New generation discovers satisfaction of dropping needle on the record
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The votes are in, and the top New Year’s resolutions for 2014 are to lose weight, exercise more and put the needle on the record. Again.
I’m making up that last resolution, but, all kidding aside, some music fans in 2013 evidently made such a commitment – and kept it.
Billboard Magazine reports that last year, sales of vinyl jumped from 4.5 million to 6 million units – the only form of recorded music gaining ground. Digital track sales fell from 1.34 billion to 1.26 billion units, and the compact disc continued its decline, dropping from 193 million to 165 million units.
Overall, vinyl now owns 2 percent of album sales – its largest market share since the early 1990s.
The overriding story, of course, is that for the first time since iTunes was launched – and transformed America from an album-oriented to singles-oriented society – digital sales have dipped. There are a multitude of reasons for the slide, ranging from a paucity of good product to the booming popularity of subscription radio services. (I would suggest music fans look at what happened to the cost of watching television when the cable bandwagon began rolling, but I would be digressing from the topic.)
Those music statistics bring to mind a recent Facebook photo passed on by the Observer-Reporter’s Brad Hundt. On the left is an iPod. On the right is a bookshelf sagging under the weight of hundreds of albums. Its caption read: “This is not a music collection (iPod) … This is a music collection (albums).
Technically, I suppose, both are music collections, but only the vinyl version brings with it the deep satisfaction of ownership, the insights provided by liner notes and the joyful noise that permeates a room (or record store) upon discovering a long-sought relic.
Gathering songs from a website is simple, cheap and impersonal. Collecting vinyl is difficult, expensive and extremely rewarding. Downloading the entire Rolling Stones collection takes a few minutes; locating all of the boys’ original vinyl and picture sleeve releases may take a lifetime. Only one brings true satisfaction.
Many say vinyl has a warmer texture than digital. Some insist that digital versions are altered from the originals. Others claim vinyl has its own distinct scent (even if it’s that of someone else’s basement). The rationale is irrelevant. A new generation is discovering that not everything needs to be portable or contained in a two-inch device to be enjoyed.
There remains much to be said for dropping the needle on the record and subsequently sharing with others your very personal taste in music.
By the way, if a parent somewhere screams, “Turn that music down,” you’re probably on to something.
Last week’s death of Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers brought with it a nearly 700 percent increase in the duo’s catalog sales. More than 5,000 albums and 18,000 singles were sold during the past seven days, no doubt partially due to many obituaries emphasizing the Everlys’ influence on the Beatles, Bob Dylan and especially Simon & Garfunkel.
Somewhat overlooked last week was the death of another pop singer: Jay Traynor, the original lead singer of Jay & the Americans. Traynor sang lead on the group’s first hit, “She Cried,” then left the group for reasons that remain murky, depending on which source you read. Most recently, he was a member of the Tokens (“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”).
With just two fall series – “Sleepy Hollow” and “The Blacklist” – renewed for a second season, the networks are counting on a healthy portion of its second wave of series to catch hold. While midseason entries have indeed been increasingly successful over the years, the results have been decidedly mixed thus far in 2014.
As absurdly promoted last week, CBS’s new “Intelligence” is the most-watched new series of the season. That’s true, but it’s also extremely misleading. “Intelligence” has had all of one airing, and it premiered Tuesday with television’s highest-rated series, “NCIS,” as a lead-in. Intelligence tells you that a more realistic reading of the show’s popularity will come tonight when it settles into its permanent 10 p.m. Monday slot.
For those who missed it, “Intelligence” is a variation on the “Six-Million Dollar Man.” It is smartly written but hardly ventures into unknown television territory. In other words, it’s a comfortable fit for the CBS stable of dramas.
Of the other dramas unveiled thus far, ABC”s “The Assets” was D.O.A., and its other new series, “Killer Women,” did just marginally better. NBC’s “Chicago PD,” however, posted decent numbers. If those ratings are true – and not fans of “Chicago Fire” just checking out the spin-off – “PD” could provide a much-needed hit for the network.