The Resurgence of Vinyl

Even with the breeze floating through the open front door, the warm, sticky air hangs heavy over the line of people that winds around the room. Filled with people both young and old, the line slowly creeps its way around the tiny store, each person anticipating their escape from the claustrophobic mayhem inside.

But, they patiently wait with smiles on their faces because cradled in their arms are stacks of careworn vinyl LPs. These dedicated crate diggers are out in full force at their local independent record store, celebrating the day's events in Bloomington, Ind. at Landlocked Music. This is Record Store Day, and this is serious business.

Observed for the second year in a row by over 820 independent record stores across the nation, Record Store Day, falling this year on April 18, seeks to celebrate the physical music format and the anti-corporate spirit that these shops share with in-store performances and exclusive sales.

Mere days after the mayhem, a noticeably calmer atmosphere envelops Landlocked as some French electro music wafts through the speakers and shop co-owner Jason Nickey tends to his store as random customers filter in and out of its doors. Surrounded by shelves that display genre-spanning vinyl by the likes of Funkadelic, Radiohead and Talking Heads, Nickey said he was flattered that a crowd twice as large as last year's would wait in a 45 minute-long line just to pay him for records. However, he echoed the sentiments of the day's celebration that encourages music lovers to indulge in the physical music that record stores sell rather than simply pushing a "Download" button on a computer.

"Things that don't really exist in the physical world, it's hard to really relate to them and fall in love with them," said Nickey. "I can't really imagine falling in love with a piece of music the same way I have with records. I think certain kinds of people want that, and I don't think it's a bad thing. I believe in that, it's why I started the store."

Indiana University student Brett Van Keppel was one of those record seekers in the crowd that day, and he was just as astounded by the turnout at the tiny local store. While he was happy to stumble upon a personal favorite that day-a vinyl reissue of "Walk Among Us," the first album by classic horror punk band The Misfits-the avid vinyl collector said it was just as great to see so many people supporting independent record stores.

"It was so crowded that it was hard to move around-but in a good way, " said Van Keppel, "because everyone was buying records and enjoying themselves."

However, the intensity of the crowd in Bloomington and at record stores across the nation on that day suggests a more interesting trend. As vinyl has long since been phased out by most major record store retailers, independent record shops are the last outlets championing the vintage format.

Rashes of reports have surfaced in the past two years ago that show vinyl records sales have been increasing-an unexpected occurrence in a world gone digital. In 2007, approximately 990,000 pieces of vinyl were sold, which was a 15.4 percent increase from 2006 when sales topped off at 858,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In 2008, vinyl sales topped 1.88 million units, which is the most that Nielsen SoundScan has reported since 1991.

But, as those two years have passed, other formats have taken a turn in numbers. In 2000, manufacturers shipped 942.5 million CDs, but CD shipment dropped 17.5 percent alone between 2006 and 2007 to 619.7 million units, according to the Recording Industry Association of America- the same time when vinyl sales were going up.

In the age of MP3s, it seems a curious case that analog music would see a surge in popularity. What is it that continues to allure listeners to the format of bygone eras?

The Sound of the Spin

Many are unaware of the true difference between analog and digital music, but as Tom Dean, a radio promoter at Tinderbox Music, explained in an e-mail interview, digital music often comes up short.

"When you hear the final mix of a song you are left with one, integrated sound wave-one sound wave with every instrument combined in the mix. This is what you would hear on a vinyl record. When you take an analog sound wave (vinyl) and compress it into a digital format (MP3), you have to make the sound wave smaller, and this is done by removing parts of the sound wave. These parts are typically softer and, to the average listener, unnoticeable. But a lot of audiophiles can notice and claim that MP3s don't sound as ‘warm' as records," said Dean.

While neither can be championed as the superior format, vinyl fans claim an inexplicable attachment to the pop-and-crackle sound over that of CDs or MP3s. Zach Christy, a recent film school graduate from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and longtime record collector, prefers the more personal sound quality of LPs.

"There is a sense of naturalness that exists in the fact that a record is never converted into a digital signal," said Christy, "but rather retains its sound quality. An MP3, which most music is available in today, is so compressed that the essence of the song is often times forgotten with the compression."

Payola-Money Talks

Finding a good, cheap record is every collector's ultimate goal, but in most cases, vinyl lovers should expect to shell out their hard-earned cash on quality albums. While newer or widely distributed pressings can be comparable to CDs in price, others have become veritable collectors' items, often costing buyers anywhere from $30 to over $100 for rare pieces.

However, record companies like indie behemoth Sub Pop Records have taken notice of the surge in vinyl sales in hope of continuing interest in the format. Trying to offset the price and encourage more purchases, Sub Pop promised customers in January 2007 that every future LP release would include a digital download coupon. Record buyers would not only acquire their beloved vinyl, but they would now have access to free digital MP3s, as well, giving them more bang for their LP-loving buck.

In a Sentimental Mood

Jessica Lerner, a nanny from Chicago who only recently started collecting vinyl, already shares the sentiments that many long-time collectors cite as the driving force behind their dedication to the format and the biggest reason they have continued buying LPs despite decades of technological advances in music.

"To me, vinyl is intimate, " said Lerner in an e-mail interview. "You have to work the record. You have to place the needle, you have to flip it to side B. It's way more fun being interactive with your music than just pressing a button and letting a CD play."

Anne Lillis, touring drummer for musician Jessica Lea Mayfield, loves the feeling she gets when purchasing any new record despite growing up in an era of cassette tapes and CDs.

"There's an allure to vinyl because it's a medium of listening to music that belongs to a distinctly different era, " said Lillis, "-one I wasn't alive for, but one that I like to romanticize a little bit. Vinyl records are works of art, and that is something that a lot of consumers still appreciate."

Although digital music has made its stake in the music industry, perhaps it is that intense connection that has kept people walking through the doors of their local record stores decade after decade, scouring crates and shelves for those special, hidden gems. As record promoter Dean put it, "You can listen to your iPod all day-it's convenient. Listening to a record is a special event."