For the record, vinyl is alive and kicking
In the age of the iPod, the LP is getting another spin
Wednesday, September 26, 2007BY BRADLEY BAMBARGER
Star-Ledger Staff
Vinyl is dead. Long live vinyl, sort of.
The vinyl LP was mostly considered an obsolete format for music after the advent of the CD in the late ’80s. But in recent years — as the CD feels its own age in the era of downloading — vinyl has made a small comeback. Vinyl can be a promotional curio. But a full LP can be a deluxe nostalgia item for artists who originated in the turntable era — such as Bruce Springsteen, whose new “Magic” album was released yesterday on vinyl, a week earlier than its CD counterpart.
Springsteen might have released the limited-edition vinyl “Magic” a week earlier just to make the Sept. 30 cut-off for inclusion in next year’s Grammy Awards. Regardless, a handful of “Magic” LPs sold out at Vintage Vinyl in Fords yesterday, one of the few stores in New Jersey to have them. The store expects more in today.
Among independent-minded rock bands and their fans, though, the vinyl LP isn’t considered a promo sideline; it’s a hip alternative to CDs and downloading. The White Stripes, the Arcade Fire and older pioneers Pearl Jam regularly issue vinyl versions of their albums.
The 11-track “Magic” LP goes for $13.99 at Vintage Vinyl, comparable to the CD price. But with a CD featuring an 80-minute capacity versus an LP’s 45 minutes or so, vinyl releases are often double albums. Since only a few copies are usually pressed of a vinyl LP, they can be more expensive than a CD.
“I have customers who usually only buy vinyl, but who will buy a CD if the vinyl is double the price,” says Patrick Jarkowsky, manager of Tunes in Hoboken, adding that his shop marked down Springsteen’s 2006 “Seeger Sessions” LP set to $16.99 because it wasn’t selling at $21.99, even though it included a DVD.
Vinyl can be hard to find — Tunes didn’t have any copies of the “Magic” LP from its distributor yesterday, although it should have some in next week. But the shop never orders too many copies of LPs, because they can’t return unsold vinyl.
The Coxsackie, N.Y.-based specialty reissue company Sundazed licenses albums by the likes of Bob Dylan, the Stooges and Sly Stone from major labels for release on “high definition” vinyl. The market for these LPs has grown beyond the analog-audiophile segment over the years, says Sundazed’s Tim Livingston, although he describes mastering and manufacturing vinyl as increasingly “a lost art.”
An LP’s appeal, though, goes beyond the music itself, whether it’s the new Springsteen album or a long-lost Moby Grape disc. The taking of an LP out of its jacket and placing it on a turntable — and turning the disc over from one side to another — is what Livingston calls a visual and tactile “interactive” experience, as well as a nostalgic one that a longtime Springsteen fan can relish.
Surprisingly, though, the audience for new vinyl at Tunes is mostly from the younger generation — including buyers who weren’t even around for the turntable’s heyday.
“Buying vinyl can be a hipster thing for a certain kind of young person,” Jarkowsky says. “But a lot of younger customers are just really into music and get turned off by the little booklet you get with a CD, the artwork that barely makes an impression. They don’t feel like they’re really getting something for their money. We sell frames for people to put their LPs on the wall. That tells you something.”
Bradley Bambarger may be reached at bbambarger@starledger.com.