W
I
LLA
SB
ECA
ME A
P L AY E R
IN THE RESURGEN
By David Muscari
t may be difficult for some to remember 33.3 rpm LP (long playing) record albums, but for generations of kids, this is how they listened to the latest music by Glenn Miller, Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and more. Vinyl records were iconic, like rotary telephones, rabbit ears on TV sets, and homemade skateboards. In the 1970s, Dallas record stores such as Sound Warehouse, the Melody Shop at NorthPark Center, Peaches, and Sound Town added eight-track and cassette tapes before moving into compact discs during the 1980s. None of these stores survives today, particularly after digital downloads became the norm for purchasing music — now accounting for some 85 percent of
18
RD
S
HO
DA
D A L L A S H OT E L M A G A Z I N E
C
VI E OF
NYL
O REC
music sales. This technological evolution is dizzying, and, according to recent sales figures, it’s whipsawing. In 2020, for the first time since the 1980s, vinyl album sales generated more revenue than CDs, according to the Recording Industry of America (RIAA). Last year, Billboard reported that one of every three non-digital albums sold in the U.S. was vinyl. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was the format’s top selling artist, accounting for 2.6 percent of total sales in 2021; other vinyl leaders range from the Beatles and Queen to Harry Styles and Billie Eilish. While vinyl never completely disappeared, its growing popularity can partly be attributed to Generation Z, which is just as likely to purchase LPs as nostalgic Baby Boomers and Generation X. These “digital nomads,” as Los Angeles writer Stephen Jabaut describes them, have “long praised the simplicity of 90s culture…They love thrift stores and
remnants of the not-yet-forgotten analog world. And that includes vinyl records.” Audiophiles argue that vinyl’s sound quality is far superior to digital counterparts. Plus, fans feel that records are tactile, valuable collectibles, and just plain cool.
Enter Hand Drawn Records. The Addison-based recording company was founded in 2011 by the trio of Alex Cushing, Dustin Blocker, and John Snodgrass, who focused on local and regional acts. Cushing was a global brand manager with Fossil Inc., while Snodgrass worked in energy and recruiting. Blocker is the only one of the three who had previously worked in music — he sang in a band called Exit 380 for over a decade. They did well, and in 2017 the company expanded from recording into actually
