Just how popular is vinyl these days?

[stevek1ng]

I'm new here, so hi everyone!

I've been DJing for around 10 years now. I started on vinyl (Numark TT200 decks) when I was 16, and round about the time I started uni I made the switch to CDs - It was a slow process but eventually I was getting all of my music digitally because of the lower cost, new creative possibilities provided by the technology, convenience etc...I've experimented with a couple of different controller based setups as well (Ableton, Traktor).

About a year ago I played at a party but only had my laptop with me - a friend installed Serato on my machine and I mixed on Technics 1210s for the first time in about 5 or 6 years. It was so easy and fun - like riding a bike, you never forget!

So then I decided to get myself some second hand 1210's, with a view to getting a DVS to go with it (Traktor Scratch). Only since getting my decks, the DVS has been all but forgotten about...I'm enjoying buying vinyl too much! Yeah I don't have access to as many tunes as I could have, but I'm getting so much more out of the few I can afford. I'm scared that if I buy a DVS my new record buying habit will disappear and I'll go back to not really respecting and LISTENING to the music properly.

Anyhow, I've been reading a lot about vinyl recently out of interest - so many articles are shouting about vinyl making a big comeback...However these articles seem to be talking mostly about rock/indie LPs...but what about dance 12s? A couple of my friends have also just started buying vinyl again (techno, house, bass singles), after being all digital for a number of years. Which leads me to think the dance 12" market might be springing back as well...but I can't find any articles which specifically mention that or back this up, so I thought I'd ask you guys:

Have you noticed higher or lower numbers of record sales/people in the shops/people you know playing vinyl over the last few years?
What about new DJs? Are they ALL digital/controller/CDJ based or are some of you kids starting out on pure vinyl / vinyl + DVS setups?

I don't want to turn this into a "I use vinyl" vs "I use controllers" debate - just looking for people's opinions on the current state of the uk vinyl 12" singles market...

Anyway, better get back to work!

[Figment]

as far as i can say, you'll find quite a lot of people who linger here buy vinyl, and i generally think especially in this type of music and similar styles the current state is pretty good.

can't really comment on figures though as i don't know, but still to this day there are a lot of records that i missed bagging that i've been searching ebay/discogs for.

i also find that the culture on this forum and the scene in general seems to turn a lot of new DJ's from digital to vinyl, which is nice too!

[Jizz]

I think there definitely has been more people (including me) taking more interest in vinyl recently; its just one of those really addictive habits isnt it

in terms of availability I'd say that a lot more music than what you would expect is available on vinyl. I was taken aback when I googled certain new albums which I thought would never have got a vinyl release, but turns out it has. In terms of dance, there's even certain vinyl-only labels like Swamp81

stuff like the resurgence in importance of Record Store Day in 2011/12 is a good example showing that its becoming a steady niche market in music

[garethom]

Depends what you call popular. In honesty, I'd have to say no, it's not very. A few members here (including me) are pretty vocal, but overall I'd say a very small group of people buy it. Occasionally something will come out about vinyl sales increasing, but that's usually due to represses/reissues of classic albums from major labels that will sell multiple thousands, which few, if any, new electronic releases will sell.

Only got to see how many pressing plants or record shops have closed down, or DJs/Clubs that are moving away from vinyl to see whether records are selling well, which is a shame.

For every 1 person that gets into this music and buys vinyl, there's probably 100 that will buy/pirate the digital.

stuff like the resurgence in importance of Record Store Day in 2011/12 is a good example showing that its becoming a steady niche market in music

Disagree with this. Seen quite a few people complain that customers flood the record store to get the exclusives on the one day (in a lot of cases to sell on for profit) but then those customers don't come back the rest of the year. IMO record store day takes the message away from "support your local record store if you want it to stay" to "look at the exclusives you can pick up on this one day".

