Vinyl revival

by Aaron Lombardi

Owners of independent record stores say the outlook is good with the closing of HMV Canada’s 102 stores.

According to an article by Fortune magazine, vinyl record sales have risen to $416 million USD per year contributing to 32 per cent of all music store sales. This is the first time vinyl record sales have reached this level since 1988. The nostalgic vibes and hard-to-match sounds of vinyl take older listeners back to their early days of musical enjoyment, but younger listeners are also jumping on the trend.  Michael Tracey is an avid vinyl collector who enjoys the physical property of a record rather than digital music.

“My dad has a bunch of vinyls and I started buying my own. They are like books, something you can hold and look at,” said Tracey. “With an iPod that’s all you have, which isn’t nearly as nice.”

With HMV music and retail stores closing on April 30, including the one in Devonshire Mall, independent record stores could be looking at a bright future without having to worry about corporate competition. However, Scott Woodall, owner of Vintage and Vinyl in LaSalle said he believes another retail store will soon be on its way.

“There were record stores and then people lost their jobs to places like HMV. What goes around comes around,” said Woodall. “It’s sad because the HMV workers are losing their jobs but it won’t be long before things repeat themselves and another music retail store comes along.”

Woodall credits the sale of used records as one of the advantages independent stores have over franchised stores, many of which only sell new records. Unlike CDs, vinyl records are sturdy and last longer. Most records are bought secondhand whereas HMV’s records are reproduced.

Although those in independent record sales see a financial benefit in the closing of HMV they also lament the “end of an era.” Nick Angelini is a store clerk at Dr. Disc Records in Windsor and credits HMV for starting his love of music collecting.

“I started collecting all my music there before they sold vinyl, so it’s sad that everything’s going away,”said Angelini.

With the vinyl craze at its peak revenue in close to 30 years, the rise of independent record stores and the closing of HMV could provide new opportunities to the world of music retail.