Vinyl is back – Or is it?
Vinyl is back they say. According to the BPI, 3.2 million Vinyl record sales were made in 2016 alone, a rise of 53% from the previous year.
I just shrugged my shoulders and replied, "Yeah, yeah, and yeah”.
However, as I walked through my hometown, Ipswich Town, here in England, I saw clear evidence of this return in the year 2016.
And once again, in the year 2024, when I decided to walk through the streets of Ipswich Town.
I saw record players for sales in a number of the big department stores throughout the town. Now if record players are back in the stores, then the vinyl is back reports are for real.
As I walk through the town of Ipswich Town. I entered the town’s only major music store that is HMW.
They are normally more dedicated to DVD movies, film and music posters, and other types of media bits and pieces. Now within the same store, you can see entire sections devoted to the provision of music albums.
On closer inspection, these albums that are available for us to purchase are classic albums from yesteryear. For instance albums like – Bob Marley – “Exodus” album, Nirvana – “Never Mind” album, Prince – “Sign of the Times”, The Beatles – “St. Peppers” and so on.
Take a closer look at the pricing of these albums. I noticed that they are priced a little more expensive than normal. You could be paying up to 30 pounds (English pounds) for one of the albums mentioned above.
However, there are cheaper options around. When I wander around the town. There are various charity shops and 2nd hand Bric and Brac stores that are housing these same 7-inch singles and albums for much less.
However, the question is this. Why does this return to vinyl music purchases?
I suppose the general public still loves to own their copy of their musical stars' music, instead of having to download a digital download version of the same album release.
They want to touch the packaging and look at the artwork of the album.
Many vinyl music buyers have stated that they want to be able to check out the musician's credentials on the album. Who played drums for the group via the album, who was the bass player, and so on…..
Having a tangible product like a vinyl record and record player working together.
You can see the grooves of the record and comprehend where the sound is coming from. Is more appealing these days than in comparison to the 1s and 0s of digital music?
But the real appeal is the sound. Just close your eyes and listen.
You can hear the difference.
The music coming from vinyl material does sound more vivid and real on vinyl records.
Voices sound more human.
If this trend continues could we see Independent record stores opening up again up and down the country in droves? Or I am thinking too much ahead of myself?
What does this love of vinyl records sound come from?
It seems as if we can’t move on to the next level which is the digital age.
However, it has been found that even though music lovers have been buying even more vinyl again. Many have confessed to leaving the vinyl records in their sleeves, and then going back to downloading the same versions of the album and playing them on their via their mobile phones or mp3 players, etc.
The return of the vinyl? How Britain got its groove back
This helps to keep the vinyl purchases in pristine condition. I suppose that is one way to look at it. But I’m not too sure that is entirely correct. It may be happening. However, there is a rise in the purchasing of vinyl record turntables also.
Technics, the hi-fi giant that mass-produced affordable turntables since the 1960s, will be reissuing its SL-1200 decks to the general public. Technics according to many audiophiles is the holy grail for turntable music lovers.
Another plus for the return of vinyl especially for Album releases. Is/was the design feature of CD players and mp3 players that enable listeners to skip tracks and reshuffle albums at their convenience?
However, by using the same practice using vinyl, you run the risk of dropping the stylus, causing damage to the record. It can be done. No question. However, not as smooth as CD and MP3 units can do.
Vinyl, on the other hand, was and is different. Track skipping is not as smoothly achievable as it is via the use of CD and MP3 players
Vinyl albums were truly designed to be listened to as a track-by-track experience if the truth be known.
With all of this going on for vinyl records could we see the role of the DJs changing? Could we see a return to dance or nightclubs returning back to the forefront of weekend entertainment again?
All of these ideas come flooding back to me and many others with just the return of vinyl coming back to the fore.
If the DJs do themselves start to return to buying vinyl. It could mean that we might even hear better DJ sets for them. How’s that then? How does that work?
Well for starters, DJs will have to seriously plan, or go through their record collections; and think about what records would suit the audience that they are playing for.
A vast number of DJs have taken it as standard as taking along their hard drives along with their laptops to various gig/events that they have been booked to play. On some of these hard drives, they contain up to 10,000 or more tracks.
These vast numbers of tracks that the DJs have via their hard drives. They don’t have to worry about playing these sets, as the thinking is; that they have more than enough tracks to cover themselves against all eventuality or bad luck scenarios. However, having that amount of tracks available to you might not be as clear-cut as it seems.
As, with those amount of tracks hasn’t put out any thoughts about the tracks that they will be playing for his audience.
For instance, what he will play when the audience is not biting? When will he be playing his big crowd filler tracks to his audience?
Does he go for broke and play all of his big crowd fillers first; and then hope that once he has got his audience initially he can then coast through the rest of his set?
The other path that DJs could take, is to start taking their DJ’s boxes to gigs and venues again. The total amount of records within these boxes is usually totally up to around 100 at the very most in most boxes.
Dj’s that going along this path know these records inside out? They know the ones that they can play during a quiet period within their DJ’s sets. They know the ones that are guaranteed crowd fillers…
Could a DJ know every one of their 10,000 tracks on their hard drives intimately??
Coming with fewer records makes you think of when you can play a certain track/s or not. It makes you a better selector of records. It also makes you read an audience better.
If one of the audience or clubbers that you are playing for comes up and asks for a certain record, and you haven’t got it. You apologize to that person in question profusely and tell the truth that you haven’t got it.
However, the next record you play, you will try and make sure the record that you’ve selected and is now playing is better than the request that you just had.
Makes you think, doesn’t it?
However, the DJs in general are not the problem here. It is the rate of nightclubs that are closing down throughout the country (England).
Here in Ipswich town, England. The nightclub scenario has been reduced just to 3.
From its former glory days during the 1980s and 1990s which saw a total of 10 within the town.
A scenario that is happening not just in my home town (Ipswich Town); but across the UK in general. But that is another story that I will cover in another article.
I have to ask you. Have you decided to return to purchasing your music via buying vinyl?
Is this something that you have been doing for some time now? Or will you make an effort within the year 2024 to purchase vinyl again?
Let us know.
Well, that's all folks for me now anyway.
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DJ Mistri and the Electric Soul Show © www.electricsoulshow.com
