Vinyl records making a surprise return

The Associated Press reported Monday that vinyl records have made a surprising return in some markets in the last year. A story about an employee at the Fred Meyer retail chain mistakingly ordering the vinyl edition of an album instead of the special edition CD with a DVD illustrates the impressive jump LP sales made between 2006 and 2007, rising more than 36% while CD sales dropped 17% due to increased digital downloads (CD sales remain hundreds of millions of copies higher though). The article also indicates that regional and specialized chains are not the only outlets selling LPs successfully, with both Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Best Buy Co, Inc. (NYSE: BBY) creating sections and testing sales.

The resurgence in LP sales has also stoked the raging debate about differences between analog and digital formats. Melinda Merrill, a spokeswoman for Fred Meyer told the AP "It's not just a nostalgia thing, the response from customers has just been that they like it, they feel like it has a better sound." The AP also reports that sound is not a central factor in increasing sales. The experience of listening to an LP, much more involved than a CD or a digital file is drawing new listeners and keeping old ones. This tendency has lent to more sales of players and the pressing business has been renewed.

In the end, increased LP sales make it clear that consumers care about more than the music that is produced. Jay Millar, a director of marketing at United Record Pressing indicates that he feels vinyl is "for the die-hard music consumer," or the consumer that isn't looking for the most convenient method of acquiring an album and its music. Unfortunately, the mainstream music industry and its consumers will continue the push away from LPs and CDs, but if regional or independent retailers can keep the limited pressings intact via strong and surprising sales, then the history of the music industry and the "original" format that is as close to live music as you can get will continue to live.