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It probably helps that most vinyl releases also include a free FLAC download. So you get your collector's deluxe edition with inlay signed by the band, plus a l

It probably helps that most vinyl releases also include a free FLAC download. So you get your collector's deluxe edition with inlay signed by the band, plus a lossless quality (or even 24-bit better-than-CD) version without having to rip the download yourself. I'm sure there are some people playing vinyl, but I also bet a lot of these are never being played, it's just decorative.

agotterer 6y ago
I play vinyl! There’s something special about the the experience of taking a record out of its sleeve, the white noise while you wait for the pin to pick up, and then listening through the entire album. It’s not something I do every day. Most of my music is streamed. But I find when I stream I rarely listen to a full album. Apple killed the full album.
- samatman 6y ago
  Did they, though? I guess we never know if we're typical or not, but I tend to add an album at a time to my collection and listen to them that way as well. If anything is killing the album, it's that it is a somewhat artificial medium, dictated by the constraints of records and later, CDs. It seems like it's surviving on its own merits, there are a couple of albums from this year I really enjoy. But it's bound to be less popular now that it's just another way to listen to your choice of music, instead of the only way.
  - asutekku 6y ago
    You can go to last.fm to check any album you like and really likely you will find out that the plays are not spread evenly.
  - coldtea 6y ago
    Well, everything in art is artificial, and most things are dictated by this or that physical constraint. That doesn't make it less important once they materialize.
  - agotterer 6y ago
    Nothing you are saying is inaccurate. People bought albums because that’s how music was historically sold and they had no alternative. My understanding is that artists also embraced that constraint and created albums to create a specific experience (vibe, song order, etc). Apple started selling individual songs and for the first time people were able to buy music without buying the whole album. So yes, Apple killed the album.
    - samatman 6y ago
      Alright, fair enough. Though I gotta say: I was around and listening to music at the time, and it was Napster which struck the death blow. Apple came along a couple years later to put the album out of its misery. The album doesn't seem dead, so much as diminished, but I know a harmless rhetorical flourish when I see one...
rob74 6y ago
That's done to make up for one of the major disadvantages of vinyl records: that you can't easily rip them. Ok, ripping CDs is also getting more difficult - I upgraded my desktop PC recently and then found out I need a PATA adapter card to connect my old DVD-RW drive if I want to rip CDs, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Laptops have also gotten rid of CD/DVD drives completely. Fortunately Amazon has an "AutoRip" feature for most CDs where you can download an album digitally after you have bought it from them...
- SyneRyder 6y ago
  Yep, I know exactly what you mean - I've got a cheap portable LG USB CD/DVD drive on my desk right now, so I can convert any CDs I buy to FLAC and progressively re-rip my MP3 collection. Buying CDs is getting harder too, Amazon Australia doesn't carry many new CDs and AutoRip isn't an option in Australia. I occasionally buy vinyl, I have some vinyl Super Deluxe editions around me, and getting the free FLAC makes the purchasing decision much easier for me. I get the album in full quality to play, plus all the bonus tracks & physical merch and something to put in my display cabinet.
- Zippogriff 6y ago
  USB CD+DVD burners are nearly disposable-cheap and very convenient to use, now. The "good" ones are under $30 and crappy ones as low as $15. They're barely larger than a CD jewel case, weigh ~nothing, and are powered entirely over USB, so no external power brick.

agotterer 6y ago

I play vinyl! There’s something special about the the experience of taking a record out of its sleeve, the white noise while you wait for the pin to pick up, and then listening through the entire album. It’s not something I do every day. Most of my music is streamed. But I find when I stream I rarely listen to a full album. Apple killed the full album.

samatman 6y ago
Did they, though? I guess we never know if we're typical or not, but I tend to add an album at a time to my collection and listen to them that way as well. If anything is killing the album, it's that it is a somewhat artificial medium, dictated by the constraints of records and later, CDs. It seems like it's surviving on its own merits, there are a couple of albums from this year I really enjoy. But it's bound to be less popular now that it's just another way to listen to your choice of music, instead of the only way.
- asutekku 6y ago
  You can go to last.fm to check any album you like and really likely you will find out that the plays are not spread evenly.
- coldtea 6y ago
  Well, everything in art is artificial, and most things are dictated by this or that physical constraint. That doesn't make it less important once they materialize.
- agotterer 6y ago
  Nothing you are saying is inaccurate. People bought albums because that’s how music was historically sold and they had no alternative. My understanding is that artists also embraced that constraint and created albums to create a specific experience (vibe, song order, etc). Apple started selling individual songs and for the first time people were able to buy music without buying the whole album. So yes, Apple killed the album.
  - samatman 6y ago
    Alright, fair enough. Though I gotta say: I was around and listening to music at the time, and it was Napster which struck the death blow. Apple came along a couple years later to put the album out of its misery. The album doesn't seem dead, so much as diminished, but I know a harmless rhetorical flourish when I see one...

rob74 6y ago

That's done to make up for one of the major disadvantages of vinyl records: that you can't easily rip them. Ok, ripping CDs is also getting more difficult - I upgraded my desktop PC recently and then found out I need a PATA adapter card to connect my old DVD-RW drive if I want to rip CDs, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Laptops have also gotten rid of CD/DVD drives completely. Fortunately Amazon has an "AutoRip" feature for most CDs where you can download an album digitally after you have bought it from them...

SyneRyder 6y ago
Yep, I know exactly what you mean - I've got a cheap portable LG USB CD/DVD drive on my desk right now, so I can convert any CDs I buy to FLAC and progressively re-rip my MP3 collection. Buying CDs is getting harder too, Amazon Australia doesn't carry many new CDs and AutoRip isn't an option in Australia. I occasionally buy vinyl, I have some vinyl Super Deluxe editions around me, and getting the free FLAC makes the purchasing decision much easier for me. I get the album in full quality to play, plus all the bonus tracks & physical merch and something to put in my display cabinet.
Zippogriff 6y ago
USB CD+DVD burners are nearly disposable-cheap and very convenient to use, now. The "good" ones are under $30 and crappy ones as low as $15. They're barely larger than a CD jewel case, weigh ~nothing, and are powered entirely over USB, so no external power brick.