Is it true that turntables are becoming popular again? Vinyl records won’t perish. They had been challenged by cassette tapes in the 70s and 80s, CDs in the 90s, and digital downloads in the 2000s. As advances in technology and portability challenged vinyl records, its market has become smaller. Yet it simply refused to die. Vinyl sales started to increase again and continues to increase. In 2011, its sales went up by 39 percent.
Vinyl records have two advantages over the other formats. First of all the sound of analog is something that you can’t find in all the digital formats. The second advantage is its collectability. The artwork of the album and the special amount of care and labor spent on creating the modern vinyl runs make it a stand-out. Both the vinyl records and the turntables that play them have taken a special niche in the music industry.
Table of Contents
The Physicality Aspect
It’s great to have a massive collection of songs in Spotify, but there is nothing like collecting vinyl albums. With songs in Spotify, you don’t have anything physical to hold, no linear notes to look into, and no artwork to savor. Of course, there are CDs too, but they are boring with cases too small to depict real art. It’s not as bold as the vinyl record.
The Collectable Vinyl
In the 2000s, albums have become more popular among many record collectors and vinyl gives them an unmatched flavor. Limited releases of vinyl have made them even more precious than the colored and split-color vinyl. Usually vinyl are black, but they need not be that. They can be made of pigmented materials. You can find classic albums that are on vinyl sold at low prices, but modern artists added more flair by releasing them as special products for die-hard fans.
Why Own a Turntable?
Music can be listened to or experienced differently depending on the kind of system you use. The digital format requires compression of files which may affect the quality of the sound. Some people forego this in lieu of portability while there are some who like to indulge in the listening pleasure they get from vinyl and its more authentic sound. Vinyl is known to give a warm sound and some say it is the nearest they can get to a live performance. Vinyl albums are also often produced with much better dynamics during the process of mastering compared to the digital formats.
Through vinyl records, you can indulge in the ritual of listening to music, which can be therapeutic. Listening to a vinyl record is not good for multitasking. It prompts you to take a seat and listen to it until the entire side A is finished. If you love vintage songs, the turntable will give you the chance to listen to them.
