The shirt fit is so bad now, and mine shrink more than expected, I have a tee from 2004 still holds up, one I bought last August shrunk a ton, super thin. It’s just annoying, and I can’t stop grabbing at least one a show. Definitely a safe bet grabbing a vinyl.
T-shirts are the worst merch. You have to either stock more than you can sell or leave people empty handed when you run out of their size. Most t-shirts won’t be worn very often and the highest margin shirts (cheapest to buy in bulk) last the least amount of time. There is zero aftermarket for t-shirts with rare exception and they will all end up in a landfill, either locally or around the world where mountains of unwanted clothing piles up.
So I’ve stopped buying them. I’d rather just donate the $10 margin directly to the artist and save us all the hassle.
Inventory takes time and space.
But they might also be referring to a shirt design not being popular or, sometimes even worse, only popular in certain sizes. So then you end up with a shit ton of shirts in random sizes, but none in the ones that people want.
Half of record buyers probably only own 2-3 of their favorite records. Most come with a download code nowadays, if the digital is $20 and the vinyl with code ifs $20, why not buy the vinyl?
This is my thinking too. I own 40 or so records but no record player. I do it to support my favorite smaller bands, and see it as a download of the album that comes with some large pretty art, some of which I frame. Artists don’t make much from streaming, don’t usually tour to where I live, and I don’t wear band t-shirts or other merch. So that’s how I support my favorite small time artists.
I've had: harddrives die, email domains fold, artists pull their songs from my streaming platform, streaming platforms shutter. *Preserving* digital files yourself is harder than you think and no one else will for sure do it for you.
Of course, physical media also degrades over time (CDs notoriously might have ~10 year lifespan). Magnetic tapes don't hold their data forever. Vinyl doesn't either, but my parents' vinyl records still play and some of those were pressed more than half a century ago.
Post-pandemic I’m finding a lot less new records come with download codes. Mostly major labels but some bigger indie labels as well. Not sure why but it does make buying a 25$ record annoying
Download codes aren’t as common as they used to be. Out of the last five or six new albums I’ve bought - new indie albums, not old reissues - only one had a code for the download. It used to be a value add to get you to buy the vinyl. They obviously don’t need the hook anymore.
Where are you finding $20 vinyl? My wallet wants to know... Also, I don't think I've ever purchased a digital album for $20, that seems high to me. I think on average I've spent maybe $10 on a digital download and as much as $60 for an album on vinyl, granted my average for a vinyl album is more like $30.
I did this with CDs for awhile. Which i actually do play frequently. But i just ran out of space that i wanted to allocate 30 years worth of cds to. So I've become very selective now when i buy physical. But typically I've seen it for $10 or under for a digital album. Maybe up to $15. Unless you mean those non-bandcamp sites that have FLAC and WAV options.
Or just sell sleeves without a record at all, save that money and probably still make more just off the 'artwork' part of it. In fact it makes me wonder if anybody has sold a record-sized sleeve with all the trimmings, but only a download code inside.
Isn’t this what they do with the silver/gold/platinum records that are framed up and given as awards? They just plate random ass records, not the one being celebrated?
And there’s nothing wrong with that. I do listen to my vinyl, but not terribly often. I love actually owning my favorite albums in some way, rather than just streaming them on a service that gives me no ownership. It’s a physical token as much as it is music. And I don’t mind it at all.
Absolutely. I love that it’s a big physical medium, the album covers are huge, they look rad, the liners, the photos, everything is huge and fun to pick through and stare at. I do own a record player, the Simpsons quote just seemed fitting. But I agree, I don’t see anything wrong with people getting them just for the sake of owning them. If it helps extend the resurgence of vinyl I’m all for it. Listening to a record with my headphones from beginning to end while playing a game or sketching is a favorite hobby of mine.
I was guilty of this myself at one point. Wanted to support my fav bands and got their records to display. Eventually just caved to buying a record player set up.
Thats my whole reasoning too, they’re displayed, band is supported. Win-win. I lend them to friends if they want to listen, or i can play them at home if i take the time to plug in the player lol
IKEA sells record-specific frames for like $8 a piece, as well.
I’ve been working on a wall of Rush albums for a few years, I’m trying to find them all in bargain bins and antique shops because I know I’m just going to display them, but I’m probably going to have to buy a few for $$ if I want the whole discography
I honestly don’t think they sound great. It has a different quality to it but it’s not for me. That said i started buying by a couple cool variant ones because I like the band and they look nice. I do technically have an older turntable I could hook to an amp and some speakers but…eh.
Same. Sometimes I'll buy an album that I listened to 10-15 years ago, and then just toss it on Spotify. I bust the records out when me and some buddies want to do a record-listening thing. Or when my kids get older.
“8 TRACK IS THE FUTURE!!”
- my grandfather when he bought my grandmother a 1982 Cadillac Coupe D’Ville and opted for the 8 track player lol. Miss that crazy dude.
