming is "going forwards" and it's overwhelmingly the most popular way to listen to music now.

 

I was in Walmart today & saw some vinyl that was obliviously originally recorded as digital (newer artists & titles).
I laughed.
Enjoy the future static, clicks, pops & lack of mobility!

 

Yay for format war vets, I guess.

 

I clean my records with an inherited record cleaning cloth, which apparently once cost 99c. This works better than whatever brush I used to, or didn't, use.

 

Will do

 

I still listen to CDs and vinyl, but this reminds why I tend to put my fingers in my ears when people start discussing vinyl as a format. Were people really like this back in the 70’s and 80’s when talking about it or is it just Henry’s patronising tone here?

 

Everything is a rich man's lie.

 

I only buy CDs now where what I want is not available on vinyl or is on Tidal. I use Roon and upgrade all to 256DSD so between well recorded music on well pressed vinyl, Tidal MQA, Roon & His Res Downloads (Accoustic Sounds & HD Tracks) I get better sound than the CDs in my collection including the ones of ripped and A B tested on my system. Good CDs still sound more than good enough it is just that I don’t need to buy them or want too.

 

I've never understood the fascination with this event. It's been speculated for years. These kinds are articles are written by those annoying people that have to say, "See, I told you so." I hate those people.

Music recordings have always been reported in unit sold.This is the equalizing factor. But I'll tell you if you're only looking at monetary units, vinyl has outsold CD for years if you include used vinyl. A used CD is almost worthless and used vinyl sells for what a new CD costs. So that's a thing. At this point both formats are losing ground to streaming. Both are niche products. Physical media is niche. Newspapers and magazines are fading away as well. The only thing I can state is that vinyl is doing something right. It's probably the only physical medium, music or otherwise that is growing.

 

Do computers even have hard disks anymore ? I haven't owned a computer in 8 years, so I don't know but a friend just bought a new computer that is entirely solid state - no moving parts whatsoever.
He seemed to suggest magnetic hard drives are obsolete now. That's if I interpreted him correctly.

 

My only magnetic hard drive is at work, although I don't really know what's inside of it. For all I know, it could be solid state, too.

 

There's a collector's market for used CDs just as there is for LPs. Some sought-after items fetch fantastic prices.

 

Outboard drives can be had cheaply.

 

We are still in the transition phase.

This is not entirely true. Most mid- and upmarket laptops and PCs come with SSD only, but at the lower price end HDDs are still a thing. More importantly, mass storage USB drives, NAS drives etc still tend to be HDD. Even though you can now buy SSDs with ridiculously large storage space if money is no object, but for most people it is. Also, new HDDs are still being developed.

Eventually SSDs will likely take over, but it'll be some years from now.

 

Some people look after their stuff.

 

The strong performance of vinyl is hugely influenced by the numerous contrived limited editions, in every colour vinyl under the sun, that are constantly getting churned out for RSD and by HMV here in the UK, and by the labels directly.

They’re just getting snapped up by collectors and completists who simply must have everything.

Sure CD buyers get some very nicely put together box sets, but that’s where the gimmicks end.

In an imaginary world where from today the only vinyl release was standard black vinyl, and it was one version of the record available versus one version of the CD, the sales figures would be very different.

On the flip side, I am glad for record shops that there is this market for the obsessed who need the 8th version on an album in yellow vinyl that will sound terrible, at least it keeps them in business.

 

I love all the hate that CD's get.

It means I can pick up vast numbers of albums I want that I never thought I would own.

 

Same with me, I find the hate absolutely ridiculous though. For those of us who still like to own our music and have a collection they are still the best format of all in many ways. I've bought a lot of CDs in the last few years that would be very expensive or near impossible to find on vinyl, which I do prefer overall.

 

They're nice to look at though.

 

I kind of liked that when I was 10 years old at the start 1980’s, getting into music, and had (actually, I still have them) Squeeze 7” singles in lilac and red vinyl, and UK Subs in many different colours, including a rather yucky brown vinyl copy of Warhead (I think).

As a 50 year old, it doesn’t do much for me. Take new album out sleeve, look at the pretty splatter vinyl for a minute, put it away and put the original version from 40 years ago on to the turntable. Oh, and that will be £25 for the splatter vinyl sir.

 

Amen to that. Also I have picked up many great CDs at knock down prices. Win/Win.

 

You and me both.

 

Can you tell me where I can get all those "worthless" Bowie cds on RCA then?

 

Or quite a bit of The Church’s back catalogue on CD which can command some surprisingly high prices.

 

Even in the dark days of vinyl, some albums commanded a high price. Some CDs will command a relatively high price. Bowie RCAs happen to fall into this category. Unfortunately, RCA used barcodes and so they don't easily fall through the cracks.