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By revenue, not by units sold. Still interesting, and not really surprising based on my anecdotal experience of artists I follow. Streaming audio is good enoug

By revenue, not by units sold. Still interesting, and not really surprising based on my anecdotal experience of artists I follow. Streaming audio is good enough for most sound systems commonly in use. Vinyl serves as a better collectible from a favorite artist for a few reasons. - more room for cover art - physical analog medium (superficial, but has value to some) - requires more care than CDs (proves the owner’s dedication to maintaining the collection) - limited production runs make it more scarce than easily copied CDs

xenocyon 7y ago
While streaming is obviously the revenue king, the apples-to-apples soft-media comparison point for vinyl and CD is not streaming but digital downloads, which isn't covered in the OP article but is in the linked RIAA report. tl;dr: Currently digital downloads see about twice as much revenue as either CD or vinyl, but trending downwards while CD revenue is holding steady and vinyl experiencing mild growth. Personally I like DRM-free digital downloads (as opposed to streaming) as they provide the best advantages of soft media while also being mine to fully control forever.
taxidump 7y ago
>physical analog medium (superficial, but has value to some) I dissagree that vinyl medium is superficial. It is different entirely. Vinyl has a unique sound. Dynamic entropy is added during the playback from imperfections, many favor this outcome, not all. Audio sources for vinyl duplication will undergo a seperate mastering process that is taylored for the vinyl version. Even if you do not request another mastering any good vinyl shop will have some adjustments they make before duplication. All these variables will produce another version of the audio at the end. This will change propective and therefore put a perfect digital copy above or below the other in their mind.
- jameshart 7y ago
  ‘Dynamic entropy’ - you mean ‘noise’, right?
- cortesoft 7y ago
  You don't think all of those differences can be simulated digitally? I would be curious if people can't be fooled in a double blind test.
  - beefalo 7y ago
    The sound is irrelevant. Taking out the record, putting it on a record player, placing the needle, and not being able to skip tracks without effort is a different experience than digital. Simulating the sound differences would be like cars that have the stereo speakers play exhaust sounds. It may sound the same as what you want, but it's inherently fake and viewed as a waste of effort by many.
reaperducer 7y ago
I think the "good enough" phrase you used really touches on the reason vinyl still exists. Streaming is "good enough." But physical media is a different experience. It's more intimate. You can touch, feel, and examine the music and the packaging. Some bands (REM is one) even put Easter Eggs in their physical media that can't be reproduced by digital. Streaming is fine for when you want to fill your space with sound. Physical media is for when you want to really enjoy the music. Read about what you're listening to, see the artwork and photographs, and experience an album of music on the order it was meant to be heard. As one of many examples, a streaming service can play "Home by the Sea" by Genesis. But I've never encountered one smart enough to then follow that with "Second Home by the Sea," which is how the music was made to be heard. Some services will even play "Second Home" on its own, which is jarring. Music is one of the increasing number of areas where people are figuring out that abdicating human curation for machine selection just isn't the same thing.
- balfirevic 7y ago
  > Physical media is for when you want to really enjoy the music You seem to have confused me with yourself.
- cbdumas 7y ago
  > Physical media is for when you want to really enjoy the music. Wow this is some condescending, pretentious nonsense. Also, every streaming service I've ever used is perfectly capable of playing an album in order.
  - tomc1985 7y ago
    You're discounting the value of physically experiencing the media you're consuming. Pretentious or not, it really is a different feeling, something that streaming can't replicate.
    - cortesoft 7y ago
      Physically experiencing? You mean the act of placing a record on the player, or something else? So only the person who touches the album gets the full experience?
agumonkey 7y ago
The ritual of electromechanical device has some appeal. The arm, the spin up, the pops. Even CDs had some ~groove (yes intended), the tray and interface. That's something digital media reduced almost to zero (I guess younger generations had the bliss of the ipod wheel).
- eropple 7y ago
  I've sometimes thought about setting up my Shuttle Pro jog wheel to act like an iPod wheel...
crispyambulance 7y ago
Yeah, vinyl has a lot of love behind it because it has "object appeal" for the reasons you cite. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a niche thing. As are cassettes (which ALSO are making a comeback of sorts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbJ4ZX4RIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbJ4ZX4RIw) None of these physical media are remotely comparable in terms of market-share to streaming, I expect. It's just a thing, It won't last forever. Good turntables are expensive and, let's face it, it's a pain in the ass to queue an LP.
- JauntyHatAngle 7y ago
  I don't see it going away to be honest. There will always be fluctuating amounts of people coming and going through enjoying records and record players. It's a hobby, and not even a particularly niche one. Plenty of inner city yuppies enjoy it. They aren't exclusively buying records, they're collecting their most cherished works on LP and specially listening to them. It's not an all or nothing thing, which makes the pain in the ass aspect an important part of the hobby. You want to listen to a specific song? Cast to your Chromecast with spotify. You want to do a focused album listen? Chuck on a particularly cherished album? Show off to a friend? Then you switch to the Vinyl and do it.
- yellow_postit 7y ago
  Anyone know the environmental impact on the rise in vinyl? Probably so small it's nearly inconsequential but still (to me) a shame to see an increased focus on consuming physical items ultimately destined for the trash bin.
chx 7y ago
May I recommend Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior from Geoffrey Miller? Having a vinyl collection tells something about you...