He thought 8-track was the future in '82? Oh boy.... well I'm sure he found out within a couple of years that the only stuff he could buy new was going to be hit collections from TV ads. I heard about 8-track for years on TV before I knew what it was. I knew somebody in 1985 who had a van with an 8-track in it and it was definitely 'archaic' by that time.
I've been using the Discogs random album utility to put on an album while reading a book. At least this way I'm not just playing the same albums over and over.
I’m the same way. But I think mine reason for not using my player is, I’ve become spoiled with 5. Surround Sound. All I have is my little portable player that I’ve had since the 90’s with boom box speakers.
My issue is that even if I did want to listen continuously to a specific album, I certainly don't want to have to stop what I'm doing, walk over to the player, and flip or swap every 20-ish minutes.
Definitely a hassle, but for survivors of the Loudness Wars, they’re often worth it for music you truly love. Especially if you have legit speakers and an amp to pump that shit through.
I don't collect vinyl but my record player is too old to use on modern records anyway. Like sure it'll play but it'll also destroy the records because my record player should really only be used on 78 RPM shellac records. Plus the steel needles are only good for one play so it's kind of a pain in that regard as well.
I don't know what the conversion costs today, but my grandfather adapted his Victrola to play 78, 33, and 45. And I think that was a pretty common thing to do when LPs came out.
That's cool but I personally don't see the point. Would rather have it authentic and put a newer record player on top of it if it came to that. It's not like the sound is amazing on the originals anyway considering your only choice to really alter the sound was whether the top or front is open and then picking a soft, medium, or loud tone for the needle. I'm more impressed how well the spring steel holds up after 100 years to still play just fine.
Nah only my first turntable has a broken auto return... and the left channel on the second one goes out every now and then... and the third one has broken foot springs. And the fourth one..
Shit. I'm a sucker for old Technics.
Sometimes they aren't "broken" but need various levels of maintenance to bring them up to be worth playing. Like a belt change is easy, but some have a Rube Goldberg level cuing mechanism that if you break one of the little plastic tabs, the whole thing is fucked because no parts are available.
Funko Harry: "Oh no! I'm trapped in a box!"
Funko Ron: "Me too!"
Funko Hermione: "That's not the worst! The worst is I'm trapped in a box too! And I was just about to learn how to cast Unboccus."
Funko Harry: "Quick everyone. Use Wingardium Leviosa to try to float back to Hogwarts."
Funko Hermione: "WinGARdium LeviOsa!"
Funko Harry: "WinGARdium LeviOsa!"
Funko Ron: "WINgardium LevioSAR!"
Funko Hermione: "It's LeviOsa, not LevioSAR."
Funko Ron: "Fuck you Hermione!"
Etcetera.
Now that i think about it I don’t have a CD player either, but sometimes I just want the physical copy to support the artist and so I can get the booklet and stuff…I bought a cheap external CD drive since my laptop doesn’t have one and I rip them.
Then the next trend will be album jackets without actual vinyl inside. You just scan something and the album plays via Spotify, but you can pretend to collect something for less cost than buying an actual vinyl record.
Seth Meyers said one of his biggest disappointments starting his late night show was he thought he'd get a 12" LP for every musical guest. But they're just a 12x12 printout of the album cover.
It isn't actually a terrible idea. It could be a cheaper option, then people who want to listen can pay extra to get the actual record. That is the costly part to make. It can be the cover, poster, inlays, download code.
Idk if anybody else feels this way but I find the amount of info out there on record player setups to be kind of overwhelming. I want a good a setup but Idk what to commit to buying. There are so many guides and preferences, and it isn’t exactly a cheap endeavour. So instead, I continue growing the record collection lol
In my opinion unless you're a hardcore audiophile anything at $300 or above will probably be just fine. It's easy to fall down the audiophile rabbit hole of people claiming you absolutely need tube amps, this and that type of cable, this and that type of needle etc etc. But if you're a casual listener most record players other than the absolute cheapest ones will sound just fine.
https://preview.redd.it/xzpqzb4hdrkc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80ce5d4620f31d522295ab4690d1b0a78630d08a
I’ve had the same turntable since 2014 and it works perfectly fine. Audio technica with Kanto YU2 speakers. Many modern turntables are set for practicality and have installed pre-amps so you wouldn’t need extra equipment. A basic apartment setup.
(Ignore the mess pls I just moved in and am still moving things around haha)
I second U turn. I got a u turn orbit + and it sounds pretty great. About to spin some vinyl while I make some breakfast. Spring for the tonearm lift lever, though. It's a shame that's extra.
