Another Title Idea : The Vinyl Renaissance

Simply using tinfoil paper, a part of the nursery rhyme song “Mary Had a Little Lamb '' was the
first-ever sound recorded in a Phonograph. This monumental discovery by Edison in 1877 gave
birth to a new vocalized era.

A decade later, Emile Berliner invented a device that recorded and played back sound using a
flat disc, the Gramophone, which was the first vinyl record player. The device had to be
operated by hand and played with seven-inch rubber discs.

The earliest disc records were made of a variety of materials, including hard rubber. Around
1895, a shellac (Female Bug Secretion) based material was introduced and became standard. But
Shellac wasn’t only used to produce melodies, It was also used to produce explosives.

During World War II there was a dramatic cut in the production of shellac records. People were
encouraged to donate their records to aid with weaponry. Shellac essentially phased out and
vinyl took the spotlight.

Columbia Records in 1948 made the 12’ inch PVC ( Polyvinyl Chloride) disc, popularly known
as LP Vinyl Records which could fit 10-12 tracks. This triggered the beginning of the “Album
Era”, creating a coherent theme in a single album.

While vinyl helped artists integrate art and music in harmony some of them like Micheal
Jackson, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elton John left their legacy. (album reference for designers: thriller
by michael jackson, abbey road by beatles, dark side of the moon by pink floyd)

Now there is something romantic about records, something satisfying about opening the album
jacket, seeing the fantastic artwork while listening to the album but this romanticism did not last
long as CD’s and Sony walkman took over, and a digital era began.

Vinyl has been around for decades but since 2008 there has been a resurgence in popularity
In 2020, vinyl trumped the annual revenue of CDs in the U.S. for the first time in 34 years, That
trend is continuing in 2021. The number of vinyl LPs sold rose 108% in the first six months of
the year.

Even during the unprecedented times of the pandemic, it is the artists’ continued focus on the fan
connection via collectibles that enabled albums like Taylor Swift’s “Evermore,” Harry Styles’
“Fine Line,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” to become top-selling vinyls of the
year.
Has the Vinyl Renaissance come about due to nostalgia? Or is it that the youth is looking for
something more tangible? Or is it that the world that we’re in needs this kind of format - to slow
down and enjoy a nice meal once in a while, and to sit down and just listen to music sometimes.