BY LIANA KATZ

In print | Published November 6, 2008

I have many happy vinyl memories: sifting through my mother’s old record collection, pouring over the psychedelic album jackets that seemed to be from another world, fidgeting with our turntable’s needle to find the most ridiculous track on “The Warsaw Men’s Choir Sings Classic Polish War Songs.” After a listening experience that had me rolling on the floor in sonic ecstacy, I even started to agree with those vinyl die-hards who say that the sound quality of a CD is incomparable to that of a record (try listening to Lou Reed’s “Transformer” first on a computer and then on a record player; let me know if you can hear the difference or if at any point your body is overcome with the desire to make orgiastic contact with the ground).

Recently, vinyl has been doing more than furnishing fuzzy childhood memories to ‘80s babies like me who grew up treasure hunting in their parents’ piles of musty records. Music listeners are choosing to buy vinyl over CDs and, in some cases, over digital downloads, reviving the medium which seemed doomed to rot in sale bins. CDs, which many once believed would usher in the death of vinyl, are now being eclipsed by their 7-inch predecessors. RIAA reports have shown that the sale of physical CDs has been waning since the early years of the new millennium. But while CD sales fell by 17% in 2007, 7-inch single sales increased by 13%.

Although records have always carried with them the essence of cool, it has become increasingly hip for teenagers and young adults to purchase vinyl. Alongside obsessive collectors, kids now scavenge for retro gems and snatch up new 7-inch releases from bands such as the White Stripes. Some club DJs are also returning to their vinyl roots, foregoing computer programs which have made DJing a wholly digital affair. “I’ve really been getting back into my vinyl. I love it,” one DJ told the UK Guardian in July of 2007, “I like to hear crackling, as if it’s actually real.”

When the “economic downturn” floated to earth in the past few months, wrapping all aspects of life in a not-so-cozy blanket of anxiety, music retailers realized that records and turntables may be their saving grace. CD sales have not yet entirely stagnated but both chain and independent retailers are moving to increase their vinyl holdings while also pushing the sale of turntables. For chain stores, this means stocking up on the latest shrink-wrapped 7-inch singles. Indie retailers, on the other hand, must broaden their vintage and used selections to appeal to both entrenched vinyl-heads and those new to the world of records.

Still, it is important to remain skeptical of how long this trend will last and how powerful it will be. Media headlines may rush to tout the soaring rebirth of the record (“Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD’s Coffin” quoth Wired Magazine), but it seems unlikely that technology that dates back to the 1860s will have the ability to singlehandedly save the record industry and music retailers. Clever marketing ploys and appeals from older generations of musicians who cut their teeth recording analog may not be enough to dissuade consumers from the conveniences of MP3s and iPods.

Whether records are experiencing a true resurgence or not, what is it that makes vinyl so attractive these days? After all, aren’t records supposed to be the unwieldy and slightly dorky vestiges of a bygone era? A true vinyl connoisseur would probably say that the masses are finally realizing the poetic “richer sound” of records. The more likely answer is that listeners in today’s computer age are longing for something tangible in contrast to their MP3 files. Although iTunes often does provide a reproduction of an album’s artwork, browsing through a digital image is never the same as leafing through the liner notes of a CD or record. Downloading requires no process save for the click of a button. With buying records, there is a distinct ritual that begins with physically entering a store and ends with material and aural gain. It is all about the process, according to George Pettit of Alexisonfire: “Like junkies who require a more potent dose to get high, so do record collectors… Around every turn, there is a new kick, a new branch of musical lineage to explore.”

While providing music fans with something tangible, buying vinyl also initiates consumers into an established cult-like community. Indie record stores have long been havens for music afficionados to learn about new bands and to argue about which Rolling Stones album is truly the best.
Now that vinyl is testing the mainstream waters once again, listeners are drawn to the romanticized aura of the record shop, joining in on the endless quest for the perfect record.
Liana is a junior. You can reach her at lkatz1@swarthmore.edu.

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