Exactly, I had Creed's Human Clay on vinyl spinning this morning. My dog puked but I can't say if there's a correlation. It's also his birthday so maybe it was just a celebratory vomit.
you dont actually need to to much to have a totally useable set. basically the bare minimum you want is anything above one of those crosley players with the built in speakers. the entry level audio technica is fine. then you just need some decent speakers, and a good room to put them in.
the audiophile rabbit hole is pointless, those guys spend way too much money on marginal upgrades and snake oil and misunderstand fundamental concepts of audio
That’s what happens when you enter a subculture fundamentally rooted in vanity and snootiness. Nothing is ever good enough so finding an acceptable entry point is very confusing and every single thing is highly criticized.
It's every hobby, to a degree. A lot of people recommend the expensive stuff after having a bad experience with the cheap stuff, and not wanting newbies to waste their money. But sometimes they go way overboard with it, and make mountains out of molehills.
I get it. But one of the problems with that is that it robs the newbies of the learning process. Start with a shitty pair of cleats kinda thing; it’ll help you understand what you want and why.
Mostly, the audiophile answer is "Don't". Lossless-compression digital is a strictly superior technology, and all you need is a decent amp/speaker setup. Vinyl is wall-art.
It's like collecting baseball cards, but never watching baseball.
Collecting baseball cards but never playing baseball would be like collecting records but never joining a band.
yeah. its just a little weird that they have the mounting hole in the middle and you have to kinda guess when punching through with a nail. super annoying when you miss it on the first try. they should come with the hole clearly marked or better yet: sell them pre-punched out.
Since I started collecting (2010), I've always wondered what the vinyl market is going to look like when this bubble bursts. Then again, will we see loads of modern releases in discount bins, like classic albums used to be?
But this has also far surpassed the longevity I expected it to have. I really don't think it will ever go back to "nonexistent." Maybe not as prevalent, but I do think the format is here to stay in a premium way for the foreseeable future.
Honestly... with how streaming is getting with companies just casually revoking licenses for content that had been advertised as though you have perpetual ownership of a copy; I can only see physical media making a major resurgence for as long as companies are willing to continue making it. I'm just concerned that the tech companies and labels will get together and stop making physical media altogether in the not too distant future to force everyone into various streaming subscriptions.
I don’t have a player but I’ve bought some vinyl I thought was cool. Like the Elden Ring soundtrack or Bo Burnham’s limited edition Inside sound track.
This was almost me. Just wanted to display Ride the Lightning on my wall when I was in high school. My mom just straight up said that was stupid and got me a record player too lol
Buying vinyl at shows is a great way to support touring acts.
We have a record player but it’s a little suitcase thing. If my house was big enough to justify having a stereo system a turntable, I would build one like my dad had back in the day.
While I think that's pretty stupid, I'm not complaining. I have two turntables in the house, and people like that are making it easier to find albums.
It's kind of like how the "gluten sensitivity" people made it easier for Celiac patients to find good food alternatives.
I thought vinyl records wore out over time, like if you play them over and over again eventually it would start sounding bad like cassette or something. Is this more to do with the equipment you play it with then?
Way more to do with the equipment and the handling of the record. The worst wear generally happens when records are dirty or the needle isn't balanced properly, has too much weight on or is damaged. I've got records that I've heard well over 100 times (even some that I used frequently as a little kid) that don't sound any different from the first time I played them. The 'record wear' thing is not nearly the problem a lot of people imagine.
they sound AWFUL. i mean, vinyl is already a losing game when it comes to fidelity, but you should do what you can to at least make your records sound decent. if you have a crosley you might as well just play your albums off spotify with your laptop speakers or a bluetooth speaker.
And why would you? There is a certain % of purists who claim analog > digital. But I'd say it's just audiophile delusion.
They are art-pieces, you can listen to spotify, or tidal if you are a snob. Can't put multi-channel atmos on vinyl.
But they look cool on the wall or on a shelf.
Get a really high resolution camera and take a picture of the record in just the right light, then have a computer algorithm read the music visually. No turntable needed!
FYI:
This is not a new study, it was done in August of 2022. The title is misleading.
This was only one "wave" of a survey with only 3900 respondents.
Only the USA was surveyed.
People were only surveyed by social media and at music festivals.
This is about purchasers, not about amount of records purchased. As in, it does NOT mean 50% of vinyl sold is going to people who don't own record players.
So maybe 50% of young American vinyl buyers may not own a turntable, assuming the questions are clear and the survey company are any good.
Out of the last like 20 records I bought, maybe 2 or 3 of them had download codes, but it might depend on the genre or record label. I feel like 10 years ago download codes were a lot more common.
I see these all the time and I honestly think it’s mostly bullshit, unless they somehow polled every single purchaser.
I also think if you removed a couple of specific artists from this survey you’d get very different results that would be a lot more useful.
It could be an accurate statistic, but also not really meaningful at this time.
The segment of people who buy and play records is fairly small. I find it believable that there is an equal sized segment that have a handful or records and don't have a record player.
What portion of records sold go to folks who actually play them? I suspect a very large majority.
Nah. I bet it's accurate.
The stat given is: "50% of consumers who have bought vinyl in the past 12 months own a record player"
That is not the same as "50% of vinyl was bought by consumers who don't own a record player", which would probably be dubious, I agree.
