Don’t call it a comeback, it’s been here for years.
Despite the increasing digitalization of music and the utter demise of the CD format, the humble vinyl record has not only endured, but found new life.
According to Neilsen Music’s annual music industry year-end report, vinyl sales in the US topped eight million records in 2014, close to a 50 per cent increase compared to the year previous. In Canada, the year-over-year increase has been even more dramatic, with vinyl sales growing by 71 per cent in 2014, the largest jump ever recorded.
This summer has proven especially fruitful for local crate-diggers, with three new record stores opening in Vancouver in the past two months.
In addition to providing Vancourites with a greater selection of music, the record stores themselves serve as the beating heart of the local music scene, supporting musicians and offering a place for fans to gather and socialize.
Pete Genest is the owner of punk-focussed Hits and Misses Records (2629 East Hastings, Facebook.com/HitsAndMissesRecords), and says he’s been pleased by the response since his shop opened last month.
“We’ve only just opened, but it’s been really promising,” says Genest. “We’re getting a lot of people into the store who are saying Vancouver needs something like this.”
Genest is the former owner of the legendary Singles Going Steady in Seattle, which briefly operated a satellite store on Main Street here in Vancouver in the late ‘90s. After spending the last 10 years in Toronto, he says the time was right to move Hits and Misses to the West Coast.
“Vancouver has a great [punk] scene… and I’m hoping to be a hub for the punk community here,” he says.
Vinyl has always been the medium of choice for punk music, Genest notes, and after more than 20 years in the music business, he says music fans are still buying records
Genest says he’s seeing a new, younger generation discovering records for the first time, which he believes is responsible for the increased interest in vinyl. But the vinyl format was never dead, he notes.
“Vinyl has always been the prime outlet as far as the punk scene goes, especially for singles,” says Genest. “It’s what my stores have always been about.”
However, in the battle between digital and analog, it’s clear digital has won, says Brady Cranfield, co-owner of Selectors Records in Chinatown (8 East Pender, SelectorsRecords.com), which opened in June.
“But they are not necessarily in opposition to each other; it’s completely complimentary,” he notes.
Music fans will search and share for new music online before coming in to buy a record, while many new record releases include a digital download code so the listener can have the convenience of the digital tracks on their MP3 player or computer.
So, why vinyl? Well, for Cranfield, it’s all about the “phonographic experience.”
“Some people say vinyl sounds better, but that’s such an arbitrary [judgment],” he says. “Vinyl sounds different, because of the physical limitations of the medium, and that’s appealing to many people.”
Having something tangible, something that you can hold in your hands, also appeals to many music fans. Likewise, the tangible presence of a physical record store, as opposed to a digital one, also has its advantages.
“Maybe I’m old fashioned, but having a brick-and-mortar space is crucial,” says Cranfield. “Record stores are part of Vancouver’s cultural infrastructure, they’re a hub for the music community.
“The more record stores the better.”
On Granville Street, Vancouver’s newest record store opened three weeks ago, and with its soaring neon sign, its presence is hard to miss.
Inside, Studio Records (919 Granville, StudioRecords.ca) is unlike any record store in the city, or Canada for that matter. The “store” features not only a wide selection of new and used vinyl records for sale, but also a licenced bar, full kitchen, and live music Thursday to Saturday.
“We had all noticed that vinyl was having a resurgence,” says Studio Records manager Sherwood Seabrooke, former owner of Boomtown Records. “So we thought setting up a record store in a licenced establishment would be a new concept.”
Seabrooke says the hope is that Studio Records becomes a place for music fans to socialize, where they can have a drink and dig through the crates, or just hang out.
“There’s a desire for music in a tangible form,” he says. “A record can be something you display in your home; it’s a conversation piece, it’s a piece of artwork.”
And while other music formats like the CD, the cassette, and the eight-track have come and gone, the sound quality and aesthetics of vinyl – as well as the sheer volume of records that have been produced over the past 75 years – will ensure it endures.
“There’s so much of it out there sitting in peoples basements. Stuff that hasn’t been digitized that’s just waiting to be rediscovered,” he says. “Vinyl is never going away.”
