Cassettes and vinyls overtake digital music

From vinyls to cassettes, Windsor music lovers are paying to go backwards in technology.

Scott Woodall, owner and operator of Vintage and Vinyl in Lasalle, credits the resurgence of cassette tapes to nostalgia evoked by contemporary entertainment.

“Guardians of the Galaxy had a Walkman,” said Woodall, 51, referring to Marvel Studios’ feature film from 2014. “This brought back the Walkman. So, some of the younger generation are getting a kick out of that.”

Even though cassettes have overtaken CDs in sales at his store, Woodall said they have not yet seen their prices rise. Vinyl prices, on the other hand, have inflated and become the main source of revenue for Woodall’s store.

 

“I’m not Nostradamus,” said Woodall. “I didn’t know there would be this kind of resurgence. When CDs came out, I loved CDs just as much as anyone else. The idea of being able to put a CD in your car and drive. Just the portability of it was wonderful.”

After being laid off from his job in 2010, Woodall started his store with 3,000 vinyl records, more than two-thirds of which belonged to his father’s personal collection. He now has more than 30,000 vinyl record and offers his customers repair services and spare parts for their turntables.

“The demand is far outweighing the supply right now,” said Woodall. “Even the old crooners like Frank Sinatra, believe it or not, are finding new audiences.”

 

According to a mid-year report by Nielsen, a global market research company, vinyl sales have been experiencing 14 years of continuous growth. In the first half of 2020 alone, vinyl sales in the U.S. saw an increase of 45 per cent compared to the same period of 2019.

“People want the tactile experience,” said Woodall. “They just like holding something… We even sell 8 tracks. It’s a small niche, but there are guys who just love them. Some people just collect them. They don’t even play them.”

Liam O’Donnell, owner and operator of Dr. Disc Records in downtown Windsor, said contemporary artists have caught on to the trend by releasing new music on vinyl. Starting in 1982 as a franchise, Dr. Disc Records Windsor is now an independently owned record store.

“Pretty much anyone you can get on vinyl these days,” said O’Donnell. “We sell Pink Floyd all the time, but then we sell stuff like Billie Eilish, Harry Styles…Taylor Swift.”

These newer releases, averaging between $20 to $40, ensure consumers enjoy the convenience of digital music by giving them links to free downloads. Some turntables also come with an interface that connects to computers.

According to O’Donnell, vinyl sales have been greatly helped by the Record Store Day, an event observed around the world on Black Friday by independent music stores.

“Record Store Day really helps,” said O’Donnell. “They put out a lot of exclusive releases in small quantities. That makes it a little more desirable, I guess.”

Despite vinyl sales overtaking CDs, O’Donnell said the latter format is still relevant and will not be replaced by online streaming.

“I still think CDs sound pretty good,” said O’Donnell. “Mp3s are really compressed, really flattened out… We still sell a lot of CDs. We wouldn’t be around just for vinyl.”

For Woodall, who was a collector before becoming a vendor, vinyl records have a distinct character that digital recording formats never captured.

“That analogue sound, there’s nothing more pure,” said Woodall. “With digital, you don’t hear some of the highs of the music. Listen to Jimi Hendrix on digital, then listen to a Jimi Hendrix record. You just hear a warmth in the tone. People tend to be agreeing and enjoying it.”