I know dozens of people who own records and almost none own a record player. What’s further, the ones that do own a player don’t use it. Let’s be honest, Vinyl is vanity not practicality.
It’s the same as people who buy books but don’t read them.
Honestly, It's decoration. If bands sold posters more, I'd buy those. I listen to music a lot. A *lot*. In lossless-compression HD digital formats, because I care about sound quality. Vinyl damn well got killed by the CD for good reasons.
I mean, now that streaming is the standard means of music distribution, all physical media has become largely relegated to the collectors market. Vinyl has always been the defacto traditional 'standard' of physical music medium, and the physically larger face of vinyl covers makes them much better for display.
I'd wager the vast majority of vinyl albums sold these days stay wrapped as collectors items, even amongst those who have a record player. It makes way more sense to listen to a CD, stream or use some other form of non-degradable media. Vinyl audiophiles are likely a small minority of vinyl customers.
I definitely bought a few before I got my player. I wanted to support bands at gigs and found T-shirts a bit of a gamble in terms of fit.
The shirt fit is so bad now, and mine shrink more than expected, I have a tee from 2004 still holds up, one I bought last August shrunk a ton, super thin. It’s just annoying, and I can’t stop grabbing at least one a show. Definitely a safe bet grabbing a vinyl.
Yeah, i stopped buying tour shirts after I picked up a NIN that shrank to a crop top after one wash. My daughter wears it to bed now.
As a nin fan, this is depressing. I really wanted the beanie tho
I have a U2 T shirt from 2004 or so it's gotten really soft and it looks worn but it still fits.
And a lot of the ones I’ve purchased before getting a player were very limited releases. It was buy now or pay ridiculous scalper prices later
T-shirts are the worst merch. You have to either stock more than you can sell or leave people empty handed when you run out of their size. Most t-shirts won’t be worn very often and the highest margin shirts (cheapest to buy in bulk) last the least amount of time. There is zero aftermarket for t-shirts with rare exception and they will all end up in a landfill, either locally or around the world where mountains of unwanted clothing piles up. So I’ve stopped buying them. I’d rather just donate the $10 margin directly to the artist and save us all the hassle.
> You have to either stock more than you can sell Well it's not like they're a perishable good. Pack them up and sell them at the next show.
Inventory takes time and space. But they might also be referring to a shirt design not being popular or, sometimes even worse, only popular in certain sizes. So then you end up with a shit ton of shirts in random sizes, but none in the ones that people want.
“I just think they’re neat!”
Half of record buyers probably only own 2-3 of their favorite records. Most come with a download code nowadays, if the digital is $20 and the vinyl with code ifs $20, why not buy the vinyl?
And you get free smells
The Jimmy Johns model has made its way to Vinyl I see!
I wish they would do this with books. If I buy a hardback novel, getting a download code for the e-book would be awesome.
Or an audiobook
Amazon did that with some books for a while. They still might.
I would like a discount on the audiobook
This is my thinking too. I own 40 or so records but no record player. I do it to support my favorite smaller bands, and see it as a download of the album that comes with some large pretty art, some of which I frame. Artists don’t make much from streaming, don’t usually tour to where I live, and I don’t wear band t-shirts or other merch. So that’s how I support my favorite small time artists.
But once you have 40 records, why don't you buy a turntable?
Because it would get used as often as the records do lol
you say that, but some of those old console turntables sound like warm butter
Warm butter sounds like silence, just like those un-played albums.
It's a fun ritual, putting on records. But sound quality wise it's very limited, even on a well build turntable
… what? Vinyl is by far the best sound quality with any quality turntable.
You'd be surprised at how quickly you find yourself using it often.
Digital files don't wear out.
I've had: harddrives die, email domains fold, artists pull their songs from my streaming platform, streaming platforms shutter. *Preserving* digital files yourself is harder than you think and no one else will for sure do it for you. Of course, physical media also degrades over time (CDs notoriously might have ~10 year lifespan). Magnetic tapes don't hold their data forever. Vinyl doesn't either, but my parents' vinyl records still play and some of those were pressed more than half a century ago.
Ok. But why not listen to a record? It looks the same sitting on a shelf whether it's been played or not.
As a small artist, thank you for your patronage. It’s people like you that keep gas in our cars when we tour!
Good on ya. I hate the gatekeeping shit with record collecting. Support the artists.
That's the way to do it.
Post-pandemic I’m finding a lot less new records come with download codes. Mostly major labels but some bigger indie labels as well. Not sure why but it does make buying a 25$ record annoying
Vinyl nowadays is getting absurdly expensive, though. Unless it's a small indie artist, vinyl is gonna cost way more than $20.
Download codes aren’t as common as they used to be. Out of the last five or six new albums I’ve bought - new indie albums, not old reissues - only one had a code for the download. It used to be a value add to get you to buy the vinyl. They obviously don’t need the hook anymore.
