Music Information

Interested in Improving the Sound of Your Stereo? Consider Records


Introduced in 1982, the compact disc was intended to provide better sound than the 40-year-old long-play record album, popularly known as the LP. Using a laser rather than a diamond needle for playback the compact disc was smaller, more convenient to use, and less susceptible to damage than the LP. A bonus was that the format was said to offer "perfect sound forever." "Forever" isn't that long these days; improvements in digital sound have come along in the last twenty years and the music industry introduced two new formats this decade that are designed to improve upon the "perfect" sound of the compact disc. Those formats are the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) and DVD Audio (DVD-A.) Over the years, various audio publications have criticized the sound of compact discs, describing the sound as "harsh", "brittle" or "sterile" compared to the sound of the LP. After years of research, SACD and DVD-A were introduced several years ago and introduced sound that was said to be cleaner and more natural than that of the compact disc. In addition, these formats offered multi-channel sound, and artists such as Pink Floyd offered special multi-channel versions of their albums to entice sales. It hasn't worked, and sales of both formats peaked in 2003. What is interesting, however, is that both formats still trail the LP in sales!

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, the combined sales of SACD and DVD-A were less than those of the LP in 2004. The music industry is in a slump at the moment, and sales of all formats were down last year. But sales of LPs were down 13% from 2003, while combined SACD and DVD-A sales were down 33%. It would appear that the new formats are failing, even though they are said to be superior to the compact disc. The LP, on the other hand, continues to have steady sales. While the major labels are still somewhat hesitant to release new product in LP form, labels that specialize in reissuing older material, such as Classic Records, are releasing as much product as their manufacturing capacity will permit. It is worth noting that much of this reissued product comes in the form of high-quality, limited edition LP pressings that often carry premium prices of up to $50 per title. Why are records continuing to sell while the new formats fail?

There are several reasons why records are outselling the new, "superior" digital disc formats:

  • Format wars. Like VHS vs. Beta in the 1970's, the SACD and DVD-A formats are largely incompatible. While players have been introduced that will play either one, most players play either one format or the other. Worse, neither one will play on a traditional CD player. You must replace your player to play either one.


  • Multichannel sound is difficult to use and requires purchasing new amplification equipment. SACD and DVD-A both have multichannel capabilities, but neither format's players have digital outputs. Both must be connected to amplifiers or receivers with special SACD or DVD-A analog inputs.


  • Most of the music fans who preferred the sound of records to compact discs still prefer the sound of records to either SACD or DVD-A. Most will agree that while the new formats sound better than compact discs, the unique "digital" sound of compact discs is still there.


  • Many listeners aren't interested in sound quality. Arguments can always be made about the sound of compact disc vs records vs SACD vs DVD-A, but millions of consumers are content to listen to music in MP3 format on portable players. MP3 format is inherently inferior in sound quality to all of the other formats, but MP3 players are selling as fast as companies can make them.


  • The day will never come when records again become the dominant music format. The convenience of portable players for CD, SACD, and DVD-A discs and MP3 files outweighs the advantages in sound quality that records offer over those formats. Nevertheless, it appears that a small but steady market for records remains very real, and that that market exceeds that of the new "improved" SACD and DVD-A formats, which will probably soon go the way of the forgotten Elcassette, Minidisc, and 4 track tape formats of the past.

    ©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm that operates several retail Websites, including AluminumChristmasTrees.net, a site devoted to vintage aluminum Christmas trees and accessories, and RarePinkFloyd.com, a site devoted to rare records, compact discs and memorabilia by the band Pink Floyd.


    MORE RESOURCES:

    Neoseeker

    Music industry eases tactics in fighting piracy
    Reuters - 5 hours ago
    ... file-sharers marks a fundamental shift in the music business's battle against piracy, from one focused on enforcement to one emphasizing education. ...
    Sling Media, CNET News
    Is the RIAA admitting defeat? InfoWorld
    Music Industry Ditches Company It Used to Gather Evidence on Students Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription)
    Wired News - NewsOXY
    all 44 news articles


    '08 music sales hit record high
    Hollywood Reporter, United States - Jan 4, 2009
    Overall music sales set record in 2008, with more than 1.5 billion units sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Nielsen Co.'s annual year-end music ...
    Music Sales Reach a Record High, But Not Through Album Sales TheCelebrityCafe.com
    Music sales boom, but albums fizzle for '08 USA Today
    Music Sales Fell in 2008, but Climbed on the Web New York Times
    Los Angeles Times - San Francisco Chronicle
    all 518 news articles


    Music marketers target female shoppers at home
    Reuters - 5 hours ago
    By Ed Christman NEW YORK (Billboard) - With CD sales dropping fast, the music business is exploring nontraditional ways to expose consumers to recording ...


    Canada.com

    Hyundai Super Bowl ad to feature music by Yo-Yo Ma
    Reuters - 7 hours ago
    By Kamau High NEW YORK (Billboard) - Hyundai Motor Co. will use music by famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a Super Bowl XLIII television commercial that consumers ...
    Yo Yo Ma Teams Up With Goodby For The Super Bowl mediabistro.com
    all 6 news articles


    New York Times

    A Year in Love and Music
    New York Times, United States - 4 hours ago
    With music now available with a single, offhand click, it's easy to forget that songs are not born whole, polished and ready to play. ...


    Bid to open prison doors for music
    The Press Association - 3 hours ago
    Organisers of one of the stages at the Glastonbury Festival will be taking their blend of music and political campaigning to the heart of redneck Texas to ...


    Los Angeles Times

    Musebin: The future of music reviews?
    Los Angeles Times, CA - 10 hours ago
    The user-driven site allows for only a sentence or two, paring down music reviews to a Twitter or Facebook status update. Although the launch of such a site ...
    Musebin's 140-Character Reviews Go Live, Power Hype Machine Wired News
    Hype Machine Zeitgeist: Listen in Full to the 50 Most Blogged ... ReadWriteWeb
    all 4 news articles


    More schools getting in tune with mariachi
    The Associated Press - 23 hours ago
    Then the teenager started playing the music of the elder's homeland. Perez, 14, took a mariachi music class at his Fort Worth high school, ...


    Music matters at Sundance
    Variety, CA - 5 hours ago
    By KATHY A. MCDONALD Music matters at Sundance. Both the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival have long supported the cross-pollination between ...


    PR Web (press release)

    Miccus Unleashes Digital Music: Launches BluBridge Home Speaker ...
    Reuters - 21 hours ago
    Bridge Music Wirelessly from an iPod, Macbook or Phone to Existing Home Stereo and Audio/Video Equipment HOLLAND, Mich.--(Business Wire)-- Amidst a growing ...
    Tenqa to Exhibit New Line of Bluetooth® Wireless Speakers ... PR Web (press release)
    Miccus Debuts BluBridge Wireless Speakers, Transmitters and Receivers TMCnet
    all 18 news articles

    Music - Google News

    home | site map
    © 2006