Search all library resources

Vinyl : the analogue record in the digital age

'"The last few years have seen not just a revival but a rebirth of the analogue record. Much more than merely a nostalgic craze, vinyl has become a cultural icon. While vinyl never ceased to be the key format for many music lovers and DJs, for two decades the recording industry perceived it as outdated, consigned to dusty domestic spaces and obscure record shops. Yet the seemingly obsolete vinyl has become the fastest growing medium in music sales. Using a cultural sociology framework combined with insights from material and visual culture studies, Dominik Bartmanski and Ian Woodward present vinyl as a multifaceted cultural object and explore the reasons for its persistence within technologically accelerated cultures. The book is informed by media analysis, urban ethnography and interviews with musicians, DJs, record store owners, boutique label chiefs and collectors within a range of urban centres renowned for thriving music scenes, including Melbourne, London, New York, Tokyo and Berlin"--Provided by publisher.Recent years have seen not just a revival, but a rebirth of the analogue record. More than merely a nostalgic craze, vinyl has become a cultural icon. As music consumption migrated to digital and online, this seemingly obsolete medium became the fastest-growing format in music sales. Whilst vinyl never ceased to be the favorite amongst many music lovers and DJs, from the late 1980s the recording industry regarded it as an outdated relic, consigned to dusty domestic corners and obscure record shops. So why is vinyl now experiencing a 'rebirth of its cool'? Dominik Bartmanski and Ian Woodward explore this question by combining a cultural sociological approach with insights from material culture studies. Presenting vinyl as a multifaceted cultural object, they investigate the reasons behind its persistence within our technologically accelerated culture. Informed by media analysis, urban ethnography and the authors' interviews with musicians, DJs, sound engineers, record store owners, collectors and cutting-edge label chiefs from a range of metropolitan centres renowned for thriving music scenes including London, New York, Tokyo, Melbourne, and especially Berlin, what emerges is a story of a modern icon.