Return of vinyl?

Tony Glover’s article in The Business online.com tells us that LPs are outselling CDs at the Virgin Megastore. You heard me right.

Up to 70% of sales of new releases are vinyl. The fans of popular new rock bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Raconteurs prefer vinyl to CD,” said Campkin. “When the Raconteurs’ latest single was released, 80% of high-street sales were for seven-inch vinyl and only 20% were for CDs.”

We are not just talking about vinyl singles but also about albums – the format is just continuing to grow,” said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo.

I don’t completely get it. The article implies it’s one way dealing with the rampant digital copying, or is it nostalgia? When I give lectures, very often I use LPs to demonstate. The students get this glassy look in their eyes and I can tell it’s warm-and-fuzzy time. The pops sends them into ecstacy. One of my students gave a presentation and used an LP to play some out of print music. He had no idea how to hold the LP much less how to put in on the turntable. (I guess I have to add that to the curriculum.) I’m not about to get up and tell you that LPs are the way to go. I just have several thousand of them and they still work just fine. I didn’t see any need to replace them with CDs. Now it looks as though I have nice little investment. Go figure.