The Hub: Is a Vinyl Revival in progress?


I'm cynical when it comes to news. I started out that way, and experience in J-school, newspapers and radio only made me more jaded. My view is that, like stock-tips, by the time a story hits the mainstream, it ain't news: it's a train already 'waaay down the tracks, interesting to watch and wave at, but nothing you can climb aboard.

So when a "trend" in vinyl revival is reported in such divergent media as the New York Times (as seen here) and the AARP magazine (as seen here) , is it like a grandmother just discovering her tweenage grand-daughter's interest in Twilight: too little, too late?

The distinction between a fad and a trend is an important one, and one frequently debated by marketers and sociologists. I think the difference was well put on the Marketing Innovation website:
"Both fads and trends last a finite period of time. However, when the fad is over, things are fundamentally the same. When a trend is over, things are fundamentally changed."

Here's the litmus test: when people give up wearing pink Crocs, is society different? No. After the big boom in sales of green tea flattens out, will societal habits be different? Probably so. So: Crocs are a fad, tea-drinking is part of a greater trend in consumption of nutriceuticals (don't get me started on THAT topic).

Futurist Faith Popcorn has made a career out of predicting societal trends, and written several best-selling books about where we're going next, in America. Through her assistant, I posed the question to Ms. Popcorn: is the vinyl revival a fad, or part of a larger trend? An answer has yet to appear, so I suspect we're on our own with this question.

Luckily, the person who has single-handedly done more to revive vinyl than any other individual, DOES answer my questions. Michael Fremer has written about vinyl and music for 30 years now, starting with The Absolute Sound and now as Senior Contributing Editor at Stereophile. Mikey also writes and edits his own music website Music Angle, and wouldja believe he writes a political blog for New Jersey's Bergen Record? (seen here).

Most audiophiles are introverted and terrified of addressing an audience, but Cornell grad and BU Law dropout Fremer also has stints as a stand-up comic and DJ on his resume. He's thoroughly comfortable schticking before a packed house, a microphone or a video camera; he's also good company at a bar. Unfortunately, this particular conversation was telephonic ( and took place Friday, December 18, 2009).

Audiogon Bill: "Michael, does all the mainstream press attention to the vinyl revival indicate that it's a fad, or a trend?"

Michael Fremer: "Oh, absolutely, it's a trend. It's been ongoing for several years now. Sales last year were double those of the year before, and THOSE sales had doubled from the year before THAT. And keep in mind that those are the sales that are COUNTED; this whole thing has been propelled by new indy rock releases, and most of those are under the radar."

AB: "But the LP is never going to be as big as it once was, is it?"

MF: "No, no, it's going to always be a niche market, but that's a good thing, because the people doing it will be the ones who are concerned with quality. I wouldn't want it to be mainstream again.

"Look, when it comes to computers, and we're not talking about iPods, iPhones, all those, but just COMPUTERS, Apple's a niche market. They've got what, 2% of the market against all the Windows nonsense done by everybody else? But it's an important niche, they lead the way."

AB: "So that's what you anticipate vinyl will be, the leading edge?"

MF: "Well, yeah. I mean, when it comes to reissues, you see pretty much the same content on vinyl as you do on SACD; the material is old, but it's being reissued to an audience that's really conscious of quality. But like I said, it's the new indy rock releases that make vinyl different, and THAT'S what's driving the whole revival. It's a young audience, vinyl is something new to them, and once they start playing LP's they're discovering a whole world of music that's available to them on vinyl that they'll never see or hear on CD."

After that, our conversation veered into the limitations on LP production capacity created by the shutdown years ago of most of the world's stamping-plants (new plants will be coming online soon, says Michael), and then degenerated into a discussion of why Michael is 10 years older than me, yet looks 10 years younger (answer: Pilates). But as you've read, Michael is convinced that today's vinyl revival is the real deal, and here to stay for a select segment of the music-buying audience.

There is evidence of backlash against computers and the virtual world amongst members of Generation Z (or whatever letter we're on now); as was the case in the late '60's, interest in crafts, handmade goods and mechanical devices is soaring. How much of it is frustration with bad programming (i.e., can't they just put a button or a knob on the thing, rather than a MENU??), I can't say. Clearly, though, downloaded files lack the tangible connection provided by the colorful artwork and liner notes of an LP jacket, or even the physical act of placing a record on the platter and cueing it up.

