Vinyl Experience (8) Young people get into vinyl

Text:Fumimasa Hori

The feature title of US Billboard magazine published in 2008 was “The iPod Generation Takes Vinyl for a Spin”. Although the popularity of vinyl just began in 2008, we can understand the youth called iPod Generation went toward vinyl since those days. The president of Audio Fidelity, Marshall Blonstein says "It used to be hip to have a CD. Now, it's hip to have vinyl". Young people regard vinyl as hip and come to crowd those.

It has appeared as data also in the report by Gracie Management published in the article of Huffington Post. When they took a questionnaire to person who were from 18 to 34 years old and lived in USA, about 30% of them had a plan to buy vinyl within 1 year. They concluded there was a possibility that 21 million young people buy vinyl.

It is said that purchasers of vinyl at Record Store Day taken place in April every year are that about 40% is under 25 years old, about 80% is under 35 years old. That number make us notably understood how current popularity of vinyl are supported by young people. On the other hand, there is the data that more young people buy vinyl in UK. Looking the percentage of purchaser of vinyl by generation, 14% is from 18 to 24 years old, 9% is from 25 to 34 years old, 5% is from 35 to 44 years old. Its popularity is high among young generation in UK.　

”Attraction of old vinyl is spreading out up to many young people think of it as cutting-edge trend. It seem that it give a blow to the music industry that would have created vinyl in the past."  Freelance writer Lisa Mason wrote.Then, let's look at the voice of young people who are actually concerned.

22 years old, US male Andy Cush wrote on evolver.fm. “For people my age, having grown up with Napster (and Limewire, Bearshare, and Soulseek — remember those?), it feels silly to pay for MP3s. The same goes for CDs. All you’ll do with them is rip them to your computer and iPod. For those of us who want to pay for music, vinyl is a way to do that in return for something that isn’t easily obtainable for free on the internet.”

Although a guitarist, Mitsuru Tabata who plays as a member of Acid Mother temple, Zenigeva tweeted "The volume of reissue is really tremendous. I heard no one pay for MP3 or download.If one pay for download ,it's FLAC", It is natural that young people of Napster generation don't want to pay for MP3. 

It is said that they searched mp3 by mobile iPhone, then taste their favorite vinyl thoroughly at home. As digitization of music are developing, young people find the advantage of vinyl again, popularity of vinyl goes well. You can also find the spiral law as I wrote before. 

"Personally, I’ve always loved the excitement of havin the‘hard copy’of an album, whether it be on a CD or an LP. I really love listening to vinyl simply because that’s
what a lot of the bands I listen to recorded on originally. Good music should be enjoyed in its natural state –vinyl.” 

How old do you think who speak this words? In fact, 16 years old Us female Caitlin Brown. Maybe someone think vinyl is old which young people don’t listen to, but it’s not so. Examples which young generation like Caitlin gets tinto vinyl are too numerous to mention.

A psychologist Vivian Diller was said by her 17 years old son. "Mom,music that sounds real, that you can see, feel, touch and hold in your hands is cool and, well, beautiful."

If they are mid or late teenager now, the age they can remember  was already late 90’s or early 00’s. MP3 which appeared in late 90’s were tremendously expanded by napster. In 2001, i-tunes and iPod were released by Apple. That is, this period was early era when music file just come to appear and penetrated to people. It is not strange that recognition music was invisible&intangible was established among them who spend their childhood in such era.

Matt Melvin, 22 years old guy who has got into vinyl since 17 years old said　"I think young people are demanding a product that is more tangible, the thrill of hunting through a store for that perfect record, the simple satisfaction of turning that record over."

It is sure that black vinyl several times bigger than cd should be completely different existence for digita lgeneration who has listen to music by invisible file like mp3 when they can remeber. So, it may charm them remarkably. (cont'd)