Growing up in the 21st century I grew up listening to CDs and iTunes. When I was little I don’t even think I knew what a record was, but then as the years went on and vinyl started to come back in the USA, my father got re-interested. I hadn’t paid a lot of attention to my father’s records until a day I was sitting on the couch and a song came on. It was a song I had on my iPod so I found it odd that it was on vinyl. Most of my father’s records were by artists and musicians I had never even heard of much less heard the actually music. But, this song I did know. The album it was on had only come out a couple of month ago so I couldn’t even believe it was on vinyl. It completely blew my mind that new artists were beginning to put their music on records. It changed my whole perspective on music. It used to be that old music was old and new music was new, but now it just like all that had pushed away and something new was coming out of it.
What is vinyl
A vinyl record is a type of gramophone record popular from the 1950s to the 1990s. Back before iTunes and CDs, records were one of the easiest ways to mass-produce and listen to music. A vinyl gramophone or phonograph record is a disc made of polyvinyl chloride plastic. The disc is engraved on both sides with a single concentric spiral groove. In which a sapphire or diamond runs from the outside in till it hits the center. This is how music is played off vinyl.













The History of Vinyl

In 1930 RCA Victor (Radio Corp. of America) launched the first commercially available long-playing vinyl record. In 1939, Columbia Records continued to develop long-playing vinyl records. In 1948 the 12” 30cm, long-playing 33 ½ rpm microgroove record was introduced by Columbia Records. A commercial rivalry began between RCA Victor and Columbia Records, which lead to RCA Victor’s introduction to the 7” record and eventually the 12” record. After high quality reel to reel tapes were introduced in 1955 a public fascination of stereo sound. Companies tried to figure out a way to have stereo sound on vinyl. A system of cutting and playing back stereo was created and was introduced to the industry. The industry grew in the 1960s. In 1970 the invention of high quality quadraphonic (when sound is transmitted through 4 separate channels) tapes lead to high quality quadraphonic vinyl records in 1972.
The Decline of Vinyl

In 1977 344 million LP and EP records were sold but then as the music industry developed the sales dropped because people started to buy CDs or tapes instead of records. In 1993 only 300,000 records were sold but now vinyl is making a comeback, in 2012 4.7 million records were sold.

A chart of the recorded music revenue of 2011 dollars
Vinyl vs. CDs
When CDs first came out, people first still preferred records as a way to mass-produce and listen to music, however vinyl was more sensitive and delicate then CDs. People still liked the soft, warm sound of vinyl much better than CDs high and screechy sound. CD technology improved over the years. Some people still liked vinyl’s warm sound. For DJs, vinyl had another advantage over CDs, the direct manipulation of the medium. Records were easier to control than CDs. CDs have buttons play, pause, rewind, fast forward, etc. whereas, with records you can just put the needle wherever you want although now some CDs players have this feature.
The Rebirth of Vinyl

There are 2 reasons for the rebirth of vinyl. Number one: old albums are being reissued with sound upgrades on high quality vinyl. Number two: cool new bands are putting their music on vinyl. Some examples are The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, and Radiohead is putting some of their latest music on vinyl. The best selling vinyl album in 2011was Abbey Road by the Beatles, released in 1969. The best selling vinyl album in 2012 was Blunderbuss by Jack White, released in 2012.

The records sales from 1993-2012

That small moment on the couch, that 3 minute song. Changed what I thought about something I have known about since I was little: music. The song was Ho Hey By The Lumineers.

Work Citied


Ripken, Johannes. Johannes Ripken. 5/7/12. Article. 2/4/13.
Paul. Digital Music News. 10/4/13. Article. 2/4/13.
“About Vinyl Records.” Record Collectors Guild. 4. Record Collectors Guild.
Article. 2/4/13.