[leeany]

I'm fairly new to DJ'ing, started with CD's but moving more and more towards vinyl. Played my first vinyl only gig two weeks ago

[55stevieboy2010]

Yea personally been Dj'ing for 4 years, i kicked off digitally with some cdj400's and due to a mixture of dubstep getting stale and not feeling a great deal of other stuff and cdj's getting boring i bought a pair of 1210's. Now ive found a spark in my music again and enjoying mixing it more. Just good to spend a little more and have something a little more tangible isnt it

[Jizz]

stuff like the resurgence in importance of Record Store Day in 2011/12 is a good example showing that its becoming a steady niche market in music

Disagree with this. Seen quite a few people complain that customers flood the record store to get the exclusives on the one day (in a lot of cases to sell on for profit) but then those customers don't come back the rest of the year. IMO record store day takes the message away from "support your local record store if you want it to stay" to "look at the exclusives you can pick up on this one day".

I see what you mean, I was talking more about why that happens though. I mean a few years ago, customers weren't really flooding the stores on that day were they, demand used to be a lot less till recently. I could be wrong lol, I'm fairly new to this whole business myself

[illandnatti]

stuff like the resurgence in importance of Record Store Day in 2011/12 is a good example showing that its becoming a steady niche market in music

Disagree with this. Seen quite a few people complain that customers flood the record store to get the exclusives on the one day (in a lot of cases to sell on for profit) but then those customers don't come back the rest of the year. IMO record store day takes the message away from "support your local record store if you want it to stay" to "look at the exclusives you can pick up on this one day".

I see what you mean, I was talking more about why that happens though. I mean a few years ago, customers weren't really flooding the stores on that day were they, demand used to be a lot less till recently. I could be wrong lol, I'm fairly new to this whole business myself

To me it feels like every time there is a movement toward one thing, there is a counter movement towards the opposite. In a lot of ways, I think this is how dubstep evolved out of a number of different sounds that became "too mainstream," or so I understand.

When you look at vinyl in that light, it kind of makes sense that with so many kids playing beats off their laptops that there would be an underground resurgence in the roots of DJ-ing with vinyl. Certain record labels have made it a priority to release tunes on wax in a more physical medium, and the fans of those labels and tunes are going to be more likely to buy those records.

I came from a background of house music. I started out DJ-ing in 2008 with my laptop, and moved to CDJ's. When I found dubstep, and particularly when I found the deep/dark sound, I started buying vinyl because I wanted these tunes in the room with me. I am the only person that I know that buys dubstep vinyl though, so maybe I'm full of sheeyite

[skimpi]

why does it matter if it is popular? why would that stop you from buying vinyl? If you like buying, listening to and playing on vinyl then buy vinyl. If you are worried that getting traktor will mean you will stop buying records and 'respecting' the music, then dont get it and keep on buying vinyl.

I buy records, work in a record store and there are people that buy and release on vinyl, its not gonna be popular on a large scale, but in underground music it is still fairly lively.

[stevek1ng]

I suppose it doesn't really matter how popular it is - and it's certainly not going to affect whether I buy it or not - I'm just interested to hear whether the current state of the dance 12s market in any way mirrors the current surge in popularity of indie LPs and 7" singles I've been hearing about over the last couple of years. I suppose in a way, after being away from record shops for so long I'm somewhat fascinated that there still is a lively scene (however small, and that's obviously a good thing ) - as the other reason I stopped buying records was because the only 2 stores in Oxford (where I was living at the time) shut down and vinyl seemed pretty much dead (of course, it never went away, but you know what I mean).

Anyhow, its good to hear there are plenty of new DJs getting in to vinyl!

[150Grams]

but in underground music it is still fairly lively.

Yup.
I personally prefer buying one vinyl rather than buying 7 digital downloads.

I've also read quite a few articles about it. I haven't got a clue how local stores survives, but the internet dealers seems to be working out rather well.

All about that physical music.

[stevek1ng]

I haven't got a clue how local stores survives, but the internet dealers seems to be working out rather well.

Surely the only way for local stores to survive these days is to have a website as well?

[rob_booth]

I live for the smell of vinyl

[MasterA]

both my local record shops shut down in the past year.

