When www.MyFirstRecord.co.uk was launched at the beginning of January 2011, it was primarily designed in conjunction with this Recordpress Blog to celebrate the lost art of music playing, that was the vinyl record. Essentially as architect of MyFirstRecord.co.uk, I very much saw it as a homage and shrine to the nostalgia of the vinyl record!! However little did I know……to bastardise the words of Mark Twain, reports of the death of vinyl records has been greatly exaggerated!! It was announced this week that in the short lifespan of MyFirstRecord.co.uk , vinyl record sales in the UK have increased 55%  from January to June this year (compared to sales during the same period in 2010).

Let’s not get too carried away as the numbers are not in the multi milions – vinyl record sales reached a total of 168,296 units for the first half of 2011, with Radiohead’s “King of Limbs” album proving the most popular release, selling 20,771 copies. However to put this rise into perspective, the biggest seller over the same period last year was Paul Weller’s “Wake Up The Nation”, which only sold a rather modest 1,446 units.

When looking for the reasons for a resurgence of the vinyl record, Kim Bayley, Director General of Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), hits the needle on the head: “Vinyl may still be a niche format, but it is growing fast. Whether it is the ‘warmer’ sound many music fans appreciate, the large-scale artwork of a 12-inch sleeve or its sheer retro appeal, vinyl seems to be capturing the imagination of buyers despite the fact it typically costs twice as much as a CD containing exactly the same music”.

The fact of the matter is that the vinyl record appeals to at least three of the human senses – hearing, sight and touch!! It’s a fuller, warmer sound; the label and record sleeve are colourful and have character; and vinyl is a very tactile material. Altogether the vinyl record has bags more personality than it’s poor country cousin successor, the CD, and the invisible music download!! The truth is that the vinyl record never went away, but merely underground, where it formed a resistance movement comprising of parents and grandparents of today’s kids who have intentionally or unconciously adopted the older generations’ love of the vinyl record!! Whatever the motivation, the renaissance of the vinyl record market gives a potential lifeline to the few surviving vinyl record stores, struggling to compete in Apple’s iTunes dominated world.

Sadly, but not tragically in the context of the deaths in the riots, the rise of vinyl may be hampered by the major fire last week at the Sony distribution centre in Enfield, which destroyed entire stocks of hundreds of yet-to-be-released indie records on small independent labels like Domino, Sub Pop, 4AD, Matador, Warp, Ninja Tune, XL and dozens more losing huge amounts of stock. Let’s hope these small indie labels can bounce back and along with the trend for top bands to now produce and release limited vinyl editions, the future for the vinyl record is bright!!

Top 10 Vinyl Albums Jan-June 2011, according to the Official Charts Company, were –

Radiohead – King of Limbs

Beady Eye – Different Gear Still Speeding

Adele – 21

Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See

Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

Noah & The Whale – Last Night On Earth

Vaccines – What Did You Expect From the Vaccines

Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

 

Whether a contemporary or retro song, you can brighten up your bedroom, lounge or study, by ordering your favourite vinyl record, single or album, framed and mounted as a picture disc. ORDER NOW by clicking on…….. http://www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/

Alternatively this would make a unique present or original gift for a special celebration  ie a Wedding, an 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th or 70th Birthday, a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day!! THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT!!