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INT. MY HOUSE
(voiceover)
Over the years, the digital age has
evolved, letting us access large
amounts of information through the use
of technology. This meant many things
were affected, in both positive and
negative ways - one of those being
vinyl sales. And today, I'm going to
talk about vinyl culture within the
digital age.
We begin in 1877, when Thomas Edison
created the phonograph, or more
commonly known as the record player, a
device for the mechanical and
reproduction of sound. Fast forward to
1930, RCA Victor launched the first
commercially available long-playing
record, pressed onto a 12" disc. 9
years later, Columbia Records
continued to develop this technology,
and then in 1948 the 12" LP
microgroove record was introduced.
Vinyl records soon became a hit and
everyone was buying them, making
albums like Help!, The Doors, Led
Zeppelin II, plus many more, become
best sellers of the 60s. While this is
the case, the 60s also brought us the
cassette tape in 62, by the brand
Phillips, immediately giving vinyl
some stiff competition. Soon in '74,
development of the compact disc began
and was released in 1982.
Since both of these, compared to
records, are small and compact, and
are more portable and efficient, more
people were buying them. Around this
time, record sales became to decrease
year by year. This then continued into
the 2000s, due to the development of
streaming platforms on mobile like
Spotify and Apple Music. Then in 2007,
we finally saw an increase. Known as
the vinyl revival, vinyl sales
continued to rise in the charts, and
have done so ever since.
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In the modern age, vinyl records come
with mixed opinions. I went away and
asked several friends, all between the
ages of 17 and 19, if they collect
records. Those who do claimed that
either their parents got them into
collecting, they prefer physical
copies of albums, they find them
nostalgic, or they just like the sound
of the album playing on a record
rather than straight from your phone.
Meanwhile those who don't all had
similar answers, stating that they are
too expensive, they don't have the
room to store them, or simply because
it's easier to just stream an album
from your phone. Upon collecting the
results, I found that a lot more
people collect them than I expected.
I then created a survey to ask my
classmates the same question, and
received the opposite answer. Out of
ten people, seven said they don't
collect them as Spotify is easier to
use, they wouldn't know where to buy
records, and simply because it doesn't
interest them. Those who said they do
also said they prefer a physical copy.
I've found in todays age, it is simply
impossible to assume if people do or
do not collect records, due to a lot
of us growing up with the internet and
having access to streaming platforms
and social media at an early age,
therefore influencing us greatly.
While this is the case, in 2019, BPI's
study found that 4.3 million vinyl
records were sold in the UK last year,
which was a 4.1% increase compared to
the previous year. We witnessed brand
new releases such as Harry Styles'
Fine Line and Sam Fenders Hypersonic
Missiles top the charts, while old
releases like Stone Roses' self-titled
and Nirvana's Nevermind made their way
back into the top 40 vinyl albums of
the year.
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A good example of this is The Beatles.
In 1967 the band brought us Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely hearts Club Band,
which still remains one of the most
iconic albums ever made. When
released, the album went straight to
number one in the UK charts. When
reissued in 2017, after 50 years it
still managed to secure number one
once again. Two years later upon the
release of Abbey Road, it instantly
reached the number one spot in the UK
albums chart. Fast forward to 2019,
the album was reissued for its
anniversary and once again made its
way straight to number one.
I can see why a lot of people would
prefer to use streaming platforms as I
use them myself, since they're quick
and they let us keep musicians'
legacies alive. As well as this, they
let us discover new and upcoming
artists. If it wasn't for streaming
platforms, I wouldn't have discovered
one of my favourite bands - Buzzard
Buzzard Buzzard. I had the opportunity
to ask lead singer Tom Rees his view
on the digital age and how it has
affected him, working in the music
industry -
I asked 'do you personally collect
records and why?' to which he said 'I
have previously however I do less now
as my turntable has been broken for a
number of years, something I haven't
gotten round to fixing unfortunately!
In an ideal world, if money was no
object, I would own every record I
hold dear on vinyl, which is quite a
few!'
He later said how he thinks 'social
media throws in a lot of unnecessary
pressures into being a band, but
ultimately it is quite beneficial in
the ways that you can make contact
with fans. It makes it much easier to
create meaningful experiences, which
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is the primary goal for us as artists.
I just want the fans to feel connected
to us and have something meaningful to
take away from the music'.
Finally, I asked how the band would
promote their music if it wasn't for
social media to which he joked that
his dad would have a lot to say about
this as 'he used to try and get me to
post flyers and business cards through
people's doors when I was in my first
band, but I think it would be a lot
like the old days, just play great
shows! We put a lot of emphasis on
that anyway, but I think we'd pump
much more effort into that if social
media went bust'.
Personally, I am glad that records are
coming back and their sales are
increasing each year. The culture of
vinyl collecting has existed for many
years and I hope exists for many more.
I believe the feeling of walking into
a record store and finding that one
specific album you've been searching
for is a feeling which is unmatched,
and I think everyone needs to
experience it at least once in their
lifetime. Yes, vinyl collecting may
not be for everyone, but it may be for
you.