[150Grams]

both my local record shops shut down in the past year.

Such shame. Quantity over quality these days, Mp3s n' Spotify.
I live no where close to a Dubstep record shop, so it's pure internet dealin' and exspensive shippin'.

[stevek1ng]

That is a shame. In London (Soho) we are spoilt for choice but as soon as you look outside of central...nothing much.
Mail order is a bitch! Boomkat wouldn't let me combine my Christmas gift vouchers so I ended up paying for shipping twice

[150Grams]

That is a shame. In London (Soho) we are spoilt for choice but as soon as you look outside of central...nothing much.
Mail order is a bitch! Boomkat wouldn't let me combine my Christmas gift vouchers so I ended up paying for shipping twice

Oh Boomkat..
Their service is terrible, I've contacted them three times without any respond, via Facebook, via email.
I like their description of Albums/Singles, but to hell with their service.

I'd recommend Red Eye Records & Phonica Records.
http://www.phonicarecords.com/
http://www.redeyerecords.co.uk/asp/default.asp

[dubstepper]

Depends what you call popular. In honesty, I'd have to say no, it's not very. A few members here (including me) are pretty vocal, but overall I'd say a very small group of people buy it. Occasionally something will come out about vinyl sales increasing, but that's usually due to represses/reissues of classic albums from major labels that will sell multiple thousands, which few, if any, new electronic releases will sell.

Only got to see how many pressing plants or record shops have closed down, or DJs/Clubs that are moving away from vinyl to see whether records are selling well, which is a shame.

For every 1 person that gets into this music and buys vinyl, there's probably 100 that will buy/pirate the digital.

stuff like the resurgence in importance of Record Store Day in 2011/12 is a good example showing that its becoming a steady niche market in music

Disagree with this. Seen quite a few people complain that customers flood the record store to get the exclusives on the one day (in a lot of cases to sell on for profit) but then those customers don't come back the rest of the year. IMO record store day takes the message away from "support your local record store if you want it to stay" to "look at the exclusives you can pick up on this one day".

i think vinyl will always be more popualr then cd's and mp3's.. why you may ask, well vinyl come before cd and mp3 so dj'ing started on vinyl. Not that that really matters just the original way is most fun.
also owning a vinyl album is much more fun and personal then owning the mp3 file or even a cd in shit plastic case. i think most people would find pulling out a fresh vinyl putting on deck for a mix a lot more fun then using a jog wheel on a cdj. owning the vinyl toching the vinyl is just priceless. i'd say the main reason so many people are on cds or serato now days is simply down to money. buying vinyl can cost a lot of money, where as mp3s can be wrongly downloaded for free and dj's can mix garage/grime/dubstep/rap practicly any genre and new releases all day long for free. i mean a lot of dj's that play clubs have gone from vinyl to cds or serato coz they can carry a whole set on a laptop or small wallet of cds rather then lugging loads of heavy vinyl around. but you ask most of them for fun factor what do you prefer and i think most would say vinyl. So i don't think that the lack of vinyl sales of late are due to them being less popular but the points i mentioned about. vinyl is expensive and a hell of a lot of mp3s can be had for free.

[dubstepper]

I haven't got a clue how local stores survives, but the internet dealers seems to be working out rather well.

Surely the only way for local stores to survive these days is to have a website as well?

most of them probly do, but just not a lot of peps know bout em as they are small. like look at chemicalrecords they are very well known especially on here. a lot more so then some record shops i can think of.

[south3rn]

why does it matter if it is popular? why would that stop you from buying vinyl? If you like buying, listening to and playing on vinyl then buy vinyl. If you are worried that getting traktor will mean you will stop buying records and 'respecting' the music, then dont get it and keep on buying vinyl.

I buy records, work in a record store and there are people that buy and release on vinyl, its not gonna be popular on a large scale, but in underground music it is still fairly lively.

the more popular the format is, more vinyl releases will be available.

if i was the last person on earth to want vinyl, i'd still want it, but there would be no one willing to release on vinyl for me.