CURRENT STATUS
Groove
recordings, first designed in the final quarter of the 19th
century, held a predominant position for an impressive amount
of time - just about a century - withstanding competition from
reel-to-reel tape, the 8-track cartridge and the compact cassette.
However, by 1988, the compact disc had surpassed the gramophone
record in popularity.
In
spite of their obvious flaws, such as the lack of portability,
records still have enthusiastic supporters. Vinyl records continue
to be manufactured and sold today, especially by independent
rock bands and labels. although record sales are considered
to be a niche market composed of audiophiles, collectors and
DJs. Old records and out of print recordings in particular are
in much demand by collectors the world over.
In
the UK, sales of new vinyl records (particularly 7 inch singles)
have increased significantly in recent years, somewhat reversing
the downward trend seen during the 1990s.
For
disc jockeys ("DJs"), mostly in the electronic dance
music or hip hop genres, vinyl has an advantage over the CD
- direct manipulation of the medium. DJ techniques such as slip-cueing,
beatmatching and scratching originated on turntables. With CDs
or compact audio cassettes one normally has only indirect manipulation
options, e.g., the play, stop and pause buttons. With a record
one can place the stylus a few grooves farther in or out, accelerate
or decelerate the turntable, or even reverse its direction,
provided the stylus, record player and the record itself are
built to withstand it. Most CDJs and DJ software these days
have some of these capabilities but nothing is like the real
thing.
BACK
TO VINYL RECORDS
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