Let us address the elephant in the room! Vinyl is cool and it’s coming back into the mainstream! According to Vinylbro, in 2019, about 25.6% of all physical album sales were vinyl whilst all other album forms are decreasing in market share. Here at Brossac Braderie, we want to give you an idea of what was and what is when it comes to vinyls.
Start the Record, Berliner!
A German-American inventor in 1887 by the name of Emile Berliner invented the first type of vinyl, the 78s (Named because they spin at 78 revolutions per minute). Made out of wax, they could only store two minutes of music and were costly to produce. Later, they changed the material to shellac, which could store up to 3-5 minutes per side. In the second world war, they started shifting from shellac to polyvinyl chloride, hence the name “vinyl”.
In 1930, RCA Victor released the standard, modern vinyl, playing at 33 1/3 rpm and having a larger diameter of 12 inches. This meant more storage for more music to be played. Columbia responded in 1939 by releasing a “long play” or LP microgroove variation of the grammophone. RCA responded with the creation of the 45 rpm at 7 inches, dubbed the “extended play” or EP.
Now we know how the modern vinyl came to be. The burning question still remains; Why are they coming back when modern streaming services are so much more efficient?
How vinyls are still standing
In today’s world, for a small fee per month, you can listen to millions of songs in the world on your phone, which already has so many functions. So why bother with something that is heavy, fragile that contains only a few songs?
- Sound – The quality of sound on a vinyl is superior to their digital versions, reason being that the music is less compressed, allowing a purer sound to come through! Also, some consider the vinyl imperfections to be aesthetically pleasing, compared to the flawless digital listening experience.
- Collectability – People want to own that piece of music and keep it as part of their collection. Some can keep it and wait for its value to increase in the future. Also, buying vinyl has things that digital cannot have, such as physical artwork, tangibility and sometimes certain special items.
- Nostalgia – The vinyls dominated the clubs and the houses in the 70s, making vinyls a bridge to the good ol’ times. Retro is becoming more and more popular, making the comeback that much stronger!
To get into vinyls, you need two things; the vinyl itself and the record player. Fortuntaely, we have a vast array of vinyls that are available here. The record we have for sale is a Linn Sondek LP 12, made in Scotland and regarded as one of the highest qualities on the market. Perfect for listening to your 12″ LP records that you know and love!