SaysWho? Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Vinyl records outsell CDs for the first time since 1987 WWW.NPR.ORG Vinyl sales grew for the 16th consecutive year in 2022, with 41 million albums sold — compared to 33 million CDs. Streaming is still the biggest driver of the music industry's growth. Quote The pandemic led to a spike in demand for vinyl records, driven largely by younger buyers. Vinyl has become a major part of artists' marketing campaigns. Artists including Adele and Taylor Swift made pop a fast-growing genre on vinyl, and many independent manufacturers struggled to ramp up and meet demand after years of decline. That's forced some bands to push back album releases and stopped small artists from being able to press records. Quote Streaming is still the biggest driver of the music industry's growth, making up 84% of recorded-music revenue, but physical music formats saw a remarkable resurgence in the past couple of years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 My niece recently got a record player -- and she listens to it through Bluetooth headphones. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLeon Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Makes sense. Passionate fans/collectors want vinyl, everyone else just streams. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Crazy that vinly has made a comeback. I have a ton of records in storage from my deejaying days. I wonder if they are any good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Wow three quarters of the physical media revenue. Can't believe it's a billion dollar market now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I’m genuinely surprised people buy CDs. I get vinyl, beyond audio snobbery, the packaging on many vinyl releases is straight up art. But tiny CD cases? Weird to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 12 minutes ago, sblfilms said: I’m genuinely surprised people buy CDs. I get vinyl, beyond audio snobbery, the packaging on many vinyl releases is straight up art. But tiny CD cases? Weird to me. I don't buy CDs anymore, but if you care about audio quality, they're the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I’d say that vinyl is more how it sounds like vinyl than that it sounds what one could consider the highest quality, I don’t think people care much about the difference between digital audio standards at a certain point. I had a very brief sacd kick at one point, surprised it never moved to blu-ray audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I WILL STILL ONLY BUY CDs UNTIL THE DAY I PERISH! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 2 minutes ago, stepee said: I’d say that vinyl is more how it sounds like vinyl than that it sounds what one could consider the highest quality, I don’t think people care much about the difference between digital audio standards at a certain point. I had a very brief sacd kick at one point, surprised it never moved to blu-ray audio. Yes, you're right. That's why so few CDs are sold. That said, for the people who do care, CD's (particularly on the right equipment) sound noticeably better than streaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 9 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: I don't buy CDs anymore, but if you care about audio quality, they're the best. There are higher than CD-quality streaming services, and have been for almost a decade now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Air_Delivery Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 FLAC is just as good and more portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 2 minutes ago, sblfilms said: There are higher than CD-quality streaming services, and have been for almost a decade now. Point taken. If you have a device that supports it, and they have the music you want to hear in that format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 19 minutes ago, sblfilms said: There are higher than CD-quality streaming services, and have been for almost a decade now. Indeed. I used to buy CDs occasionally if I wanted high quality rips, but now Qobuz fills that role for the vast majority of music I'm looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unogueen Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 You wouldn't download a vinyl would ya? SInce the vinyl uprise coincides with indie's experimentation with media, wonder if cassettes will catch up in numbers in due course as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted March 10, 2023 Author Share Posted March 10, 2023 Not that I don't stream or listen to ad-supported music on Youtube, but I like owning a song and just having it, which applies to all media. I'm just glad I have the option to do all of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjomesphat Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Yeah it’s awful. As someone that’s been collecting vinyl for the past 15 years or so, the price increases have been ridiculous. Even used vinyl is out of control. There was a time when Record Store Day you could just stroll in whenever and get some good stuff, now lines are around the block the night before. And the music I listen to has always been on vinyl, so it’s not like the bigger exposure has increased the content for me. Anyway, 90% of my music listening is MP3. I mostly like vinyl for the physical qualities and when I want to sit down and really absorb an album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneticBlueprint Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 3 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said: My niece recently got a record player -- and she listens to it through Bluetooth headphones. Confiscation is the only answer here. 1 hour ago, sblfilms said: There are higher than CD-quality streaming services, and have been for almost a decade now. True. But many of them require specific devices because of their encoding, and consequently have limited libraries. Plus you're subject to it being yanked off or never appearing for one reason or another. I have several albums that can't be found on any streaming platform. Even the major ones like Spotify. 16 minutes ago, Bjomesphat said: Yeah it’s awful. As someone that’s been collecting vinyl for the past 15 years or so, the price increases have been ridiculous. Even used vinyl is out of control. There was a time when Record Store Day you could just stroll in whenever and get some good stuff, now lines are around the block the night before. And the music I listen to has always been on vinyl, so it’s not like the bigger exposure has increased the content for me. Anyway, 90% of my music listening is MP3. I mostly like vinyl for the physical qualities and when I want to sit down and really absorb an album. This is me. Most albums I buy come with a digital copy in various formats. If they don't I'll just pirate it. I then put it on my phone so I can listen to it without needing an Internet connection. But vinyl is king for experiencing an album and actually hearing everything. Especially if it was recorded in the analog days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phaseknox Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 3 hours ago, TheLeon said: Makes sense. Passionate fans/collectors want vinyl, everyone else just streams. I’m a passionate fan/collector, and I buy CDs. 2 hours ago, sblfilms said: I’m genuinely surprised people buy CDs. I get vinyl, beyond audio snobbery, the packaging on many vinyl releases is straight up art. But tiny CD cases? Weird to me. CDs are a good size IMO, they’re not too big and not too small. You can still see an album’s art pretty good on CD covers, and often CDs are packaged in cool digi-paks. They’re small, durable and sound great. I’ve been collecting them since the 90s, and I have thousands of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLeon Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 37 minutes ago, Phaseknox said: I’m a passionate fan/collector, and I buy CDs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 1 hour ago, GeneticBlueprint said: This is me. Most albums I buy come with a digital copy in various formats. If they don't I'll just pirate it. I then put it on my phone so I can listen to it without needing an Internet connection. But vinyl is king for experiencing an album and actually hearing everything. Especially if it was recorded in the analog days. Even if they weren't recorded in the analog days, the quality of the DACs used in studios to convert to analog in order to make these vinyls are going to be leagues better than digital files being played out of integrated DACs in people's soundbars or mobile devices. 