Page 7 - The Edge: Issue 7

For the Record
Analog music playback is coming back as music fans go back in time
Story by Joseph Frey
As digital music sales decline due to the popularity of streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify (see the April issue of The Edge), sales of vinyl records are increasing. The format has seen a 260% increase since 2009, according to Forbes magazine. These numbers suggest that although vinyl records are still a very small fraction of a $16 billion global recording industry, they remain a meaningful format for many, and serve as a complement to the seemingly impersonal and sterile experience of music listening digital formats present.
When looking back at how music formats have evolved over time, it is clear that technology advances have dictated modern recording standards. Starting with a 9th- century water-powered organ playing cylinders of raised pins and continuing with Thomas Edison’s first phonograph in 1877, which played sound from wax cylinders coated in tin foil, the music industry has found new ways to bring music to the masses throughout history. Music playback was revolutionized in 1949 when RCA Victor introduced the 7-inch single that played at 45 rotations per minute, which were commonly referred to as “45s.” These new records were designed to be a more durable and higher- fidelity replacement for the 10-inch 78 rpm shellac discs that were common at the time. Popular artists of the 1950s such as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry took advantage of this new format and sold their singles by the millions. Monophonic audio systems were becoming more affordable and soon became a common household item.
By the mid-1960s, the 33 rpm long-playing (LP) album format had become popular and was the dominant format artists used to create their musical statement. Up to this point, technology advances had made music consumption more accessible and affordable than ever before. That is, until digital recording was invented, which ultimately gave birth to the compact disc (CD), a medium which became mainstream by 1983. Although vinyl records were still being sold alongside CDs, they were slowly becoming obsolete.
With the invention of the internet, vinyl became increasingly unpopular as online music services such as Napster and iTunes dominated the market. This gave rise to the current era of music that spawned giants such as Spotify and Apple Music that currently reign over the commercial music industry. In the 21st century, it seems analog sound systems have been forgotten, until recently. With the recent popularity of vinyl records, it seems the lost art form of the LP album is finally coming back to relevancy.
Today, vinyl records are no longer a quirky novelty, but rather a trend that is becoming ever closer to the mainstream. However, the cause of this is not simply based on nostalgia. The resurgence of vinyl is based off of music fans’ desire to appreciate music they can touch, feel, and display instead of playing a digital file on a phone.
“I enjoy listening to records more because it makes listening to music more of an experience,” Cody Taylor,
12, said.
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