I took this photo in the Barnes and Noble bookstore at the
Neshaminy Mall in April. Although that
display held the only vinly records I saw there, it was enough to show that
vinyl is back, at least to me. Sitting
among the classic records from the 60s,70s and 80s was Adele’s record, seen in
the bottom left. Adele was born in 1988,
so if she ever saw a vinyl record, it was probably in her parent’s collection, likely
sitting in a closet attracting dust. Also
note that Dr. Dre’s The Chronic sits in that display bin as well. That album dropped in 1993, several years
after the last vinyl record was purchased at a mainstream record store.
This wasn’t entirely new to me, as I had been hearing about
this revival for a while. Vinyl had been
creeping back onto radio, and in some cases never entirely went away. But now there seem to be more and more
segments devoted to vinly, as well as articles about increasing interest and
sales wherever vinyl records could be found.
When I walked into the Barnes and Noble back in April, what I saw in this
display bin confirmed what I was hearing and I made sure to snap this picture
as photographic proof.
I don’t know if this will mean anything in the long run. I don’t think that vinyl will replace the
more technically advanced forms of recording that have long since taken over
and made the vinyl record obsolete (with the exception of party djs and
collectors). But it has now found a
niche, if not a permanent place. Or at
least that is what it seems like, unless this all turns out to be a fad.
