Vinyl Down Under

Music lovers in the groove as vinyl makes a comeback


As the market for CDs continues to shrink in the face of increasingly popular digital downloads, the humble LP is making a comeback.

ARIA music sales figures showed vinyl sales in 2008 jumped a massive 97 per cent to move 10,000 more records than the previous year, while CD album sales continued their downward trend to drop 11 per cent.

While sales of almost $400,000 give vinyl just 0.1 per cent of the $426 million Australian music market, vinyl aficionados are sure the upward trend will continue.

78 Records manager Andrew de Lang said his music store had experienced a “couple of hundred per cent increase” in vinyl sales over the past few years as records moved out of the dusty cupboard where they were relegated in the 1990s and back into the mainstream.

He said the popularity of records was being driven by bands such as U2 and Coldplay releasing LPs with free digital download codes alongside CDs and major music labels re-releasing classic albums on vinyl.

“This whole retro thing is coming around again and it’s fantastic,” Mr de Lang said. “I can only see the trend for this going upwards, given how major music companies have embraced this format and records are a hip thing to have, especially for those kids who never had them but their parents did.

“CDs are now considered old technology; they are great for portability and we have all loved them over the years but there has always been something important about the vinyl record.

“There’s something you can’t get from a CD, it’s the artwork, the lyrics sheet, the warmth of sound played through a good set of speakers.

“If it keeps people buying music for music’s sake rather than illegal downloading, then that’s fantastic.

Mr de Lang said modern turntables were also integrated with mp3 players.

LINDSAY McPHEE

Source: http://www.thewest.com.au