Live data from Hacker News

Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

nme.com

1–10 of 410 posts

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#2
Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in the be-hind. I'm not sure why any one would willingly subject himself to that when better alternatives exist. I thought it was dead as of long ago.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#3

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

Nostalgia and appearance. Old cars drive like crap and are unsafe, but popular for the same reason.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#4

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

I think it's a mix of aesthetics, nostalgia, and some elements of the experience. Vinyl albums have big. often interesting art. Browsing a collection of vinyl has an element of serendipity as well, who knows what you may and on. Additionally, the listening experience is different because it's hard to skip around, songs bleed into one another.

It's a case of worse is better.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#5

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

There's a ritual involved in playback. The format is conducive to browsing a collection like a library. They're easy to trade.

Most (new) physical records I buy come with a download code to get high quality drm-free recordings. It's like getting the physical book and the e-reader copy.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#6

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

Vinyls are better objects to handle: they are bigger, they have better artworks and usually richer booklet. To play vinyl is like a beautiful ritual, full of little gestures.

It's not about technology, of course, it's about fun. Like analog photography.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#7

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

I always see the degradation argument.

I look after my vinyl with a properly calibrated turntable.

I will degrade faster than my records!

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#8

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

The quality isn't necessarily worse. Vinyl is analogue, and so good quality vinyl has a different sound to the same audio played from a CD. That isn't to say that all vinyl is better, just that the best vinyl is better than the best CD recordings.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#9
post #3

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

Nostalgia and appearance. Old cars drive like crap and are unsafe, but popular for the same reason.

I understand that, but old cars are a hobby of a limited number of people, not of "Joe Average". This would be like old cars out-selling new ones.

Re: Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986

#10

Would some one please enlighten me as to what on God's green earth is going on with vinyl? It's less dense, lower-quality, degrades with use, and is more expensive. It's probably less environmentally-friendly, too (though I'm not sure what it's target demographic is, so I don't know if that means much). Why is vinyl popular, all of a sudden? I had to rip all my grandmother's vinyl records, once, and it was a pain in…

As someone who only buys physical music on vinyl, it’s not just one thing but a whole ritual around it. I love having bulky gatefold albums to explore while the record’s playing, I love the intricate precision needed when dropping the needle down, I love the many limited edition pressings I have that come in ridiculous psychedelic colours, I love the overly expensive setup I have that sounds incredible, I rarely buy used records but I still love peering through endless dusty records in second hand shops. It’s timeless. I’m sure audiophiles will show up and talk about the exact sound qualities of it vs digital copies, but I don’t particularly care about that side of things too much. I enjoy it the same way some people enjoy the ritual behind drinking whiskey.
Post reply on HN