Psychologically, LPs provide another element lacking in the iPod experience: anticipation. Unlike a digital player which can hold thousands of songs, ready to go at the touch of the screen, a cut on vinyl has to be selected, pulled off the shelf, the disc removed from the jacket and the inner sleeve, cued up...you know the drill. It is a more leisurely process than than the digital one, and perhaps a more contemplative one as well. Listening to an entire album by an artist allows for greater immersion in the work, something rarely found in the cherry-picking download world.

And of course, I haven't even mentioned the SOUND of analog, or the immense back catalog of wonderful music that never made the transition to digital. Those are the driving factors for most of us who love LPs.

So: what are YOUR thoughts on the subject? Fad, or trend?
audiogon_bill
I say fad. I don't think there's anything wrong with LPs. If someone prefers the sound of LPs that's great.

I think there is an older hard core group of vynil listeners who will always prefer vinyl, but they're getting older, hearing is fading and LP collections are getting large enough to last a couple lifetimes.

Younger Lp buyers will probably stop buying them when they can fit a few hundred albums in a high-res format on their phones, which they can then listen to through earbuds or a stereo system (their own or whoever's house they happen to be at).

I've cleaned and flipped enough albums in my younger day that I don't get any enjoyment out of it, and I don't want to listen to a record cleaning machine, clean the stylus or tweak my rig.

In the January 2010 TAS calls some aspects of Cd playback on the Esoteric X-05 as "analog like" and "usually found only in the finest analog playback". With SACD, "the familiar sonic chasm between digital and analog truly disappears". I read this type of thing in reviews pretty frequently these days. Of course there are those who will say analog will always sound better than digital, but that club will get pretty small in the next few years.

Digital is improving at a faster and faster rate and the price for that better sound is getting cheaper. Sounds like a winning combination to me.
With respect to audiophiles I don't think there is a trend or fad, we're just continuing on with what we know works best when ultimate sound quality is the goal. I would suspect the resurgence of audiophile reissues is a result of the insane prices for original issues, think RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence. If we silly audiophiles will pay hundreds (thousands?) of dollars for an original, surely we'll pay $30-$50 for a well done reissue. Companies like Classic Records and Acoustic Sounds saw this potential so it was a good buisness decision. What isn't clear to me is what percent of this "resurgence" is non-audiophiles. Now that could have interesting implications of a trend, perhaps the nano second attention span of todays youth will start swinging back the other way? Nah, I'm just dreamining ....
I hate to say it,but I would guess its a fad.The young people that are finding it interesting now,will most likely get bored with it.Most of them like all of their electronic toys,including the new music formats out there.A lot may not even hear the vinyl advantage.The true vinyl people will keep on going.As the records fade out,they will be looking for NOS records the same as tube folks look for NOS tubes.A lot of tube people even went back to solid state.Maybe a continuing growth in population may help a little.Or a new format,miniature super vinyl with a skip proof 10,000 album pocket changer. That's my guess.
Thanks for the comments and opinions. Personally, I think the impact of DJ-wannabees alone will keep LPs afloat for a good while.

I also think there's something about a solid, physical object that fulfills a need that downloads just can't. Again, I'm not even talking about sound, here; that's a whole 'nother imperative.

As long as we can still find 10 cent LPs at Salvation Army stores, there will be a demand for the hardware to play them. Again, hundreds of thousands of worthwhile recordings never made the transition from LP to CD. This may not be a driving factor in keeping new LPs coming, but the cheap stuff is a great way to bring in newbies ("here, the first one's free!").

Regarding portability: we could always revive the Soundburger and automotive record players like Chrysler had in the '50's and early '60's!
I hope it is a trend. Even if it is a fad I hope it sticks around.

There is something relaxing about giving focus to playing a record. We have a second system for this (Quad 57/Thorens/Super It/OTL). Last night Kim unwrapped U2's latest on vinyl - we have listened to it more than we would have just putting in a CD.

The main system in the family room gets more use, but is not as relaxing.