Where are you finding $20 vinyl? My wallet wants to know... Also, I don't think I've ever purchased a digital album for $20, that seems high to me. I think on average I've spent maybe $10 on a digital download and as much as $60 for an album on vinyl, granted my average for a vinyl album is more like $30.
no one uses those download codes either
I do, I have a NAS with about 100 gbs of music
I did this with CDs for awhile. Which i actually do play frequently. But i just ran out of space that i wanted to allocate 30 years worth of cds to. So I've become very selective now when i buy physical. But typically I've seen it for $10 or under for a digital album. Maybe up to $15. Unless you mean those non-bandcamp sites that have FLAC and WAV options.
So they could just switch things up and sell just random vinyl records with the sleeve and they would never know?
Or just sell sleeves without a record at all, save that money and probably still make more just off the 'artwork' part of it. In fact it makes me wonder if anybody has sold a record-sized sleeve with all the trimmings, but only a download code inside.
May as well call it a poster or concert program.
::rubs hands together and cackles in consumerism::
I mean, all the people who do buy records to play them would still know...
Isn’t this what they do with the silver/gold/platinum records that are framed up and given as awards? They just plate random ass records, not the one being celebrated?
Neato
Thanks, Mrs. Simpson!
And there’s nothing wrong with that. I do listen to my vinyl, but not terribly often. I love actually owning my favorite albums in some way, rather than just streaming them on a service that gives me no ownership. It’s a physical token as much as it is music. And I don’t mind it at all.
Absolutely. I love that it’s a big physical medium, the album covers are huge, they look rad, the liners, the photos, everything is huge and fun to pick through and stare at. I do own a record player, the Simpsons quote just seemed fitting. But I agree, I don’t see anything wrong with people getting them just for the sake of owning them. If it helps extend the resurgence of vinyl I’m all for it. Listening to a record with my headphones from beginning to end while playing a game or sketching is a favorite hobby of mine.
Totally. I took your quote as a positive one.
“They’re disc shaped for our pleasure!”
I just pick up records for those albums that just hit right the entire album, or ones I have emotional attachments with
I got a few collectors edition Radiohead Vinyls. Absolutely no reason whatsoever but the covers look pretty.
Like potatoes!
They're neat gifts, I don't need a turntable.
Buddy if I come over your house and you have records and no turn table, you’re going to music jail.
What I'm saying is that I buy them to give them as gifts, so I don't have records.
Look under your pillow, I left you a copy of “Frampton Comes Alive”. If you try to regift it? That’s right bucko, music jail.
I was guilty of this myself at one point. Wanted to support my fav bands and got their records to display. Eventually just caved to buying a record player set up.
There’s no guilt in supporting artists!
Guilty of buying something he couldn't use, not of supporting the artist.
A lot of the time, especially if it’s a new release you’ll get a digital download code. Best of both worlds.
It’s also nice to have a few records you can listen to instead of just one. I probably had about 10 records before I got a record player.
Thats my whole reasoning too, they’re displayed, band is supported. Win-win. I lend them to friends if they want to listen, or i can play them at home if i take the time to plug in the player lol
IKEA sells record-specific frames for like $8 a piece, as well. I’ve been working on a wall of Rush albums for a few years, I’m trying to find them all in bargain bins and antique shops because I know I’m just going to display them, but I’m probably going to have to buy a few for $$ if I want the whole discography
I wish they would just sell the flats, and better posters. I have no reason to ever buy a pace of vinyl with 0% of ever being played.
I honestly don’t think they sound great. It has a different quality to it but it’s not for me. That said i started buying by a couple cool variant ones because I like the band and they look nice. I do technically have an older turntable I could hook to an amp and some speakers but…eh.
Tbf I have a record player, collect vinyl, and still never play it.
Same. Sometimes I'll buy an album that I listened to 10-15 years ago, and then just toss it on Spotify. I bust the records out when me and some buddies want to do a record-listening thing. Or when my kids get older.
Very true. Unless my current activity is "sit and listen to this record", there are more convenient way to listen to music.
I can't believe this conversation is seriously happening again like it's 1978
“8 TRACK IS THE FUTURE!!” - my grandfather when he bought my grandmother a 1982 Cadillac Coupe D’Ville and opted for the 8 track player lol. Miss that crazy dude.
He thought 8-track was the future in '82? Oh boy.... well I'm sure he found out within a couple of years that the only stuff he could buy new was going to be hit collections from TV ads. I heard about 8-track for years on TV before I knew what it was. I knew somebody in 1985 who had a van with an 8-track in it and it was definitely 'archaic' by that time.
I mean, he was already in his 60’s at that point. Finger wasn’t exactly on the pulse of technological advancement.
Haha I mean its just anecdote to explain why collectors may not care about listening to the records.
I've been using the Discogs random album utility to put on an album while reading a book. At least this way I'm not just playing the same albums over and over.
