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 believe that the vinyl revival is neither a fad or a trend but a necessary revival after a long period of failed experimentation with the CD sound and market, musically speaking (although a big commercial success). I think that most people know by now that in direct comparison the same recording on vinyl format sounds closer to the real music than the identical one on CD, meaning that the reproduction itself is more truthful to the actual musical event via a more natural, realistic and convincing sound overall. In fact, the same music sourced from the same original recordings always sounds to me a little different as transposed on vinyl format compared to CD media. I can't say which sound is better overall based on various criteria, angles or adding points, but I can say for sure, and again, that the sound coming from the vinyl is closer to the real musical event, that is all that counts to me. I believe that the material itself used in both vinyl and CD, the different technologies used and the reprocessing process (too elaborated, complicated and sophisticated when it comes to CD) resulted in creating a new sound that is my opinion too detailed, fast, transparent, also quite artificial and brittle overall. The music in reality plus the notes coming from each instrument have a specific body, weight and intimate sound that the CD reprocessing somewhat reduced or minimized them, or even completely annihilated in some instances such natural features. For example, the piano music recorded on the worst LP ever made still sounds in my opinion more natural, realistic and convincing, with body, weight and musicality than the same recording transposed on CD format. In fact, the music recorded on most 78rpm records provides the most natural, realistic and vivid sound being the first in line as overall level of reproduction of the actual musical event. I don't deal with CDs, nor listen to such media recordings, since the music recorded on vinyl format gives me the exact listenable pleasure I am looking for. I do not deny the three big advantages of any CD over a LP -infinite replays with no usage of the CD, no need to flip the CD over for listening to the side two, smaller size and format (about 1/4 compared to an album - but there are always tradeoffs when it comes to almost everything. I believe that most people started to deal with CDs for convenience and practicality reasons, also being something new with a potential long lasting future (that is true and correct to say as they're still around us and in abundance since the mid 80's). I am aware that I am an old fashioned guy from this point of view, but I simply don't care about this as long as I hear from vinyl the sound I wanted or very close to the actual musical event. If this was possible using a transistor radio, then I would have considered long time ago replacing my turntable with such thing just for making my life easier and simpler, but well, it did not work out this way. I think that the main purpose of using CDs is the need to provide that "audiophile" or "contemporary" sound to people wanting a new different sound that is not possible from the analog pressed LPs (occasionally, yes from the digitally reprocessed albums). Just my two-cent comments, hopefully not prejudicial to the zealous defenders of the CDs as I did not intend anything like that by all means. I totally agree that dealing with CDs is a very convenient and practical thing by itself, but musically speaking I personally prefer the sound from vinyl. Thank you for reading, Emil - Hartford, CT, USA

Just to stir things up a bit: I agree with you that some of the most realistic, musical sound is to be found on 78's, especially early acoustic recordings. I once heard a giant Victor Credenza which I found more involving and real than almost any megabuck system I've heard.

What that means, I just don't know. Maybe the purer the signal path, the better?

Thanks for your thoughts.
i am a 53 year old who found his way back to vinyl just over 10yrs ago. at that time the "home theater" "fad" was well into its short lived move from 3.1 to 5.1 to 7.1 and up channels. after finally breaking free of the constant digital mult channel up grades, i got back to simple quality 2 channel music(even movies) that remain a constant, not a fad or trend. to me this is what vinyl is a constant. like stereo(2channel) music it was always here. surround sounds will come and go but stereo will always be here. in the same way formats will come and go but anolog and digital will be the only constants and vinyl the best way to enjoy anolog. For me vinyl is neither a trend or a fad but a CONSTANT!