Hit Replay: Vinyls-Spinning Back from the Past

The digital revolution! The finest of revolutions, dominated by “1”‘s and “0”‘s, a revolution worth speaking of! The only revolution to bring upon pirates of the internet sort, movies of the streaming sort, countless mad vloggers, and best of all music to your fingertips with a click! But wait! What’s this? A rising wave of people are getting off their computers and heading to their local music stores to buy large circular objects reminiscent of CDs (Just head out to your local Conestoga Mall HMV and see!). That’s right folks, vinyl records have made a glorious return from the past. Analog fans, reminiscent audiophiles, vintage-sound lovers, and hipsters unite! Vinyl records are trending once again!
So what are vinyl records you ask? Commonly known as a “record” or a “vinyl”, the name comes from their material polyvinyl chloride. Although the process of how vinyl records are made have changed over time they still have the same basic structure. A vinyl record is a disc (often black in colour) containing a spiral grooved surface, often starting at the edge of the disc and ending at the center. Vinyls vary in diameter, most often found in 12’’ (LP or Long-Playing format), 10’’ (EP or Extended-Playing Format) or 7’’ (Single format), and are played at varying speeds often being either 331/3rpm or 45 rpm.
The earliest forms of vinyl records have existed since the late 19th century, existing alongside their cylindrical cousins the phonograph cylinders. By the turn of the century, vinyl records increased and popularity and ultimately dominated the entertainment market by the late 1920s, proving to be better in quality and reliability than phonograph cylinders as years went by. In the many years that followed, various versions of the vinyl record appeared. Vinyl records of various diameters, play speeds, materials and styles entered the consumer market appealing to a wide variety of audiences. Vinyl records varied tremendously, from vinyls that played from the inside out, coloured vinyls (often depicting its genre), varying – non circular shapes (for example a heart shaped version of the Beatle’s single “Love Me Do”), and even vinyl records filled with dyes and coloured fluids. For over 65 years vinyl records controlled the consumer market, and was the main form of music storage.
Even after the introduction of 8-tracks, cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes, vinyl records kept their edge in the market. It was in the late 80s shortly after the introduction of compact disks (commonly known as CDs) that the vinyl records suddenly dropped in popularity. In addition to being large in comparison to CDs, they also cost more to produce. By the mid-90s vinyl records have faded to obscurity and existed only in the world of collectors, DJs, and analog music enthusiasts.
But wait! Aren’t vinyl records back in the game? Yes they are! A few years ago vinyl records began to re-appear due to yet another sudden demand! Vinyl records are once again gaining popularity, especially among indie rock lovers and the like. Many artists nowadays are also opting to release new albums in vinyl format, along with the common CD and digital download (take for example AFI’s Burials which is available to pre-order on vinyl!). Vinyl records in recent years have definitely made a significant come back with sales nearly doubling in the last three years. Only time will tell if they will playback their glory days into the 21st century!