2 hours ago, unogueen said: You wouldn't download a vinyl would ya? SInce the vinyl uprise coincides with indie's experimentation with media, wonder if cassettes will catch up in numbers in due course as well. Yeah no I don't see that happening. A clean vinyl with competent needle will rival the best digital recordings in quality. Right now there's only like one or two cassette mechanisms still in production and they're all low-end compared to vintage 80s and 90s gear. That means lots of hiss, very little detail, and overall piss poor listening. And yes, even regular consumer standards for quality have risen. Audiophiles lead the charge for the vinyl resurgence and an expanding range of higher quality earbuds and headphones also forced Apple to improve their transducers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris- Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 2 hours ago, Bjomesphat said: Yeah it’s awful. As someone that’s been collecting vinyl for the past 15 years or so, the price increases have been ridiculous. Even used vinyl is out of control. There was a time when Record Store Day you could just stroll in whenever and get some good stuff, now lines are around the block the night before. And the music I listen to has always been on vinyl, so it’s not like the bigger exposure has increased the content for me. Anyway, 90% of my music listening is MP3. I mostly like vinyl for the physical qualities and when I want to sit down and really absorb an album. 2 hours ago, GeneticBlueprint said: Confiscation is the only answer here. True. But many of them require specific devices because of their encoding, and consequently have limited libraries. Plus you're subject to it being yanked off or never appearing for one reason or another. I have several albums that can't be found on any streaming platform. Even the major ones like Spotify. This is me. Most albums I buy come with a digital copy in various formats. If they don't I'll just pirate it. I then put it on my phone so I can listen to it without needing an Internet connection. But vinyl is king for experiencing an album and actually hearing everything. Especially if it was recorded in the analog days. Me three. I just like listening to vinyl, don't really care if it sounds 'better' or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 3 hours ago, Bjomesphat said: Yeah it’s awful. As someone that’s been collecting vinyl for the past 15 years or so, the price increases have been ridiculous. Even used vinyl is out of control. There was a time when Record Store Day you could just stroll in whenever and get some good stuff, now lines are around the block the night before. And the music I listen to has always been on vinyl, so it’s not like the bigger exposure has increased the content for me. Aside from the price, this actually sounds great? There should be more music stores. Also I'm still the lunatic that still occasionally rips CDs and transfers the files from my laptop to my phone with a cord and everything like it's 2005. I don't know why I do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimpleG Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I love vinyl. It sounds pretentious but there is something wonderful in the ritual of thumbing through my collection , having something jump out at me, get it set up and listening to it. It also allows me to directly fund my favorite bands. The secondary market is getting out of hand though, several of the record stores i used to dig through once week got super greedy. They were treating them like speculative investments sometimes at double or triple the actual cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I'm still a CD getter. You basically get the best of both worlds through Amazon autorip or bandcamp. Although I have slowed down the past couple of years. I had considered getting a turntable a while ago just because I had some of my dad's old vinyl around but never ended up getting one. He has this on Vinyl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjomesphat Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 For those that still rip music or download it in one way or another, running a Plex server is an easy way to basically make your own streaming platform. On the apps, you can either stream your music or download it for offline play if you always want it accessible on your phone or tablet. So much easier than plugging your phone in and transferring files. If you have Plex Pass, their Plexamp app is a really slick dedicated music player with all the bells and whistle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 43 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: I'm still a CD getter. You basically get the best of both worlds through Amazon autorip or bandcamp. Although I have slowed down the past couple of years. I had considered getting a turntable a while ago just because I had some of my dad's old vinyl around but never ended up getting one. He has this on Vinyl Wow.... I think I gained like 113 exp points after watching that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Color me surprised people buy CDs lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 The last CD I bought was probably like 2003. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoberChef Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I just came to say PHYSICAL MEDIA FOR THE FUCKING WIN!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 I listen to all my music exclusively via low quality Youtube uploads. Even better if they're pitch-shifted to avoid copyright strikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 3 minutes ago, Xbob42 said: I listen to all my music exclusively via low quality Youtube uploads. Even better if they're pitch-shifted to avoid copyright strikes. That just reminds me that there's no good version of Dirty laundry on youtube 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xbob42 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 1 minute ago, Keyser_Soze said: That just reminds me that there's no good version of Dirty laundry on youtube See if it was vinyl you'd call all that low quality noise "warmth." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaku3 Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Ok fuk it Ill buy a rap album on vynil. I have alot of just listen to music sessions due to smoking. I even yolo'ed on a Sony Walkman. I got DACs from Creative. Sony MX5 or what ever high end bluetooth and have seperate wired headphones. I'd only really warn people about diminishing returns. Since audiophiles are rare prices are pretty crazy. Off to find vinyl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggie Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Y’all ever heard of this thing called iTunes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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