Vinyl records are now making a comeback in a new age of music
By Amanda Cordle
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Staff Writer
Vinyl records are no longer just items collecting dust at your grandparents' house or tucked away in your attic. Vinyl has made an enormous comeback and is sampled in almost every genre of music. Every time you enjoy hip-hop, rave, alternative, or death metal, you may be hearing samples of music on vinyl.
The Library of Congress was well aware of this trend long before the American public caught on.
According to its website www.loc.gov, the Library of Congress acquired its first sound recording in 1904, but did not begin to collect recordings officially until 1925. The library's collection is extremely vast, and very diverse. Approximately 275,000 vinyl records have been given to or acquired by them.
The collection consists of operatic recordings, chamber music, and all types of American music. On every thread of each record is a piece of America's history recorded eternally for all to hear. The durability of vinyl makes it much easier to care for than most modern music mediums. Also, the components needed to play vinyl are much simpler than the lasers required to play compact discs.
Artist Benny Alba, currently touring Alabama and Georgia, says, �Vinyl records are like oil deposits. They're liquid gold. Keep them carefully. Treat them well. They cannot be wiped out by a glitch on the recording. They're full of beauty and history. Even now, as they are considered archaic, they remain the golden standard of music.�
Vinyl's value is hard to estimate because it is still used so widely. �
Rap battles, raves, and most dance clubs have one key component, a disc jockey. DJs and producers often sample from vinyl collections, since the art of� �scratching and spinning� makes it very easy to sample a small selection from a recording into new music. In fact, many underground artists find it easier to have their demos and recordings put onto vinyl so that it may be sampled at a club.
Many independent musicians have described it as the best method of circulating their lyrics, or beats. While 45s and 16" vinyl records are much larger than CDs, their versatility allows them to continue to thrive and succeed in a new age of music.
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