By Daniel Nardini
As I write this, I am listening to Rachmaninoff on a vinyl record I had bought a long time ago. The record player was built in the 1970’s, and the record was made in the 1960’s. It still sounds as beautiful as it probably did when I was a boy. Nowadays, people who were born in the 1990’s and later either listen to compact discs and/or youtube. Or, they use their smart phones for their listening pleasure. I guess it depends on the generation. However, just two months ago during Christmas time, I saw a brand new vinyl record of songs and popular tunes of the Peanuts cartoon “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The record had all of the songs and music from that special cartoon “A Charlie Brown Christmas” produced back in 1965.
The crazy thing is that this vinyl record was made in 2022 for the 2022 Christmas season. Strange but true, vinyl records are still being produced in the United States. The most common one is the 12-inch round long playing 33 1/2 rpm. There are also the older ones such as the 45 rpm which came out over 100 to 70 years ago. Why are vinyl records still being made? One of the reasons is because of the older generation born before 1970. Vinyl records are still in demand from people ages 50 and above. Yet this demographic is not the only one where vinyl records are in demand. Independent artists and musicians also have an interest in having their music released on vinyl records. Such records become collector’s editions and even young people like Millennials and Zoomers enjoy buying vinyl records.
Ever since the 1990’s, I had heard that the days of the vinyl record were numbered, and that the way of the future would be compact discs. Well, that did not happen. Digital compact discs are still around even with the growth and popularity of youtube, but for many people compact disc is not the same as holding a vinyl record in its beautifully designed cover holder. The design and artwork for vinyl records is one of the attractions for so many people to get one. Many people have told me that the quality of the sound coming from a vinyl record is unbeatable. From experience, I have learned that many people do not simply want a computer generated tune anymore than they want an e-book. There are people who want the feel of an actual vinyl record and a printed book. They want these things in their personal collections. For them, there is nothing quite like having an actual material object of something we hold near and dear.
Because of this vinyl records, like printed books, are still a thing. Will this change in the future? It might be possible for vinyl records to go the way of the analog television set—being little more than a curiosity in a museum or someone else’s personal collection. For now they remain a thing, and vinyl records, both past and present, are still with us in the 21st Century.
Vinyl Records Are Still a Thing
By Daniel Nardini
The crazy thing is that this vinyl record was made in 2022 for the 2022 Christmas season. Strange but true, vinyl records are still being produced in the United States. The most common one is the 12-inch round long playing 33 1/2 rpm. There are also the older ones such as the 45 rpm which came out over 100 to 70 years ago. Why are vinyl records still being made? One of the reasons is because of the older generation born before 1970. Vinyl records are still in demand from people ages 50 and above. Yet this demographic is not the only one where vinyl records are in demand. Independent artists and musicians also have an interest in having their music released on vinyl records. Such records become collector’s editions and even young people like Millennials and Zoomers enjoy buying vinyl records.
Ever since the 1990’s, I had heard that the days of the vinyl record were numbered, and that the way of the future would be compact discs. Well, that did not happen. Digital compact discs are still around even with the growth and popularity of youtube, but for many people compact disc is not the same as holding a vinyl record in its beautifully designed cover holder. The design and artwork for vinyl records is one of the attractions for so many people to get one. Many people have told me that the quality of the sound coming from a vinyl record is unbeatable. From experience, I have learned that many people do not simply want a computer generated tune anymore than they want an e-book. There are people who want the feel of an actual vinyl record and a printed book. They want these things in their personal collections. For them, there is nothing quite like having an actual material object of something we hold near and dear.
Because of this vinyl records, like printed books, are still a thing. Will this change in the future? It might be possible for vinyl records to go the way of the analog television set—being little more than a curiosity in a museum or someone else’s personal collection. For now they remain a thing, and vinyl records, both past and present, are still with us in the 21st Century.