Feature
CULTURE
Return of the real From books and maps to vinyl records, non-digital formats are making a comeback. Does this mark the birth of the post-digital consumer? BY ARTHUR PIPER
T
he past is littered with defunct consumer technologies. Cassette tapes, Betamax videos, Sinclair XZ Spectrums and, almost, vinyl records. The demise of the 7” single came first with the advent of digital downloads in the late 1990s. The long-playing record quickly followed suit. In 2002, for example, record sales in the UK were still climbing – hitting 228 million albums that year. But by 2007, annual sales had crashed to a mere 240,000. It looked as though it was time to say goodbye to the popular music revolution that Colombia Records had pioneered with the invention of its long-playing disc back in the 1940s. Fast forward almost a decade and vinyl has made a remarkable comeback. Admittedly, sales are not what they were, according to the industry body BPI. It is predicting somewhere in the region of 3 million plus LP sales in 2016, up from just over 2 million a year ago. But prices are different too. In 2002, an LP cost just under £10 – a new low for an industry facing stiff completion from compact discs and digital piracy. Record companies cut back on the weight of vinyl and skimped on cover art and quality. Today, albums usually cost more – between £18-£30 – and even higher for limited edition releases. Many are pressed on hefty 180-gram vinyl and have thick covers and good
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Image credit: Arthur Piper
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