LISTEN
Record Appeal The continuing resurgence of vinyl listening is creating a nice domino effect
Vince Barreras operates the press at Studio 4 Vinyl, which is creating albums for indie bands and major studios alike. Photo courtesy of Phil Nicolo
By Matt Morrissette
T
o music aficionados of a certain age, there’s no less likely story than the return and continued ascension of records as a viable music format. The tumultuous journey has been from compact discs unceremoniously usurping records and cassettes in the late 80’s and 90’s; to Napster and other illegal downloading services flatlining CD sales in the early 2000s with folks filling their iPods with endless pirated hits; to streaming audio on cell phones via the ubiquitous Spotify and similar applications over the last decade. However, unexpectedly and delightfully, the wonder wheel of physical music media has come full circle with vinyl steadily rising as a soulful alternative to streaming. Over the past few years (and during the pandemic especially), vinyl has exploded in popularity, with record sales up 94% in the first half of 2021 versus 2020, according to the Record Industry Association of America. “In my opinion, the continued increase in vinyl sales over the last year has a lot to do with younger first-time collectors making up more and more of the overall sales, and this is getting the attention of younger popular artists,” said Todd Brewer, owner of Rainbow Records. “These artists are getting more creative with how they are presenting their music in the vinyl format, and it has changed everything from Record Store Day lists to how vinyl records are released on Friday new release dates. ► JANUARY 2022
| OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM
41
