Do not call it a return: Winnipeg record slings did not surprise vinyl – Winnipeg | The Canadian News

In an era where every song ever recorded is available to flow at your fingertips, a classic format for listening to music makes for a surprising return.

Surprisingly, that is, unless you are a record collector who has seen music on vinyl explode in popularity.

In fact, the growth in vinyl sales has surpassed even the sales of its smaller digital cousin, the compact disc, for the first time in decades.

According to statistics from music industry tracker Billboard, in 2021 vinyl records accounted for more than half of all physical album sales in the United States, and more than 30 percent of all album sales in total.

Across the dam, the British phonographic industry recorded more than five million record-breaking record sales last year – the 14th consecutive annual record saw an increase.

These changes are also not a shock to local vinyl dealers.

Ray Giguere, owner of Argy’s Collectibles, told 680 CJOB on Tuesday that he had seen interest in the format increase significantly over the past decade, with things getting really hot over the past few years.

“The last five years, the last two for sure, have just been insane in terms of the demand for vinyl records,” he said.

“It’s all ages. The tweens to baby boomers. The boomers are the ones who mostly sell off the records, while the younger generation absorbs everything. ”

Giguere said the debate over which format sounds better is always going to be a matter of personal preference, but the overall experience of listening to and collecting vinyl is a big part of its ongoing appeal.

“I think with an album there is that nostalgic factor… but it is also the physical aspect of putting the needle down on the record and hearing it spin and just fall in love with it.

“There’s nothing wrong with CDs, but it’s a little more mechanical and antiseptic – where it’s a machine and you push the button and it’s playing.

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“The whole (vinyl) experience – a new age group, a new demographic fell in love with it, and the collectors came back in full force.”

That experience is part of the reason why Brent Jackson says his clients continue to look for vinyl copies of their favorite albums as well.

“I keep hearing the sunken phrase ‘vinyl is making a comeback’ but I do not think it ever went anywhere,” said Jackson, owner of Osborne Village record store Old Gold Vintage Vinyl.

“I think people connect more with that format of media than a CD, which at this stage seems almost disposable.

“It’s a tangible item, and you get that connection with that album or artist that you would not really get with a digital download or MP3 or streaming service, because it does not feel like yours. When someone collects records or buys music on vinyl, it feels like it’s theirs.

“It’s almost a piece of you that can be represented by that flat, black piece of plastic.”

In a fast-paced world, he said, there is a difference between spending time on a vinyl record on purpose, versus using music as a backdrop for your other activities.

“When a person has the time with that record, it’s just them and that artist and that music, and the rest of the world is kind of gone,” he said.

“When you listen to digital or stream, you are always in your car, you do something on your phone, you jog… and it’s just a filler.

“It’s hard to see where we’re heading as a society, but look at the past at all that beautiful art made on vinyl … I think it’s enchanting for a young person or an older person trying to reconnect with the music that made them who they are. ”

Although much of the focus on vinyl in recent months has been on mega-selling pop records by top international artists such as Taylor Swift or Adele, vinyl – in relatively small quantities – has always been the format of choice for some niche subgenres of music.

“During the digital revolution, when CDs were on the way, it was mainly underground bands like punk and hardcore and metal bands that kept the (vinyl) format alive,” says Brad Skibinsky, who serves discerning listeners who want heavy sounds on. have with via Winnipeg’s Eye and Ear Control Records.

“I think it’s iconic – I think there’s a level of craftsmanship there… several layers of different technical knowledge you need to produce it.

“There’s an atmosphere of permanence and an air of craftsmanship and legacy to it.”