How the LP refuses to just die

The other day I drove past a young man carrying what looked like a vinyl record, and it conjured up images of my younger days when it was almost in vogue to be seen with one under your armpit.

Those were the days when music lovers spent hours at Kohinoor (mostly for jazz) and other music shops, perusing and listening to new offerings.

It is a pastime I so greatly miss.

Last month, being my birthday, I had time to reflect on my life.

But among a myriad of other thoughts, I realised just how many things have gone right in front of my eyes.

The ½ cent coin, the typewriter, the ‘tikkie box’, (anyone remembers the pager?), the fax machine, the cassette tape…

In the ’80s, the LP (long play) was almost entirely obliterated by the cassette – which was introduced back in 1962 by Philips – although the cassette itself was falling out of favour with the uptake of the CD (or compact disc).

The CD, developed in 1974, also by Phillips, had made its shimmering presence felt in the late ’80s as it offered more music in compact format, much more convenient to handle and store than the larger LP.

From 1988 to 1991, research shows there was a downward spiral in vinyl sales, with only the serious collectors (the connoisseurs) remaining loyal, lapping them up like crazy as they were getting cheaper.

But it is not just amazing how the LP record has refused to die – certainly among music connoisseurs?

These are those consumers of music who care about the finer details of the music they are listening to – including the personnel, the producer, the composer… and usually the lyrics written out for you to sing along to.

That’s what the LP offered – in addition to its much crispier sound.

Roll over the years to the new millennium.

Here we see music in mp3- and mp4-formats stored on phones, computers and flash drives. But the 12-inch LP made a huge U-turn in the 2010s.

The popularity of the format continued to grow and still does to this day, with younger musicians also recording on vinyl.

While flash drives bring convenience, and you can download hundreds of songs on just one, please give me an LP anytime.