Is Vinyl Dying Out?
Some clouds are looming on the horizon—but it's not too late to change course
You know something’s not right in the record collecting community when the same mistakes from the past are coming back to haunt us.
But just like every cloud has a silver lining, I believe music is trying to teach us an important lesson which could save us all from this madness.
We just need to learn to listen.
In today’s video, I discuss a problematic trend gaining ground in the vinyl community and share my thoughts on how we can stop it.
This is probably the most honest I’ve ever been—not just on Substack but in my online life so far. Expect some strong language, camera bloopers, a healthy dose of realism and, as always, the cheekiest remarks from this side of the pond.
Unscripted, unedited, one-take-or-die, true Vinyl Room style. Because life’s too short to pretend.
Sales data (and the UK/US national anthems… because why wouldn’t I?)
Need to up your coffee game? Do it in style
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks a lot for your support. Please keep on spinning.
Some good questions to ponder on a Sunday morning!
First, regarding "peak vinyl." I don't think we're there, it's certainly hot right now compared to say 10 years ago, but the "peak" for vinyl (so far) was decades ago. Given enough time, most mediums will ebb and flow. People are into CDs again...tapes are making a modest comeback...
There is a return to physical media--regardless of form-- and I think that reflects a larger trend away from mindless consumption, and a return to intentionality. Rough comparison, but I think it's analogous to the defection from social media towards things like blogs and newsletters that we're also seeing.
And at the risk of undercutting that point, we are absolutely privileged compared to previous generations; we can use a streaming platform to discover far more than we ever could before and we can then go online to either the artist's website/ Bandcamp /a record store page to pickup a physical copy. The digital and physical worlds can (and should) work in tandem rather than as opposing forces.
In my Anti-Folk rant, I delve into the forced death of vinyl as the majors' effort to get rid of us pesky indies. That was in 89. I closed the label in 90 and went to law school. Great rant on your part and celebrating the resilience of vinyl is the point, not relative popularity. Bravo! I add my link for context. I still buy vinyl new, used, and thrift store. I recently got a Brothers Four BMOC, a slice of super-sonically perfect history for $3 at a used furniture store. The listening experience of dropping a needle on a record and then the 20-25 minute per LP side, a perfect digestible quantity, cannot and will not be improved upon so it will undoubtedly last forever. A comforting thought. The majors' attack on vinyl by stupidly rushing the CD in without any protection from digital file sharing was rash and unnecessary for any other reason than to get rid of the competition. It didn't work in the long run. Indies still rule to some extent. It did run some of us out of the muzak biz into other careers. I never really stopped making music; I just stopped making vinyl records. A true labor of love. A painstaking process from start to finish requiring a "good ear" and an eye for creating iconic lasting 12" x 12" artwork to represent the music. That special connection with the listener. Nobody stares at a CD cover while dreaming along with the music. Back then vinyl LPs were "official" releases for airplay, chart, and record review purposes and unlike cassettes which co-existed happily alongside LPs as a clever, malleable convenience. CDs led to streaming commodification. Cassettes only led to mixtapes and to listening to your favorite LPs while driving, walking or anywhere records couldn’t be easily played.
TVR: Never wave the flag of surrender and keep the lamps trimmed and burning 🔥 Long Live Vinyl! And yeah, Spotify sucks for so many reasons but if someone likes it, like you said, it's just another format. Why trumpet the end of a "fad" when the most desirable format that made music the product everyone still loves so much for the past 100 years is still so wildly popular? It's truly a thing of beauty preserving waves of sound for eternity in an incomparable package. Put the needle on the record. https://stevegabe.substack.com/p/anti-folk-and-the-tompkins-square?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=14weym