The Fall and Rise of Vinyl

It is a long time since the Compact Disc entered the market to clear all from its path and become the most popular choice of hearing music at home. In fact, it is so long ago that the format has itself been all but swallowed up, eclipsed by the ruthless rise of digital. And one thing we can be pretty certain of is that the CD has had its day. But in a world of Spotify, iTunes and illegal downloading there is one old school format that’s coming back strong. No it’s not the cassette (although this writer will always retain a soft spot for the rectangular), but the vinyl disc.

In the past five years vinyl sales have risen steadily. In 2011 the value of the market attributed to records was £3.4m, a figure that rose to £5.7m in 2012. And that’s without taking into account the success of secondhand record sales. The snap, crackle and pop is back, although for many, it never went away.

But why the rise and how are London’s record stores making the most of the resurgence?

Audiophiles will argue about the merits of MP3, CD and vinyl sound with anybody willing to listen, often so relentlessly that there comes a point where the only logical response is to turn on heel and walk away, post-haste. What they can’t argue with though, is that records offer something tangible. In a similar sense to books (which face their own battle for a place in the new world order), their physical presence is inextricably linked to the art that’s contained within them. One could argue that people never truly took to the CD because of this –the plastic shell, enclosed and insular vs. the delicate nature of the vinyl that very much wears its heart on its fraying cardboard sleeve. Not to mention the record’s larger size, which makes them prime decorative pieces, akin to art in the most literal of senses.

And then came Hollywood, which wasn’t slow to catch on to vinyl’s rising stock. If studios aren’t conjuring the next superhero franchise, they’re busy crowbarring vinyl loving characters onto our screens – even AIL favourite Jason Statham got in on the action in The Mechanic!

But it’s not as if record shops have been just waiting for people to fall in love with vinyl’s tangible charms all over again. Or for the next 500 Days of Summer film to come along and proclaim that music is cool, and what makes it even cooler is when it’s on vinyl. No, the success of the excellent Record Store Day movement didn’t occur over night, the 99p boxes in front of Flashback Records don’t attract people by filling themselves and shops haven’t forged links and grown communities in a click. Dedication to a format, lectures, in store performances and promotion have all helped encourage interest in vinyl along with that all but unquantifiable factor, taste.

Whether it’s because of the ritual of laying up a record, the warm crackles of the disc or even the handy listening time that one side of vinyl gives in our busy lives; people are buying and here are some of our favourite places in London to join them.

Flashback Records

As mentioned above, the regular 99p bargain bins out front are an excellent place to find albums that might well be junk to most, but could be a treat for you. 80’s Electro breaks anyone? Inside, the basement is full of secondhand records that cover the genre spectrum.

Honest Jon’s

Honest john’s is big for electronic but probably most famous for its collection of world music on vinyl. On Portobello Road, in the heart of Carnival country, it’s a West London classic that has the right mix of knowledge, history and swagger.

Sounds of the Universe

Sounds of the Universe deals in both firsthand and secondhand records. The basement holds the bargains, while upstairs you’ll find new compilations thanks to the shop’s links to Soul Jazz Records along with an extremely well curated mix of soul, reggae, house and hip-hop.

See London’s Best Record Shops here.