xenocyon 7y ago

While streaming is obviously the revenue king, the apples-to-apples soft-media comparison point for vinyl and CD is not streaming but digital downloads, which isn't covered in the OP article but is in the linked RIAA report. tl;dr: Currently digital downloads see about twice as much revenue as either CD or vinyl, but trending downwards while CD revenue is holding steady and vinyl experiencing mild growth. Personally I like DRM-free digital downloads (as opposed to streaming) as they provide the best advantages of soft media while also being mine to fully control forever.

taxidump 7y ago

>physical analog medium (superficial, but has value to some) I dissagree that vinyl medium is superficial. It is different entirely. Vinyl has a unique sound. Dynamic entropy is added during the playback from imperfections, many favor this outcome, not all. Audio sources for vinyl duplication will undergo a seperate mastering process that is taylored for the vinyl version. Even if you do not request another mastering any good vinyl shop will have some adjustments they make before duplication. All these variables will produce another version of the audio at the end. This will change propective and therefore put a perfect digital copy above or below the other in their mind.

jameshart 7y ago
‘Dynamic entropy’ - you mean ‘noise’, right?
cortesoft 7y ago
You don't think all of those differences can be simulated digitally? I would be curious if people can't be fooled in a double blind test.
- beefalo 7y ago
  The sound is irrelevant. Taking out the record, putting it on a record player, placing the needle, and not being able to skip tracks without effort is a different experience than digital. Simulating the sound differences would be like cars that have the stereo speakers play exhaust sounds. It may sound the same as what you want, but it's inherently fake and viewed as a waste of effort by many.

reaperducer 7y ago

I think the "good enough" phrase you used really touches on the reason vinyl still exists. Streaming is "good enough." But physical media is a different experience. It's more intimate. You can touch, feel, and examine the music and the packaging. Some bands (REM is one) even put Easter Eggs in their physical media that can't be reproduced by digital. Streaming is fine for when you want to fill your space with sound. Physical media is for when you want to really enjoy the music. Read about what you're listening to, see the artwork and photographs, and experience an album of music on the order it was meant to be heard. As one of many examples, a streaming service can play "Home by the Sea" by Genesis. But I've never encountered one smart enough to then follow that with "Second Home by the Sea," which is how the music was made to be heard. Some services will even play "Second Home" on its own, which is jarring. Music is one of the increasing number of areas where people are figuring out that abdicating human curation for machine selection just isn't the same thing.

balfirevic 7y ago
> Physical media is for when you want to really enjoy the music You seem to have confused me with yourself.
cbdumas 7y ago
> Physical media is for when you want to really enjoy the music. Wow this is some condescending, pretentious nonsense. Also, every streaming service I've ever used is perfectly capable of playing an album in order.
- tomc1985 7y ago
  You're discounting the value of physically experiencing the media you're consuming. Pretentious or not, it really is a different feeling, something that streaming can't replicate.
  - cortesoft 7y ago
    Physically experiencing? You mean the act of placing a record on the player, or something else? So only the person who touches the album gets the full experience?

agumonkey 7y ago

The ritual of electromechanical device has some appeal. The arm, the spin up, the pops. Even CDs had some ~groove (yes intended), the tray and interface. That's something digital media reduced almost to zero (I guess younger generations had the bliss of the ipod wheel).

eropple 7y ago
I've sometimes thought about setting up my Shuttle Pro jog wheel to act like an iPod wheel...

crispyambulance 7y ago

Yeah, vinyl has a lot of love behind it because it has "object appeal" for the reasons you cite. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a niche thing. As are cassettes (which ALSO are making a comeback of sorts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbJ4ZX4RIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbJ4ZX4RIw) None of these physical media are remotely comparable in terms of market-share to streaming, I expect. It's just a thing, It won't last forever. Good turntables are expensive and, let's face it, it's a pain in the ass to queue an LP.

JauntyHatAngle 7y ago
I don't see it going away to be honest. There will always be fluctuating amounts of people coming and going through enjoying records and record players. It's a hobby, and not even a particularly niche one. Plenty of inner city yuppies enjoy it. They aren't exclusively buying records, they're collecting their most cherished works on LP and specially listening to them. It's not an all or nothing thing, which makes the pain in the ass aspect an important part of the hobby. You want to listen to a specific song? Cast to your Chromecast with spotify. You want to do a focused album listen? Chuck on a particularly cherished album? Show off to a friend? Then you switch to the Vinyl and do it.
yellow_postit 7y ago
Anyone know the environmental impact on the rise in vinyl? Probably so small it's nearly inconsequential but still (to me) a shame to see an increased focus on consuming physical items ultimately destined for the trash bin.

chx 7y ago

May I recommend Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior from Geoffrey Miller? Having a vinyl collection tells something about you...