The (Re) Turn of Vinyl

In yet another example of how out-of-touch the record industry is with the buying public, it took a "mistake" to reveal that yes, we like music on vinyl. Not all of us, mind you, but some of us.

The article at CNN.com focuses on what it calls the "resurgence" of vinyl. However, anyone who has been buying music seriously for the past 20 years will know that records never went away. Those beauties of analog have always stuffed the shelves of the best independent music stories all over the country (yes, even in Kansas).

What's more, throughout 2007 the RIAA was busy moaning about dropping CD sales, suing people who downloaded "illegally", and generally being a bunch of cry babies. Yet what they were ignoring was the rise of LP sales by 36% between 2006 and 2007. So while they would have us believe that "the music industry is in disarray" because CD sales are down, we know that buyers' spending habits have merely shifted slightly.

This is also something we've mulled over before here at Duck & Cover. To paraphrase my economics professor, due to the ready availability (one could say ubiquity) of MP3s, their monetary value tends toward zero. So to create value, one must create scarcity (NOT cripple the MP3s with DRM . . . iTunes, I'm lookin' at you). Pressing vinyl increases the value of the music by increasing its relative scarcity.

What if you don't have a record player? Look for records that offer the album as a free MP3 download from the label, a tactic that is growing ever popular--especially with the traditional "indie" labels like Matador, Sub Pop, and Touch and Go. I know for a fact that the new Constantines, the new Shearwater, and Vampire Weekend all come with free MP3 downloads when you buy the vinyl. If they don't, then demand it.

In the meantime, check out the article. It's quite good.

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