Why do music lovers still buy lps or vinyl instead of cds, don't you know that vinyl is DEAD?

Question

do you like the pops & scratches? or that you can't change tracks with a remote? or you like to flip it over halfway??? [this does not apply to DJs.]

Answer 1

its a thing about authenticity. The original recordings of Jazz give people a nostalgic feel listening to the scratches and pops. It reminds them of times they might have enjoyed. Listening to a Vinyl which has been converted to CD which removed the extraneous sound to get a more sterile feel is nothing like listening to the original. It gives people a more human feel. I keep stuff on CD then rip it but I still have the occassional vinyl of the old classics in rock, jazz, etc.

You'd have to have grown up or been around music like that to appreciate it. If you've only heard music via cassette or CD, the scratches and pops become distracting. But for those who grew up listening to Vinyl, its a different experience.

Answer 2

The question's essentially been answered already, but here's another point illustrative of the concept. A while ago, I listened to a CD by Godspeed You! Black Emeperor, "F# A# (infinity symbol)", and I loved it. It's about sixty minutes long, though only three tracks. One day, I was poking around a local record store and found the original vinyl, of which only 500 were pressed. It runs roughly forty minutes, and is an early version of what would later become the CD release. So much was added to the CD release, and parts were either moved from one side to another or removed completely, including the creepiest banjo solo instrumental I've ever heard, some sections didn't climax the same way as they would later, et cetera.

Godspeed also hid a neat trick that you can only perform on a vinyl - the last groove is a locked groove, so the needle never reaches the middle, but is stuck playing the last couple seconds of ambiance ad infinitum. This endless loop is actually part of a pun built into the name of the record, which starts side A on an F# note, side B on an A# note, and ends with an infinite loop (thus, "F# A# (infinity symbol)"). Plus, the sound quality is, as stated earlier, far more genuine and intriguing to the ear. Inside the case for the record were such items as a caligraphy sketch, a railroad-flattened penny, and an invitation to a '97 show in Canada (long since missed), all of which you could only obtain through owning the vinyl. I'm rather fond of this little anecdote, personally, as a good reason why owning the vinyl is important from a collector's standpoint as well as a general listener's standpoint.

Answer 3

It's a lot more Hassle, but if a Record, especially a Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Half-Speed Master LP that's in Pristine Condition is carefully Played on a Top-Notch Direct Drive Linear Tracking Turntable with a Magnetic Phono Cartridge Through a Tube Powered Amp [McIntosh, Marantz, etc] connected to a Pair of Klipschhorn Cornerhorn Speakers, the Experience is unforgettable ! By Comparison, CD's sound Harsh and Shrill. And They can Pop and Skip too ! And Linear Turntables with Wireless Remotes are Available. But they are very expensive ! For all Practical Purposes for the Casual Listener CD's are the way to go. But don't Downrate those of Us who Know ! And, if anyone is looking for New, or Gently Used Records, contact www.therecordrack.com Located in Downtown Goldsboro, North Carolina. Or Call them at [919] 735-7773 and Speak to Stanley Hartley. Tell Him Gary Recommended You to One of the Few Old Time Record Shops left in the USA ! And Yes, The Record Rack Sells CD's too. And many 8-Track Tapes, New & still Un-Opened ! This is "On-The-Record"!

Answer 4

Actually, I don't think you have ever heard an audiophile LP then.
I have many pristine LP pressings that a CD can never touch for fidelity and the true expression of the ANALOG sound waves that the musical instruments created.

If you want to change track all the time, then I feel you have an attention deficit issue, or you really aren't in to the Artist and the Art of the Music.

Vinyl will never die. Sorry.
I'll bet CDs are gone before vinyl is gone.

Answer 5

I am a DJ, but I still buy ALL of the music I can on vinyl. Obviously you aren't well educated in terms of music. you will NEVER acheive the same quality with a CD as it is digitized and NOT the ORIGINAL sound wave. I do immediately store all of my music onto a hard drive but at a VERY high bit rate, higher than CD. The pops and scratches are from VERY VERY worn vinyl or vinyl that has NOT been taken care of.

I understand your point but vinyl will never die as long as there are people out there who TRULY appreciate music and want to experience it as close to the original recording as possible.

Answer 6

Maybe because some people still have record players that work just fine. Sometimes even the pops and scratches can have a comforting effect....the entire listening experience can bring back comforting memories...PLUS not all records have pops and scratches.

Also, vinyls are a lot cheaper nowadays than they were when I was a teen...so anyone with a working record player might find it easier to listen to their favorite music if they buy it in vinyl form, say, from a used bookstore...

If vinyl were truly dead, your question would essentially be obsolete....

Answer 7

Better sound and music quality.

CD's aren't sampled at a rate nearly enough to come close to the sound quality of the original vinyl record.

If you listen to a song on a CD, instead of a record, basically all of the harmonics are gone, the overtones and undertones have been removed. Taken out by not sampling enough (taking way too few samples per wave).

That's why people still buy and listen to LP's.

Answer 8

I'll bet I've got more vinyl LPs than you've got whiskers on your face. They are all in excellent condition. They sound better than a CD ever thought of sounding. To keep them that way and to be able to take them with me I do digitize them. I also have a collection of 8 tracks and cassettes. As well as players.

Answer 9

Just by asking that questions shows that you don't know anything about old music...the way is sounded when you first heard it when you was little....how that was the NEATEST thing in the world to hear that persons voice. Hearing Those songs on LP's is a part of most peoples past...It keeps us young. That also shows that your a young kid who is spoiled rotten by modern technology and can't appreciate anything that's not remote controlled or on a MP3 file.

Answer 10

Friends who have a much keener ear than mine claim that actually vinyl recordings are more live sounding to them than CD's. They are listening on $25,000 sound systems and are musicians themselves, so I have to trust their input. This is similar to some of the greatest photographers who claim that analog film more fully captures the nuances of a photograph than even the highest resolution digital camera. Apparently, no matter how detailed we digitize analog sound or images there is something lost in the translation back and forth from analog to digital back to analog. Only the most highly sensitive observers are able to detect these nuances today.