FEATURE:
Turntable Dreams
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Terrific Albums Not Available on Vinyl
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IT is around this time of the year…
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that we get reports regarding music sales and how streaming is doing compared to vinyl and C.D. sales. I am a big fan of vinyl myself, but there is that debate as to whether people are buying vinyl because they want to listen to the album, or they have to have it to be seen as cool and a ‘proper’ music fan. For the last few years, vinyl sales have been healthy, and it is pleasing to see so many people getting to record shops and picking up fantastic albums on their finest format. Every year, too, we get articles that turn their noses up at the vinyl revolution. Back in 2017, there was a lot of excitement regarding a boom in vinyl sales and how people were buying records, despite the fact we could stream all we like. This NME article had its doubts regarding the validity of the boom in vinyl sales:
“At first the recent boost in sales of brand new vinyl seems to be a glorious thing, with people embracing an old-school format as a stand against the constant digitisation of our consumption of music. But when you look at the 2016 data in detail, a weird pattern starts to emerge. David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ and Radiohead’s ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ aside, the albums that populate the Top 10 are old, from The Stone Roses’ 1989 debut to Nirvana’s 1991 breakthrough ‘Nevermind’, Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 smash ‘Rumours’, Amy Winehouse’s 2006 ‘Back To Black’ and Bob Marley’s posthumous 1984 best-of, ‘Legend’. They’re all records that were – and remain – bestsellers; none of them have shifted fewer than four million copies, with most selling a hell of a lot more. Which brings us to the question: why are people buying albums that they most likely already have, be it on CD or through a download?
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Is vinyl simply just the latest poser accessory, after beards, fixed wheel bicycles and literally anything with the word ‘craft’ in it? It’s not an entirely out-there assumption, especially considering the current popularity of vinyl frames, made for the express purpose of locking up your records and placing them on the wall, which makes them pretty difficult – even impossible – to then play. The stats seem to back the theory up; last year the BBC published a survey that stated half the people who purchase vinyl have no intention of ever playing it, while seven per cent of vinyl buyers don’t even own a record player. It’s a bit like buying a bunch of flash new workout gear when you know full well that you’re going to spend the next few months on the sofa eating Deliveroo and watching back-to-back episodes of The OA.
The fact that all vinyl now comes with a ‘download code’ seems to suggest that even record labels know that their releases are unlikely to get much love on the turntable. Add to this a new wave of unreliable record players that don’t cost much more than the actual vinyl, on which records sound, well, a bit s**t, and you’ve hardly got the makings of a real vinyl revolution. Here’s to things changing in 2017 though – and to people actually playing the records that they buy”.
Since 2017, there has been a real spike in vinyl figures, and it doesn’t look like we will see a drop anytime soon! Of course, streaming is doing wonderfully; it is the format most of us rely on but, today, there are loads of people who need to hear albums on vinyl. Vinyl compared to streaming, is cumbersome and actually quite expensive. One of the joys of streaming is how much music you can get for very little money.
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On the other hand, a single album on vinyl usually starts at over £10, and one can pay double that for many albums. For those who cannot afford to buy all their favourite albums on vinyl, streaming is a preferred choice. Many people have called for the price of vinyl to come down. I think it is something that needs to be considered to ensure sales stay healthy and we do not lose our love of records. This BBC article shows that, alongside streaming’s rise, vinyl sales are doing rather well:
“The industry is now dominated by streaming - with fans cueing up 114 billion songs last year, a new record.
Vinyl sales also rose again. Liam Gallagher's Why Me? Why Not was the most popular LP, selling 29,000 copies.
By contrast, vinyl sales rose by 4.1%, with the format now accounting for one in every eight albums bought in the UK.
Big-sellers included Billie Eilish's debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and perennial classics like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Queen's Greatest Hits”.
Not only are new albums selling pretty well, but there is that love of the classics. I feel like the vinyl market is not reserved strictly to diehards and the slightly older listeners. More and more younger listeners are buying vinyl, and there is a growing passion for the sort of sound quality you can only get on vinyl. Yes, some are buying vinyl as it is collectible and artistic, but many more appreciate the substance and feel of a record – much more tactile and fascinating than simply streaming an album.
