The Return of Vinyl

Everything old is new again.

The latest thing to come full circle is vinyl. There was a whole art to records back in the day that was downplayed with the move to CDs and then to digital.

The music was always important, of course. But, with the introduction of CDs and digital, the sound of that distinctive scratchiness seemed so passé. Hence the number of turntables and records that ended up in garbage bins and thrift stores across the world. That pure (almost clinical) sound of CDs and digital seemed so much better than the best sound that a vinyl record could give us.

Ok, it’s hard to argue against the need for pure sound. Although along with a return to vinyl and turntables, there’s also a renewed interest in that rough vinyl characteristic. Also, by “art”, I really mean the visual art of the album cover. Musicians wanted their album cover to be a piece of art in, and of, itself. They dedicated time to the artwork making sure that it reflected the tone and message of the music.

It’s not that the art was lost with the advent of CDs and digital. It’s that it took a backseat to the sound.

I think the fact that album artwork was downplayed wasn’t because CD cases were smaller. It was because the corporate part of the music industry didn’t understand what goes into creating art in a particular space. The fans understood it, though.

Someone who’s skilled in creating mural art is not necessarily skilled in creating miniature art. And you can’t always just shrink a mural and still keep the elements that make it awesome.

Now, we have easy access to vinyl and digital records. We can get the music we want in whatever form we want it. The art needs to come back, too. Producers need to either commission art that works on a larger album cover and a small digital screen. Or, they need to create different art for each platform. That would be cool from a collector’s point of view, don’t you think?

What do you like or dislike about vinyl?

Check out Fox 7’s take on vinyl here.