Vinyl Culture - Black Is Back

Black is back: like the old reliable little black dress, the waxy grooved slab of black vinyl continues to be the go to staple purchase for music lovers across the world. With His Masters Voice slowly coming to a whisper as HMV administrators announce plans to axe another 464 staff and 37 stores, it's the independent music shops which are enjoying the unexpected spoils of this turmoil economy.

The independents such as Rough Trade have reported "record" sales in the company's 36 year history. The power of nostalgia is nothing new in facilitating the resurgence of retro fashion and playing Tetris on your Gameboy ironically but it is the cultural implications of vinyl which has made its lasting impact.

The music consumer has longed for the return to engagement of music in both the purchasing and owning experience. The joy of independent music shops is that no one knows what they want to buy until you arrive and vinyl has become a signifier for the return of tangible music ownership. This rings true with the quote by Marshall McLuhan "The Medium Is The Message" from his magnum opus Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. If the proposal is that a medium itself, not the content it carries, should be the focus of study, vinyl then plays a role not only by the music it delivers, but also by the characteristics of vinyl.

No one actually remembers how or what they were feeling when they bought that Top 10 Rhinanna track through iTunes. Do you remember when you bought your first and last bit of vinyl?