Hello once again! We are back with Hit Replay, featuring the sweetest comebacks in the world of trends. This term we bring you a whole list of curiosities that have re-graced living rooms, shelves, and kitchens alike. Let’s hit that replay button for all of yesterday’s wonders that are trending again today!
The digital revolution! The finest of revolutions, dominated by 1’s and 0’s, a revolution worth speaking of! The only revolution to bring rise to pirates of the internet sort, movies of the streaming sort, countless mad vloggers, and—best of all—music at your fingertips! But wait! What’s this? A rising wave of people are logging 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 making vinyl records has 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 centre. 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 either 33 rpm or 45 rpm.
The earliest forms of vinyl records have existed since the late 19th century, alongside their cylindrical cousins, the phonograph cylinders. By the turn of the century, vinyl records increased in popularity and ultimately dominated the entertainment market by the late 1920s, proving to be better in quality and reliability than phonograph cylinders. 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), those of varying non-circular shapes (such as a heart-shaped version of the Beatle’s single “Love Me Do”), and even some filled with dyes and coloured fluids. For over 65 years, vinyl records controlled the consumer market and were 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 record suddenly dropped in popularity as it was both larger and more expensive to produce. By the mid-90s, vinyl records had 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 reappear due to 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 (for example, take AFI’s Burials which is available to pre-order on vinyl!). Vinyls records in recent years have definitely made a significant comeback with sales nearly doubling in the last three years. Only time will tell if they will playback their glory days into the 21st century!
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