Vinyl sales surpass CD's for 1st time since 1980's

DEL 707 · 14 Sep 2020 at 13:46

American sales, not sure about the UK.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/13/tech/vinyl-records-cd-sales-riaa/index.html

Can't say I'm too suprised, the vinyl section at my nearest HMV is quite staggering in size. Compared to the CD section which gets smaller and smaller.

SPG · 14 Sep 2020 at 15:52

Nerds will be nerds

marl · 14 Sep 2020 at 21:22

DEL 707 said:
American sales, not sure about the UK.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/13/tech/vinyl-records-cd-sales-riaa/index.html

Can't say I'm too suprised, the vinyl section at my nearest HMV is quite staggering in size. Compared to the CD section which gets smaller and smaller.

Yeah, I know folks who don't have a record player but will but the odd LP... in this digital era vinyl lets them connect with their music in a way digital can't!

Freakbro · 15 Sep 2020 at 07:17

Was listening to radio 6 on the drive home Sunday and Cerys mentioned that the album she was playing off was only available on vinyl or digital download, no cd option.

Has that medium now had its day too?

PCDAVE2 · 15 Sep 2020 at 23:48

I'm a keen physical music enthusiast...I have purchased CDs since 1995 and vinyl (new and second hand) for at least the last decade. For a start you can't beat flipping through album racks full of vinyl.

There is an obvious difference between actual physical sales and the revenue generated. Vinyl is much more expensive than CD (e.g. vinyl £24 vs CD £12). I think if you look at physical sales CD it is still popular and this tends to be compilation and chart albums mostly. Perhaps the middle ground of the three formats (CD) is losing out in the 'new' album department. The last 'new' CD I purchased was in January...since then I've bought 25 new vinyl albums.

I still buy secondhand CD albums both to rip to FLAC and to play on my Hi-Fi.

mid_gen · 16 Sep 2020 at 11:14

I was pretty surprised going into Rough Trade lasts week. I usually buy electronic music on CD, and everything else on vinyl....but the album I wanted wasn't available on CD!

Think I've bought 30+ LPs over lockdown, can't get to gigs but can at least support artists by buying their work.

DEL 707 · 20 Sep 2020 at 19:37

I started collecting around the beginning of 2019.

When I asked about what player/speakers to get, someone told me to just buy a Spotify account...

My setup is definately on the budget side of things, so I couldn't tell you that they sound better or "warmer". But I own 40+ LP's and I just love looking at them, or browsing through them and throwing on something random.
There is something to bed said about owning a collection of physical media. Even if I rarly play them, I don't think I'll ever get rid of my Megadrive/Snes/Neo Geo collection.

Akagi · 20 Sep 2020 at 19:40

marl said:
Yeah, I know folks who don't have a record player but will but the odd LP... in this digital era vinyl lets them connect with their music in a way digital can't!

But the vinyl records are cut from a digital master...

Semple · 20 Sep 2020 at 19:43

It's hardly surprising. Enthusiasts/collectors buy vinyl, no one really buys CDs anymore with various streaming platforms, or the ability to purchase music digitally.

Minusorange · 20 Sep 2020 at 21:01

Freakbro said:
Has that medium now had its day too?

It doesn't offer anything that lossless files offer so yes it will be dead soon, vinyl survives simply because nothing else sounds like music on vinyl, I feel there's some quantum magic that goes on which the analogue to digital conversion just cannot replicate

edscdk · 20 Sep 2020 at 21:04

probably because digital has killed CD.. i bel CD sales have plummeted who vinyl have stayed the same

SexyGreyFox · 20 Sep 2020 at 21:58

PCDAVE2 said:
For a start you can't beat flipping through album racks full of vinyl.

If you say so.
Back in the 70s/80s I acquired just over 3000 albums and eventually they were all given away to make way for kids and digital formats.
Yes I get the beauty of the sleeve, sitting crossed legged on the floor with headphones blasting while reading the lyrics and every word on the sleeve but it doesn't float my boat any more.

Hagar · 20 Sep 2020 at 22:53

Acme said:
But the vinyl records are cut from a digital master...

Only the digitally remastered ones. Some of my albums are more than 50 years old. Others have been produced later from the original master tapes.

BowdonUK · 25 Sep 2020 at 21:01

I remember hearing that the downside of more modern physical formats, especially CD's, was that the sound was too clean and didn't come across as authentic as music on vinyl.