Vinyl Outsells CDs for the First Time Since 1987

NeoSneth

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2000
Posts
11,084
Why do I feel like I've read this same headline every year since 2009?

Because your memory is correct :

2021
2020
2019
 

roker

DOOM
20 Year Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2003
Posts
18,871
I like vinyl and CDs but I started to curb my spending on vinyl because it takes up so much space and it's not as easy to play as CD. Vinyl is more fun to play though. It's good for people that like to tinker with shit.

I usually just look at the price of the vinyl and if it's like 20-25 I'll buy it but if it's 30-35 I'll only get it if it's something I really really want, but anything above that, I'll just get the CD. Shit is stupid expensive.
 

fake

King of Spammers
15 Year Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2008
Posts
10,976
I like vinyl and CDs but I started to curb my spending on vinyl because it takes up so much space and it's not as easy to play as CD. Vinyl is more fun to play though. It's good for people that like to tinker with shit.

I usually just look at the price of the vinyl and if it's like 20-25 I'll buy it but if it's 30-35 I'll only get it if it's something I really really want, but anything above that, I'll just get the CD. Shit is stupid expensive.
I go by genre mainly. Citypop and older prog I'll get on vinyl. Everything else, CD. Unless there's a cool special edition. The problem is that a lot of stuff I like is being released only on vinyl and streaming now.
 

terry.330

Time? Astonishing!
20 Year Member
Joined
May 4, 2004
Posts
11,792
I usually just look at the price of the vinyl and if it's like 20-25 I'll buy it but if it's 30-35 I'll only get it if it's something I really really want, but anything above that, I'll just get the CD. Shit is stupid expensive.
CDs are also super cheap if you buy them directly from the artists. Like $5. I don't really buy CDs at all anymore though. Maybe 5 or 6 in the last decade.

The cost of vinyl also went up recently by $5-10 per album. I'm with you, anything over $30 and it has to be something I really like. No impulse buys unless it's used and super cheap. Also no gimmicky limited color variants, picture discs or boxsets that have an album spread across 4 LPs. Or even worse the 45 boxsets that have 1 track on each side. That shit is silly.
 

kernow

The Goob Hunter
20 Year Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2001
Posts
34,808
I rarely buy new vinyl and when I do it's never more than £25 or so
 

Ralfakick

J. Max's Chauffeur,
20 Year Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Posts
3,733
I go by genre mainly. Citypop and older prog I'll get on vinyl. Everything else, CD. Unless there's a cool special edition. The problem is that a lot of stuff I like is being released only on vinyl and streaming now.
That is a problem I had, there was an album I wanted to get last year and just like you said no cd vinyl only. I think it took four albums/EPs by the artist until they released an album on CD before that vinyl/ streaming only.
 

roker

DOOM
20 Year Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2003
Posts
18,871
Citypop and older prog I'll get on vinyl.

Almost every city pop album I want is expensive. I did get the repress for the Plastic Love single though. Other than that Anri and Tatsuro Yamashita albums weren't worth the money and not for nothing, but Anri's Timely! CD is something really special. Almost like a mini-vinyl but on CD with the packaging.
 

NeoSneth

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2000
Posts
11,084
CDs might hit a point of nostalgia as THE last physical media.
 

stormy

B. Jenet's Firstmate
10 Year Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Posts
414
Both CDs and Vinyl are relics and irrelevant, kinda like old video games. :lolz:
 

Lagduf

2>X
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2002
Posts
46,682
Didn’t tapes have a comeback recently?

Tape is en vogue with hipsters atm, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a "comeback."

There are literally no quality tape decks currently being manufactured and they all use the same cheap ass Chinese/mass produced tape mechanism.

Tape, etc I think is part of the current retro craze with technology in general.
CDs might hit a point of nostalgia as THE last physical media.

I can see this, as with music we're witnessing something interesting. I think music as a physical format is dying (or on life support) and even people personally amassing large collections of digital music is dead.

I think the death of the iPod is pretty telling. Fuck apple, etc but those (and other MP3 players) were great devices. We could do the same with our phones, but...do people do that? They can stream pretty much anything they want.

It's wild
 

joe8

margarine sandwich
15 Year Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Posts
3,724
Didn’t tapes have a comeback recently?

There is reel to reel tape (for audiophiles), but that's expensive.

That is a problem I had, there was an album I wanted to get last year and just like you said no cd vinyl only. I think it took four albums/EPs by the artist until they released an album on CD before that vinyl/ streaming only.

CDs are superseded by streaming/ 24-bit digital audio, but vinyl isn't.
But there would still be some recordings you can only get on CD, or on vinyl.
 

Lagduf

2>X
20 Year Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2002
Posts
46,682
There is reel to reel tape (for audiophiles), but that's expensive.



CDs are superseded by streaming/ 24-bit digital audio, but vinyl isn't.
But there would still be some recordings you can only get on CD, or on vinyl.

I do know reel to reel tape is still being manufactured. I'm a hipster douche and have a reel to reel tape player...for reasons. I also have a decent three head cassette deck as well that I use for tape echo.

A lot of using tape and "analog" (though people often confused "hardware" to mean "analog" when [pun intended] they're not analogous) are doing so because they want to explore those old techniques (tape loops, sound on sound, musique concrete, and as "lo-fi" color) and I think as a reaction to digital/daw everything. Unfortunately for them the time to get in to tape was probably 10-15 years ago when everyone dumped their four tracks, etc. There are kids today who have probably owned very little physical media in their lifetimes.

That said there are musicians actually releasing works on cassette, however, I am pretty sure they're all sourcing and using new old stock cassettes. I could be wrong, but I do not believe anyone is currently producing compact cassette tapes.

It's the same for guys releasing games on 5-1/4" floppy disks - they're sourcing new old stock for their releases. It's actually easier in some regards to manufacture a cartridge game these days because most cartridges utilize a standard edge connector and the PCB can be made in any fab house.

I don't think anyone is manufacturing 5-1/4 or 3-1/2 floppy disks these days.
 
Last edited:

roker

DOOM
20 Year Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2003
Posts
18,871
I could be wrong, but I do not believe anyone is currently producing compact cassette tapes.

You’re wrong. Sorry.

Here is one of the companies that still makes it: https://www.nationalaudiocompany.com/

What has been discontinued are metal tapes. I believe they were type three or four I can’t remember offhand. Also, no new tapes use Dolby noise reduction anymore because no one wants to pay Dolby for that.
 

SouthtownKid

There are four lights
20 Year Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2003
Posts
26,898
Did we even have CDs in 1987? In any case, the headline is misleading because it tries to make it sound like it's about great vinyl sales, when really this is about how the mainstream has ditched CDs for digital download.
 
Top