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E | THE GAZETTE | MONTREAL | SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2008 | SECTION EDITOR: MARK TREMBLAY | 514 987 2560 |
m t r e m b l a y @ t h e g a z e t t e . c a n w e s t . c o m
VINYL VICTORYIn these days of CDs and music downloads, LPs deserve a prize for sheer survival. And, in fact,
they’re not just surviving – there’s a modest resurgence of new recordings as well as reissues
Go into any big-box music chain, walk past the
rows of compact discs, DVDs and box sets, and
find the most remote corner of the store (try the
basement, if they have one). There you will find a
small but proud display of new releases on vinyl.
“Vinyl?” you think to yourself. “Who buys the
new Wilco album on vinyl?”
Are you sitting down? More than 14,000 people in
the United States alone shelled out ($29.98 U.S., in
fact) for the deluxe 180-gram pressing of their 2007
LP, Sky Blue Sky. Pretty impressive, but like the
cornerof thestoreitoccupies,successisrelative.
“Not to deflate your idea, but since the New
York Times feature, it’s astounding how many
phone calls and emails I’ve received from other
people on the ‘return’ of vinyl,” says Jonathan
Galkin over the phone from New York City. “I’m
like, ‘would everyone please calm down.’
Because guess what: it’s actually not that big a
deal.”
He's blunt, but Galkin is no misanthrope. The
article in question, published last August, cites
a recent spike in sales of vinyl LPs (full-length
albums) as proof-positive that the much-
maligned medium is on the comeback trail,
though its impact on the music industry at large
is negligible. (In Canada, new releases on vinyl
account for just one per cent of units sold annu-
ally.) Still, the trend is significant enough that
major distributors like Warner and EMI are
reissuing substantial portions of their back
catalogues on vinyl, much to the delight of bou-
tique buyers, audiophiles and hardcore fans
with gobs of disposable income to burn.
Please see VINYL, Page E3
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