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Sounding off: Why vinyl can't survive
In the first of RA's new series of rants and raves, Tyler C. Hellard explains why the writing is on the wall for hard wax...
A few months ago I finished a mini-marathon set at my local residency. It was the first time I’d used Serato Scratch and my PowerBook for a show. Afterward, some friends and I were having a drink and the conversation steered toward my set. Now I’m not going to lie. I was proud of what I’d played – four hours of new releases and promos I’d never spun before. I thought it was the perfect way to break in my new digital toy, playing on all of its strengths, but nobody asked me about the tracks or the artists. In fact, nobody commented on music at all. They didn’t care. Instead, I was scolded and branded a traitor for my choice to go digital. I spent over an hour defending my corner, but to little avail. My friends remained staunch in their attack on the pariah at the table.
Now I’ve played enough shows with enough DJs to know that digital isn’t a flash in the pan. Most of the jocks that come through here are already playing most of their tracks from CDs, and more are starting to show up with laptop in tow. Despite the trend, my friends stay true to vinyl, and are quick to tell you it isn’t going anywhere. Now, I love my friends. They are nice, intelligent people, but their devotion to a dying format has gone from cute and naïve to just plain dense. The writing is on the wall, and for those in the cheap seats, it reads “Vinyl can’t win so just give it up already.” Harsh? Maybe. Sudden? Not if you’ve been paying attention. Absolutely true? You know it, or at least you should.
The writing is on the wall,
and for those in the cheap seats, it reads
"Vinyl can’t win so just give it up already."
Like Marshall McLuhan said in the sixties, the medium is the message. It’s the nature of the medium itself, rather than the information disseminated by it, that has the greater influence on society. It was radical idea at the time, but forty years later, it’s still being taught in classrooms.
If McLuhan were still alive, he’d love the vinyl/digital debate (but who wouldn’t love any issue that makes you look prophetic?) As more and more DJs, labels and shops jump on board the digital bandwagon, the future of the DJ is being defined by the technology, not the music. As with any movement, there is a resistance, but the vinyl purists’ battle in defense of records is rapidly losing ground.
Format wars are hardly new. Think VHS vs. Beta. Or software production suites vs. hardware-based studios. In each case there are two common factors that describe the winner: convenience and cost. This is what drives winning technologies, and by this measure, vinyl’s future can’t be anything beyond a collectible novelty. From production to distribution, to consumption, to storage, vinyl can never be easier or cheaper than digital. And while previous generations of digital technologies lacked the tactile feel of performing with vinyl, new systems mimic this hands-on approach with true authenticity, virtually eliminating the last remaining advantage of records. Hello, Serato Scratch.
The resistance will claim vinyl sounds better. It’s a debatable argument at best, but in the end, it doesn’t even really matter. Thomas Edison’s wax cylinders could match the fidelity of Victor Records’ original phonographs, but Victor eventually claimed dominance simply because records were cheaper to produce and easier to store. These are now the same reasons the record is being phased out. Digital distribution is cheaper for labels (and ultimately consumers), and storing MP3s is infinitely easier than vinyl. In fact, the storage issue was a major motivation behind my decision to switch – I’d simply run out of room. Now my entire collection is stored on one 300GB hard drive, and thanks to digital distribution and cost-effective online shops, it’s growing faster than ever. As for the actual sound quality, the argument is debatable at best, and completely moot at worst. Only the most discerning audiophile can spot the difference on any kind of respectable sound system. Your average clubber is not a discerning audiophile. And they’re not only unaware of your medium of choice, they ultimately don’t really care.
The ease of digital distribution also opens up smaller markets to electronic music. Years ago, I was DJing parties in a small town. Every trip I made into a city resulted in hundreds of dollars spent at multiple record stores to refresh my collection. I also relied on online record stores, paying premium prices and shipping fees. I can assure you, small-market DJs really are in it for the love of the music. The economics just aren’t viable. With digital distribution, DJs in Antigonish, Nova Scotia are paying the same $1.99 per track as those in London, meaning you no longer have to live in a major center to be a serious working DJ.
Technology has a history of dictating creativity and culture. Urban legend has it that CD length was fixed at 75 minutes because the developer of the technology was a fan of a specific Beethoven piece that ran that length. Every album released since has been creatively constrained to that same 75 minutes. Vinyl imposes similar restrictions. Small labels especially feel the effect of this – with limited budgets, the number of tracks and remixes they can afford release is significantly curtailed. With so much invested financially in each record, established artists and trendy sounds are a safer bet, leaving new artists and experimental music with fewer outlets.
Convenience and cost are what drives
winning technologies, and by this measure,
vinyl's future can’t be anything beyond a collectible novelty.
The low-overhead reality of digital means more labels and producers can take chances, giving DJs the opportunity to hear truly cutting edge music. Like all genres, electronic music grows and evolves over time, and digital speeds up the process, giving us all exciting new sounds to enjoy and incorporate into our sets. The time constraints of vinyl, not to mention the massive costs involved in releasing a record, are eliminated. More music. More opportunity. More creativity. Cling if you must to an antiquated format, but these are all good things that will shape and drive the next generation of music.
I’ll admit a certain mystique to the art of DJing is being lost – let’s face it, vinyl is sexy. DJ culture was founded on the medium, and we all owe a debt to the history of wax. But times change, and to stay relevant, people need to change with them. It’s a McLuhan world. Just look around – iPods have people listening to music again, Tivo and DVDs are changing the way we watch TV, and the Web has revolutionized content creation and consumption. The medium is the message, and when it comes to being a DJ, the message is digital. Resist if you will, but the future is clear – music technology is going to continue to evolve with or without you.
Sounding Off is a column for free comment from readers on any aspect of DJ and club culture. If you have a burning issue you'd like to get off your chest, send your submission or proposal to info@residentadvisor.net with the subject line 'Sounding Off'.
Next week: Why vinyl will survive...
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Published / Wed, 16 Aug 2006
 127 Comments
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