The coolest gift you can get from anyone this summer is probably not ice-cream or a drive around the countryside. It is the gift of a Vinyl record player. Why is that? Since the start of the millennium, there’s been a huge cultural shift that has favored vintage ideas in popular culture. From fashion to photography, music and television, there’s been a marked change in the taste of both the young and old generations.
Vinyl, for instance, made a significant shift in popular culture as more GenZs have vinyl record players and are showing them off like they invented them. Really? Vinyl records have been around for a long time – as far back as the 1800s when Thomas Edison invented the photograph- and the world embraced the gramophone afterwards.
That was the beginning of the evolution of these disc-shaped records. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that vinyl records were available in commercial quantities. In 1930 precisely, the famed record label RCA Victor marketed the disc for program transcriptions. It would later mark a revolution in music history. Vinyls then could function at 33 1⁄3 rotations per minute. Their diameter measured 12 inches.
By 1948, a rival record company, Columbia Records introduced another format. This bumper-to-fender rivalry between RCA Victor and Columbia Records led to the introduction of another competing format by RCA, the 7”/45 rpm Extended Play (EP). That period where both of these formats fought for dominance from 1948-1950 was known as the “War of the Speeds.”
The Decline of Vinyls
Phillips, a leading Dutch manufacturer of consumer electronics, introduced the first cassette in 1962 and gave vinyl some stiff competition. Cassettes were more portable than vinyls with features to rewind, fast forward, pause, play or stop at the touch of a button. As a result, many consumers latched onto the new technology. In 1974, Phillips also began developing the Compact Disc (CD), which would completely usurp the vinyl market in 1988. From 1988-1991, there was a continued decline in vinyl sales, with only collectors and audiophiles staying loyal to the format. In Lagos, you can easily find original vinyls in a popular jazz-themed record store in Ikoyi.
Best Selling Vinyl Record in History
Thriller Album
Michael Jackson’s multi grammy-winning album Thriller is widely considered to be the best-selling vinyl record of all time, with estimated global sales figures exceeding 110 million units since its release in 1982.
In the United States, it also tied with the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) as the best-selling album at 29 million units shipped. The album, produced by the legendary music producer Quincy Jones, won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including for Album of the Year.
Revival: Why GenZs Love Vinyls
The analog nature of vinyl with its continuous grooves is a new experience for the GenZs. Beyond jumping on the trend they want a piece of the nostalgia that marked their parents’ childhood. Some vinyl loyals appreciate the imperfections and nuances that it can bring to the sound, making it feel more authentic.
On the other hand, digital music, especially high-quality formats like FLAC or uncompressed audio, can provide a clean, consistent sound without the pops, clicks, or surface noise associated with vinyl.
After decades of music being stored as mp3s and mp4s on computer hard drives, vinyl saw a resurgence in the late 2010s. January 2017 held the highest number of vinyl records sold since 1991. 2017 marked the tenth consecutive year of vinyl growth, the emergence of more record stores, and the novelty of the format. Today, vinyl records continue to grow in popularity- being the ultimate gift for many high school grads in North America.