More and more people I speak to are buying vinyl alongside streaming. They can stream any album they like and, when it comes to an album they really love and want to treasure, they go out and buy it on vinyl. The experience of going to a record shop and finding that album you want and seeing it in all its glory is amazing. One might also find an album whilst shopping they didn’t intend to get but couldn’t resist. There is nothing wrong with using online services to deliver vinyl because, as one can appreciate, there is not always a record shop and, even if there is, there might not be the album in you need. The downside of retail is the competitive lack of choice compared to online so, now and then, we do need to rely on the Internet. I was musing on Twitter a few days back as to why some classic albums are not available on vinyl. I really want De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising on vinyl, but one cannot get it for love nor money – I think you can get it second-hand for a lot of cash! It seems odd that, when so many new albums are released to vinyl, there are some older gems one can only get from streaming services or on C.D. I got a couple of responses and, when it comes to genres like Hip-Hop, I was told that fans of the genre are generally less into vinyl. A lot of the classic Hip-Hop records arrived in the 1980s and 1990s and they might have just been released on cassette. If they were released on vinyl, they might be out of print now or unavailable.
I think Hip-Hop, now, is one of those genres where people want it on vinyl. Cassettes and C.D.s are fading out, and streaming does not really provide the same magic and importance as vinyl. Maybe there was not much demand decades ago, but it seems strange that some true classics are still not available on vinyl. Threads like this are important, as they ask people which albums they want on vinyl that are currently unavailable. In the case of De La Soul’s debut masterpiece, it is incredibly difficult to get hold of in any format. Whilst one can get second-hand copies of Steely Dan’s Can’t Buy a Thrill and Pretzel Logic (I have the latter on vinyl), getting a new copy is impossible. That said, you can get Aja on vinyl, and it makes me wonder why some albums are on vinyl and others not. Maybe bands release their most popular and celebrated on vinyl as they know it will sell – when it comes to Steely Dan, their sheer love of composition and sound means all of their albums should be on vinyl! Whilst artists such as Madonna have recently re-released some of their classics on vinyl, there are other albums that one cannot get on that form. When it comes to vinyl, there is a minimum pressing of five-hundred copies, so it can be an expensive mistake releasing an album on vinyl and seeing it only sell a few units.
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Also, C.D.s are cheaper, so many people prefer that format and vinyl can be less profitable. Vinyl takes a while to be pressed, so it can derail momentum if a single is doing well and then you have to wait for an album to be pressed to vinyl. Until there is a way to make vinyl production faster and less expensive – if that is even possible -, there will always be problems. I can understand, too, why a lot of new artists resist vinyl because of the financial concerns and possible risks, but what of those albums that will sell and have already won enormous critical acclaim?! Articles that are snobbish towards vinyl will dissuade labels from releasing albums through fear of poor sales, but I think we all know of a few albums that need to be on vinyl! I love Aaliyah’s eponymous album of 2001 and, again, here is a work that has been lauded and stands as a classic, yet I cannot find it on vinyl at all. Although Aaliyah died in 2001, there is still huge interest in her work, and I think vinyl releases would help bring her work to new worlds. She is an artist whose music is not available on Spotify, so it is incredibly difficult getting albums like Aaliyah on any format. I admit that there are drawbacks to vinyl, so it is not as simple as putting an album out and seeing it fly off the shelves! There are plenty of pros associated with vinyl.
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Albums on vinyl are much more immersive and cherished. One can be flippant regarding streaming and there is not the same value and meaning. Vinyl can be passed through the generations and create great memories. If you have spent a bit of money on an album, then you are much more likely to play it and revisit it time and time again. I do think there should be a call to labels and artists whose best works are not available on vinyl. Each of us can name a few great albums that are only on streaming sites, that would sell tonnes if they were brought to vinyl. I disagree that the vinyl boom is cynical and fake; that people are simply buying vinyl to fit in or be part of a trend. There are plenty who know vinyl provides an experience you cannot get anywhere else. For that reason, not being able to find certain albums on vinyl is a frustrating experience. I do hope that the continued resurgence and good health of vinyl will change minds and mean that albums that were previously not available on vinyl make their way to the shelves. It seems strange to say vinyl is here to say – as it has been available for decades – but streaming and the online is not killing its charm and appeal. So many music lovers prefer the purer and warmer sound of vinyl, so let’s hope those albums not available on vinyl, one day, find their way into your local record shop. Maybe it is a personal thing, but I have a list of albums I yearn to have on vinyl and am at a loss to explain why they are not available. That goes to show that me and so many other people do not merely own vinyl to seem hip: we do so because it is a serious passion that…
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WE have always had and always will!