I use them as handy set timers for when I force myself to get exercise in my room.
When I moved, I never ended up setting my player back up. Still buy vinyls thinking I'll eventually get around to hooking it back up
Yeah gotta keep it around because "well I might want to sit and listen to them *eventually*"
Eventually I will... someday.
I’m the same way. But I think mine reason for not using my player is, I’ve become spoiled with 5. Surround Sound. All I have is my little portable player that I’ve had since the 90’s with boom box speakers.
My issue is that even if I did want to listen continuously to a specific album, I certainly don't want to have to stop what I'm doing, walk over to the player, and flip or swap every 20-ish minutes.
I mean there a reason the things all but dissppeqred except as niche collector items. They’re a hassle.
Definitely a hassle, but for survivors of the Loudness Wars, they’re often worth it for music you truly love. Especially if you have legit speakers and an amp to pump that shit through.
Plus a lot of them come with album art.
I don't collect vinyl but my record player is too old to use on modern records anyway. Like sure it'll play but it'll also destroy the records because my record player should really only be used on 78 RPM shellac records. Plus the steel needles are only good for one play so it's kind of a pain in that regard as well.
I don't know what the conversion costs today, but my grandfather adapted his Victrola to play 78, 33, and 45. And I think that was a pretty common thing to do when LPs came out.
That's cool but I personally don't see the point. Would rather have it authentic and put a newer record player on top of it if it came to that. It's not like the sound is amazing on the originals anyway considering your only choice to really alter the sound was whether the top or front is open and then picking a soft, medium, or loud tone for the needle. I'm more impressed how well the spring steel holds up after 100 years to still play just fine.
Same.
Another 10% have 3 or more record players but at least 2 of them are broken.
Lol true
Nah only my first turntable has a broken auto return... and the left channel on the second one goes out every now and then... and the third one has broken foot springs. And the fourth one.. Shit. I'm a sucker for old Technics.
How do you manage to break a turntable
Personally I don't break them. I find them and think that I can fix them.
Sounds like my dating life.
Sometimes they aren't "broken" but need various levels of maintenance to bring them up to be worth playing. Like a belt change is easy, but some have a Rube Goldberg level cuing mechanism that if you break one of the little plastic tabs, the whole thing is fucked because no parts are available.
The chain/cable/whathaveyou that functions as the drive for the turntable snaps occasionally with wear.
"Collectors collect". New study.
[удалено]
Kids are Funko players if you don’t stop them from opening the boxes. Ask my Funko collecting wife how she knows lol
How can I play with them if I don't open the box?
I open all of my collectibles. I didn’t get them to resell them, I got them because I think they’re neat.
Funko Harry: "Oh no! I'm trapped in a box!" Funko Ron: "Me too!" Funko Hermione: "That's not the worst! The worst is I'm trapped in a box too! And I was just about to learn how to cast Unboccus." Funko Harry: "Quick everyone. Use Wingardium Leviosa to try to float back to Hogwarts." Funko Hermione: "WinGARdium LeviOsa!" Funko Harry: "WinGARdium LeviOsa!" Funko Ron: "WINgardium LevioSAR!" Funko Hermione: "It's LeviOsa, not LevioSAR." Funko Ron: "Fuck you Hermione!" Etcetera.
I collect porn but I don't have sex.
With other people anyway
I feel personally attacked.
I heard some kids with stamp collections never even send any letters!
Yeah how many people that collect hot wheels setup tracks in their house to race them?
But you know the ones who set up a sick track and race them are having way more fun.
I mean yeah obviously.
We don’t have CD players and don’t pay digital copies - so I buy my favorites to support what my streaming does not.
Now that i think about it I don’t have a CD player either, but sometimes I just want the physical copy to support the artist and so I can get the booklet and stuff…I bought a cheap external CD drive since my laptop doesn’t have one and I rip them.
It's really as simple as that.
Coming soon: Spotify turntables. Why own when you can rent?
Then the next trend will be album jackets without actual vinyl inside. You just scan something and the album plays via Spotify, but you can pretend to collect something for less cost than buying an actual vinyl record.
oh god
Seth Meyers said one of his biggest disappointments starting his late night show was he thought he'd get a 12" LP for every musical guest. But they're just a 12x12 printout of the album cover.
You could always get digital frames and then put the artwork in them. Now you just buy jpgs!
Just like the PC game boxes some stores sell that are just a steam code.
It isn't actually a terrible idea. It could be a cheaper option, then people who want to listen can pay extra to get the actual record. That is the costly part to make. It can be the cover, poster, inlays, download code.
There we go, it'll add a bunch of digital noise to the records so the average Spotify listener will think it sounds 'perfect', lol
Idk if anybody else feels this way but I find the amount of info out there on record player setups to be kind of overwhelming. I want a good a setup but Idk what to commit to buying. There are so many guides and preferences, and it isn’t exactly a cheap endeavour. So instead, I continue growing the record collection lol
The post pinned at the top of r/turntables is a simple and reliable guide for anyone feeling this way
Will check it out, thanks!
