[Vintage-Audio] Vinyl making a comeback?

[Robert Nickels]

The following story is copyright The Guardian News and Media 2007, but I 
thought it was worth sharing here.

73, Bob W9RAN

*Back in the groove: young music fans ditch downloads and spark vinyl 
revival*

*·* Sales of 7in singles rise by 13% in first half of year
*·* New bands and collectors turning to old format

*Katie Allen, media business correspondent*
*Monday July 16, 2007*

*Guardian*

The format was supposed to have been badly wounded by the introduction 
of CDs and killed off completely by the ipod-generation that bought 
music online.

But in a rare case of cheerful news for the record labels, the latest 
phenomenon in a notoriously fickle industry is one nobody dared predict: 
a vinyl revival. Latest figures show a big jump in vinyl sales in the 
first half of this year, confirming the anecdotal evidence from 
specialist shops throughout the UK.

It comes as sales of CD singles continue to slide - and it is not being 
driven by technophobic middle-aged consumers. Teenagers and students are 
developing a taste for records and are turning away from the clinical 
method of downloading music on to an MP3 player.

The data, released by the UK's industry group BPI, shows that 7in vinyl 
sales were up 13% in the first half, with the White Stripes' Icky Thump 
the best seller.

Two-thirds of all singles in the UK now come out on in the 7in format, 
with sales topping 1m. Though still a far cry from vinyl's heyday in 
1979, when Art Garfunkel's Bright Eyes alone sold that number and the 
total vinyl singles market was 89m, the latest sales are still up more 
than fivefold in five years.

For record stores, the resurgence has meant a move from racks of vintage 
Rolling Stones and Beatles releases to brand new singles and younger 
buyers. "The student population seem to be loving the 7in," says Stuart 
Smith, who runs Seismic Records in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. He 
sells 300-600 records a week and is preparing to launch an online store.

"I'm still not sure about the MP3 generation. You can have a full hard 
drive and nothing to show for it. Record collections are very personal. 
You can view into a person's soul really," he says.

The customers rummaging through racks at his store, a small room above a 
skate shop, are students and DJs.

When Mr Smith opened the vinyl shop in early 2005, digital download 
sales were rocketing and, amid rampant piracy, global music revenues 
were several years into their current downward spiral.

A shop selling LPs and 7in singles didn't sound like the most promising 
business plan. But when his employers at the local outlet of music chain 
Fopp - now closed down - decided to stop selling vinyl it was something 
he couldn't resist.

"I just couldn't understand why they decided to turn their backs on it. 
I saw an opportunity to do something I love doing. I've been a collector 
myself for years," says the 31-year-old. "It's just one of things. It 
just felt right."

Two years on, the White Stripes' Icky Thump has just notched up the 
highest weekly sales for a 7in single for more than 20 years. Retailers 
and record labels put the rising vinyl sales down to bands rediscovering 
the format and to music fans' enduring desire to collect. It's not 
unusual for fans to buy a 7in but have nothing to play it on, says Paul 
Williams at industry magazine Music Week. "It's about the kind of acts 
that have very loyal fan bases that want everything to do with that 
act," he says. "They maybe will buy the download to listen to, but they 
get the vinyl to own. It's looked at like artwork."

HMV agrees that vinyl is back from the brink, and the chain has been 
rapidly expanding its record racks to meet rising demand. The group's 
Gennaro Castaldo cites the huge popularity of "indie" bands, such as 
Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, which enjoy loyal followings among 
teenagers and students, especially during the summer festival season.

"Labels have realised that it's cool for bands to release their music on 
vinyl, especially in limited edition form, which makes it highly 
collectible," he says.

London company Art Vinyl has built a whole business out of the format's 
visual and tactile appeal by selling easy-to-open frames to display 
records and their sleeves.

For fans, buying and owning a record can provide a welcome change from 
the anonymity of online downloads, says Art Vinyl's founder Andrew 
Heeps. "If you go into a record shop to buy something, you feel part of 
something," he says. "The fact that last year we sold over 9,000 frames 
to people says an awful lot about where the market is going."

Cara Henn, a DJ and regular Seismic Records customer says going to the 
store puts her in touch with her peers and has hammered home the vinyl 
trend. "I've really been getting back into my vinyl. I love it," she 
says. "I like to hear crackling, as if it's actually real. Especially 
with drum'n'bass, DJs are really encouraging fans to buy vinyl."