The Beautiful Secrets Behind Vinyl: Vinyl records are overtaking the world once again. Their popularity begins to rise from the ashes due to increased interest in retro style. Many people believe that vinyl does, in fact, sound better than any other sound medium. At this point, you may disagree, but if you give it a chance, you might be surprised. People usually fall in love with it on a first listening. Today we are here to offer you some insight on the history of vinyl, how does it work and what to do if you start getting addicted to its sound…
Grammy-winning folk singer Gillian Welch sets the record straight on why analog is far superior to digital: “[Digital] never offered me anything,” Welch says. “People tout its convenience and its affordability. But I never wanted to hear something from an artist that they did in the most convenient or affordable way.” She compares manufacturing vinyl records to a painter choosing their materials. “Do I want to hear that a painter is using the most affordable paints?” Welch asks. “Or that it was more convenient? No. I want to know it was the best medium for the job.”
How Vinyl is Making a Comeback: What may be more surprising is the fact that almost half of those buying vinyl records are under the age of 25, and it’s not uncommon to see modern artists releasing vinyl versions of their newest albums – and selling well. Among the 40 best-selling vinyl albums so far in 2017 are Ed Sheeran’s “Divide,” the XX’s “I See You,” the Gorillaz’s “Humanz,” and the Arctic Monkey’s “AM.” Couple this with the nostalgia and huge fan base of bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, and you find a diverse group of vinyl listeners.
The return of vinyl? The death of vinyl to me has always been overrated since Montreal has always offered vinyl for sale as well as record players. Vinyl music kind of became an old punk rocker, he won’t die but now stands in the back. Every move I ever did until I bought a house I usually owned a bed, some clothes, bicycle, computer and my six boxes of records. For many years I did not even have a player but the thought of getting rid of my collection was out of the question. I am glad my patience paid off because after securing a decent player that goes to 11, it has been amazing to relive some old memories and learn what kind of music is timeless and what kind was right for that time in your life.
Album sales in the U.S. have now topped $3 billion: Who’s buying all the vinyl? It’s not just aging hippies nostalgic for the days when they rolled joints on the back of album covers. Somewhat surprisingly, the millennials, people who weren’t born until vinyl was considered passé, are leading the way. They aren’t buying them as an investment in their future. They aren’t betting that their record collections are going to be worth more in 30 years. They are buying them to play them on turntables, not to frame and hang on their walls.
Art Therapist Paints Mandalas On Vinyl Records: Sara Roizen paints impermanence on vinyl registers. The master of art therapy graduate applies “acrylic paint, stencils, gels, paint pens, ink, colored pencil, and more” to make colorful mandalas on these dated discs. “My approach as an artist has always centered around the process rather than the finished product, ” Roizen writes online. “I work spontaneously and intuitively in the studio in a kind of dialogue among myself and the materials. This process is a constant self-exploration, often disclosing sentiments of which I was previously unaware.”