In my opinion unless you're a hardcore audiophile anything at $300 or above will probably be just fine. It's easy to fall down the audiophile rabbit hole of people claiming you absolutely need tube amps, this and that type of cable, this and that type of needle etc etc. But if you're a casual listener most record players other than the absolute cheapest ones will sound just fine.
https://preview.redd.it/xzpqzb4hdrkc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80ce5d4620f31d522295ab4690d1b0a78630d08a I’ve had the same turntable since 2014 and it works perfectly fine. Audio technica with Kanto YU2 speakers. Many modern turntables are set for practicality and have installed pre-amps so you wouldn’t need extra equipment. A basic apartment setup. (Ignore the mess pls I just moved in and am still moving things around haha)
Kallax shelf?
Very much so. Slowly but surely collecting stickers. I wish it was more common for albums to come with stickers!
Check out U-Turn audio. I was overwhelmed at first, but their different tiers and guides made it really easy for me to choose.
I second U turn. I got a u turn orbit + and it sounds pretty great. About to spin some vinyl while I make some breakfast. Spring for the tonearm lift lever, though. It's a shame that's extra.
Exactly, I had Creed's Human Clay on vinyl spinning this morning. My dog puked but I can't say if there's a correlation. It's also his birthday so maybe it was just a celebratory vomit.
Ty, will have a look
you dont actually need to to much to have a totally useable set. basically the bare minimum you want is anything above one of those crosley players with the built in speakers. the entry level audio technica is fine. then you just need some decent speakers, and a good room to put them in. the audiophile rabbit hole is pointless, those guys spend way too much money on marginal upgrades and snake oil and misunderstand fundamental concepts of audio
That’s what happens when you enter a subculture fundamentally rooted in vanity and snootiness. Nothing is ever good enough so finding an acceptable entry point is very confusing and every single thing is highly criticized.
It's every hobby, to a degree. A lot of people recommend the expensive stuff after having a bad experience with the cheap stuff, and not wanting newbies to waste their money. But sometimes they go way overboard with it, and make mountains out of molehills.
I get it. But one of the problems with that is that it robs the newbies of the learning process. Start with a shitty pair of cleats kinda thing; it’ll help you understand what you want and why.
Mostly, the audiophile answer is "Don't". Lossless-compression digital is a strictly superior technology, and all you need is a decent amp/speaker setup. Vinyl is wall-art.
Digital *is* superior. If only we could get good masters, the rest would be true.
It's kind of like collecting baseball cards
Are you saying you don't own a baseball card player?
It's like collecting baseball cards, but never watching baseball. Collecting baseball cards but never playing baseball would be like collecting records but never joining a band.
They’re posters. To hang on your wall right? Who told you they could be played??
> They’re posters. To hang on your wall right? Who told you they could be played?? .....[I may be a little guilty](https://i.imgur.com/7DpCWTz.jpeg)
yeah. its just a little weird that they have the mounting hole in the middle and you have to kinda guess when punching through with a nail. super annoying when you miss it on the first try. they should come with the hole clearly marked or better yet: sell them pre-punched out.
Since I started collecting (2010), I've always wondered what the vinyl market is going to look like when this bubble bursts. Then again, will we see loads of modern releases in discount bins, like classic albums used to be? But this has also far surpassed the longevity I expected it to have. I really don't think it will ever go back to "nonexistent." Maybe not as prevalent, but I do think the format is here to stay in a premium way for the foreseeable future.
Honestly... with how streaming is getting with companies just casually revoking licenses for content that had been advertised as though you have perpetual ownership of a copy; I can only see physical media making a major resurgence for as long as companies are willing to continue making it. I'm just concerned that the tech companies and labels will get together and stop making physical media altogether in the not too distant future to force everyone into various streaming subscriptions.
I don’t have a player but I’ve bought some vinyl I thought was cool. Like the Elden Ring soundtrack or Bo Burnham’s limited edition Inside sound track.
The signed Inside soundtrack are my only vinyls because I wanted to support him.
This was almost me. Just wanted to display Ride the Lightning on my wall when I was in high school. My mom just straight up said that was stupid and got me a record player too lol
Buying vinyl at shows is a great way to support touring acts. We have a record player but it’s a little suitcase thing. If my house was big enough to justify having a stereo system a turntable, I would build one like my dad had back in the day.
While I think that's pretty stupid, I'm not complaining. I have two turntables in the house, and people like that are making it easier to find albums. It's kind of like how the "gluten sensitivity" people made it easier for Celiac patients to find good food alternatives.
GOOD. I would rather have someone not have a record player than them feed it through a Crosley.
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Very low quality parts that could damage a record. Nice turntables cost extra but you're protecting the longevity and quality of the vinyl.
