Vinyl

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Vinyl

Postby Arneb » Fri Sep 11, 2020 12:51 pm

In the first half of 2020, the US music market generated more revenue with vinyl records than with CDs (221 vs. 130 million $).

In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have imagined that I would read this sentence, at age 51, having bought my first CDs relatively late, in 1988,

The clue here, of course, is that physical recording media made up only 7 % of the entire 5.7 bn$ market. I prefer classical music, so neither download nor streaming services are very attractive for me, but not many people will buy a rock song engraved on a thing anymore. Maybe in ten years, we'll read that CDs surpass vinyl again because a growing number of aficionados re-discovers their high fidelity, durabilityand potential to be a coffee table item with richly printed booklets and photography.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Мастер » Fri Sep 11, 2020 1:32 pm

I received six new CDs today, and no new vinyl.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Lianachan » Fri Sep 11, 2020 3:07 pm

It's good to see this, but I have failed to retain the capacity to play vinyl. I have literally hundreds of vinyl Prince records boxed in the attic, and many others too.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Arneb » Fri Sep 11, 2020 3:15 pm

I have a hundred or so vinyl records left, many of them since re-acquired on CD, many others retty much worthless due to degrading quality. I still have a record player, but it's pretty ramshackle by now.

For people who love their albums, decent record players are available at moderate prices. If you've got a stereo that's worth anything, 100-300 quid will take you a long way. I've been considering to buy one, just for those few records I haven't since re-bought, but I am afraid of my family telling me not to squander their inheritance while I am still alive.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Мастер » Fri Sep 11, 2020 3:22 pm

I have offered my duplicated (in digital format) vinyl recordings to my niece.

Lovely girl, despite her career choice (United States Navy).

Waiting for her response.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Lianachan » Fri Sep 11, 2020 4:23 pm

The reason why I have so many Prince vinyls, mostly unplayed and some still sealed, can be explained by considering a case study of the 1989 single Partyman.

For that single, I own:

7" single
12" single in card sleeve
12" single with dust cover and spine
12" single of remixes
12" single (German)
12" single picture disc
Cassette single
3" CD single
3" CD single in fold out box
3" CD single of remixes
5" CD promo only covered in bat symbols

So, yeah - play/rip the normal CDs, leave the vinyls the hell alone (unless they have unique stuff on them). This also explains why I have well over a thousand Prince things on various formats.

Hmm, I seem to have missed some stuff out, as I know I have 14 Partyman things, but you get the point.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Enzo » Fri Sep 11, 2020 6:57 pm

Especially in the USA, people like to "be into" things. Every few years vinyl resurges, then fades back down. people fad on vinyl, cigars, folk music, eating insects, bell bottom pants, Australian wine, whatever. I have been in the music business since my days on radio in the 60s. And vinyl was king back then. Then CDs took over, and eventually little boxes with ear buds and downloads happened. Since the CD revolution, every now and then vinyl "makes a comeback". But it is like a roller coaster ride at the fair. After the first peak, every so often it goes back up, but each time the "up" is not quite as high, and lasts a shorter time.

I think what you grew up with matters. I grew up with vinyl, and I still have huge piles of LPs somewhere. My records were all 45 or 33 rpm. I recall a few 78rpm records from my grade school days. Fast forward to the 1980s, CDs are everything, vinyl has become a nostalgia thing, but 78s are not on the radar. Kids today don't "remember" vinyl, it is just something their parents used to use. And "what is a 78?" "I have 10,000 tunes in my little pocket device, why would I want a bunch of CDs to schlep around?"
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Мастер » Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:10 pm

I know what a 78 is, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one.

Seems to me, in my age, we had 33 1/3, and then much smaller ones that I think were 45.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Arneb » Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:33 pm

There are quite a few 78 rpm records in my late Godfather's and his wife's appartment. In the late 70s, they bought a big stereo equipment with a record player that could "still" play 78. And since some of their 78 records have comedic or political cabert songs on them, sometimes during in the wee hours during a family reunion we'll dig them out.

Me, I nver owned a 45 single AFAIK. Spend a few Marks on one song? Forget it. LP was my thing.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Enzo » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:21 am

The flip side - guess where that term came from - is that I could buy the one hit song without having to buy a whole LP from a group I don't otherwise care for. As a kid we stacked 45s on the player so you could have say 8 songs in a row from various artists, rather than a half dozen by one artist at a time.

We used to have small records the same size as 45s, but with the small hole and they played at 33. Had two or three songs per side. A mini-album. Called EPs for extended play. Our juke boxes had ways to detect the hole size and would set the speed correctly. SOme boxes even had the ability to charge for two selections if you punched in the EP as your selection.

I like jukeboxes for so many reasons. They are complex electromechanical systems, which I enjoy. But we get to program them, to suit the clientele. Old jukes that played 45s started with 50 records - 100 tunes, then 80 and then 100. LAter they played CDs. 45s were cheap, I paid under a dollar each. CDs cost $10 each and at 100 per juke, well $1000 to fill a new jukebox. BUt then 100 CDs meant your box held 1200-1600 titles. Nowdays, a juke box is just a display and a money collection part, and it connects via the internet to an endless repository of music. I can slide in a dollar and play anything from Myron FLoren to Karlheinz Stockhausen
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Мастер » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:47 am

Arneb wrote:There are quite a few 78 rpm records in my late Godfather's and his wife's appartment. In the late 70s, they bought a big stereo equipment with a record player that could "still" play 78. And since some of their 78 records have comedic or political cabert songs on them, sometimes during in the wee hours during a family reunion we'll dig them out.

Me, I nver owned a 45 single AFAIK. Spend a few Marks on one song? Forget it. LP was my thing.


I remember seeing players with a 78 speed setting. I just don't remember ever seeing any actual 78s.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Lance » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:58 pm

I had a turntable when I was a kid that was a 4-speed. It had a 16 r.p.m. setting along with 33, 45, & 78. Though I don't think I ever saw a 16 r.p.m. record.

Enzo wrote:As a kid we stacked 45s on the player so you could have say 8 songs in a row from various artists, rather than a half dozen by one artist at a time.

That stack of 45's was the original "mix tape".
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Enzo » Sat Sep 12, 2020 11:51 pm

Yep, and the origin of the term "stax of wax".

16rpm records were the size of 45s with the same large hole. They were never much of a market. The idea was you could fit a whole album or other lengthy program on a small record. My dad had some. I recall a box set of Sibelius next to our hifi.

I think the point was they produced music/sound "good enough" for the crowd that usually listened to music on a table radio. Not the highest of "fi". But mainly it was used for "talking books".

WHen I was a kid, the main use of 16 speed was to play 45s at that speed and howl in laughter at how funny it all sounded so slow.
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Re: Vinyl

Postby Richard A » Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:16 pm

Yes, my parents had a load of 78s. I got frustrated with them because they were so short. So a symphony that you could get on one (33) LP would cover several 78s. It doesn't surprise me that Arneb's late godfather had some. We had a box of 33s and maybe 78s as well from my parents, but goodness knows what's happened to them.

And one thing the music-streaming generation will never know is the joy of playing vocal 33s at 45 speed to produce the "chipmunk" effect. Not something to do to a valuable opera recording, but great fun for less precious items!
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