Will vinyl records revive? : Back to the analogue from digital

After Nabeel's lecture on Wednesday, I've researched about vinyl record and its availability. Surprisingly, and unexpectedly hundrends of results came up on the screen, and I became to realise that there are so many vinyl record shops online, in this period of 'digital media'. Personally, when I hear the words like 'LP' or 'vinyl record', the first thing that comes up on my mind is dusty, clumsy figure of records that are all piled up in one corner of our garage which seems like waiting to be thrown away. The thing is I've never experienced vinyl records what the audiophiles call the 'art of sound', so they actually mean nothing to me. But for my parents, they're more than just records. My parents never throw them away even though they don't listen to them anymore.

Now the mp3s are everywhere, not to mention the CDs, and some people even say that the CDs would disappear in the next few years. It is quite doubtful that the vinyl records are ever going to be reappear in the contemporary music market in this world of low-cost portable CD players and iPod. It is hard to believe, but nowadays teenagers are interested in the purchasing vinyl records, especially in England. Five years ago the sales volume of the records were only about 180,000 but now it is gone up to more than a million.

So what makes it attractive to the teens to actually purchase it out of their little money? Well, the most apparent reason seems to be the quality of the sound, the true sound of music that it brings. Some are drawn in by its actual handling of the music & the special atmosphere that it creates while playing it on the phonograph.

The question is, until when will this trend continue? Well, no one can gurantee, only the time will tell. But some people argue that people will prefer whichever they find to be the most convenient. If they are not festishizing the singer/band or their music, they will choose to listen mp3s even if they actually feel the lower quality of the music. But because of its special and prehistoric characteristics there will always be vinyl proponents & the records would never go out of style.