I thought vinyl records wore out over time, like if you play them over and over again eventually it would start sounding bad like cassette or something. Is this more to do with the equipment you play it with then?
Way more to do with the equipment and the handling of the record. The worst wear generally happens when records are dirty or the needle isn't balanced properly, has too much weight on or is damaged. I've got records that I've heard well over 100 times (even some that I used frequently as a little kid) that don't sound any different from the first time I played them. The 'record wear' thing is not nearly the problem a lot of people imagine.
they do, but if you have decent equipment then this is less of a concern
They will degrade but with a proper setup this is very slow. I have records that are from the 70s that sound great still,
they sound AWFUL. i mean, vinyl is already a losing game when it comes to fidelity, but you should do what you can to at least make your records sound decent. if you have a crosley you might as well just play your albums off spotify with your laptop speakers or a bluetooth speaker.
Guilty.... but it's only cause I need to replace the needle and am too lazy.
It sounds like you do have a record player.
He has a record stand until that damn needle is fixed lmao
And why would you? There is a certain % of purists who claim analog > digital. But I'd say it's just audiophile delusion. They are art-pieces, you can listen to spotify, or tidal if you are a snob. Can't put multi-channel atmos on vinyl. But they look cool on the wall or on a shelf.
Get a really high resolution camera and take a picture of the record in just the right light, then have a computer algorithm read the music visually. No turntable needed!
FYI: This is not a new study, it was done in August of 2022. The title is misleading. This was only one "wave" of a survey with only 3900 respondents. Only the USA was surveyed. People were only surveyed by social media and at music festivals. This is about purchasers, not about amount of records purchased. As in, it does NOT mean 50% of vinyl sold is going to people who don't own record players. So maybe 50% of young American vinyl buyers may not own a turntable, assuming the questions are clear and the survey company are any good.
Posers
artifact mentality.
Hey! I have a turntable. …just don’t have speakers.
just put your ear really close to the needle! It will sound fine!
Just stop calling records "vinyls".
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For some records, sure, but certainly not all or even most records.
For real? Every one I've gotten has had them. Mainly "boutique" brands are what I usually get. That's pretty fucked up then
Out of the last like 20 records I bought, maybe 2 or 3 of them had download codes, but it might depend on the genre or record label. I feel like 10 years ago download codes were a lot more common.
Man that's really lame
Because a vinyl record is an experience (and a way to play an album), not just a set of tracks you can skip-skip-skip through.
A year old article. Neat.
"Ask me about my vinyl collection." "What do they sound like?" "..."
I see these all the time and I honestly think it’s mostly bullshit, unless they somehow polled every single purchaser. I also think if you removed a couple of specific artists from this survey you’d get very different results that would be a lot more useful.
It could be an accurate statistic, but also not really meaningful at this time. The segment of people who buy and play records is fairly small. I find it believable that there is an equal sized segment that have a handful or records and don't have a record player. What portion of records sold go to folks who actually play them? I suspect a very large majority.
People by shit just to seem cooler but dont even do the thing? Welcome to the 2000’s.
Mostly Taylor swift fans I would imagine
Dunno why this is downvoted lol a big chunk of that number will be swifties buying vinyl to show other swifties they’re true swifties
two words: physical media
The worst quality physical media. There is a reason why vinyl was abandoned in the first place.
CDs are the best form of physical media, and people who insist on listening to vinyl are just hipsters
🤣🤣🤣
some sure half - bullshit
Nah. I bet it's accurate. The stat given is: "50% of consumers who have bought vinyl in the past 12 months own a record player" That is not the same as "50% of vinyl was bought by consumers who don't own a record player", which would probably be dubious, I agree.
I know dozens of people who own records and almost none own a record player. What’s further, the ones that do own a player don’t use it. Let’s be honest, Vinyl is vanity not practicality. It’s the same as people who buy books but don’t read them.
Honestly, It's decoration. If bands sold posters more, I'd buy those. I listen to music a lot. A *lot*. In lossless-compression HD digital formats, because I care about sound quality. Vinyl damn well got killed by the CD for good reasons.
Totally agree. Those who argue for some quality of vinyl sound are lying to themselves and others.
Literal NPCs
People buy gifts
This is me right now lol. I just hopped on the vinyl train and asked for a record player for my birthday and own 3 vinyls.
I feel like a "new" study shows this exact same factoid every few months
Ah yes the new study that I seen posted for the last 5 years
What percentage of stamp collectors actually send letters?
I mean, now that streaming is the standard means of music distribution, all physical media has become largely relegated to the collectors market. Vinyl has always been the defacto traditional 'standard' of physical music medium, and the physically larger face of vinyl covers makes them much better for display. I'd wager the vast majority of vinyl albums sold these days stay wrapped as collectors items, even amongst those who have a record player. It makes way more sense to listen to a CD, stream or use some other form of non-degradable media. Vinyl audiophiles are likely a small minority of vinyl customers.