Throw out a cliché like 'the comeback of vinyl', and Brian Taylor, manager of
Rotate This on Queen West, won't hesitate to put you in your place, for both your
inaccuracy, and your literary laziness. Taylor, who has managed the resilient record store for the past 16 years, staunchly asserts that although the vinyl industry has narrowly survived some tumultuous periods, the magic has never died for those who get high on fidelity.
But he won't deny that renewed interest in records has coincided with lethargic CD sales, and a general disinterest in the shimmering discs.
In the same way that CDs made tapes obsolete, there's ample evidence to suggest that digital files are slowly setting up CDs for a similar fate.
The tables may be turning, but when it comes to turntables and records, demand is at an all-time high.
"The thing with vinyl for us is that it never really changed, or went away," notes Taylor, who sports a beard that's as unruly as the hardcore punk he prefers. "CD sales definitely in the last 18 months or two years have dropped dramatically, but our vinyl sales are surging and selling as much or more than they ever have. It's not uncommon for a new release to outsell the CD on vinyl two-to-one, in some cases more than that."
A marriage that once seemed unlikely has now been consummated, and artists are beginning to release their latest works on both vinyl and digital download, with some, like
Elvis Costello, forgoing CD's altogether.
It's a match made in heaven for those who want their music on their Ipods, but still find that putting on a record holds a unique charm that CDs were never able to instill in listeners.
"There was some dark times when everybody was talking about MP3's and nobody even wanted to say 'MP3' or 'download' in the record store, it was like this really filthy word but now it's changed," admits Kevin Hegge, who has worked at Rotate This for the past six years. "Now the vinyl and MP3 thing is being grouped together so it's not a dirty word anymore."
"People have been doing that for several years, where you could buy vinyl with the CD in it, and more recently the MP3 download, that's been happening at independent labels for 3 or 4 years now," Taylor adds. "So Costello isn't exactly coming up with anything new, but that's the way it's going for sure. A lot of independent bands are putting out vinyl only."
It all spells trouble for Compact Discs, which offer neither the portability or storage capacity of digital files, nor the warm sound of vinyl. They're essentially stuck between two expanding worlds and getting crushed in the middle.
"If people want to buy them they'll be here, but if you think about it with the way digital culture is, you go online, and with that format (CD) it doesn't make any sense. Like why would you go spend 15 or 20 dollars for something that ultimately, you should be able to just download? And you can if you look hard enough."
"When CDs came out it was all about, not so much the sound...it was more about the convenience, but now you have MP3s which are the ultimate in convenience and with vinyl it's just more of a process. Take the vinyl out, put it on a turntable and listen to it and it's not just about clicking a mouse or hitting a button."
Major record chains like HMV are now catering to increasing demands for vinyl. Their flagship stores in Toronto and Montreal boast ever-expanding record sections.
"Basically with new releases if it's available (on vinyl) we have it," explains HMV product coordinator Elliott Pen. "People ask about it all the time. It's becoming more worthwhile because some albums get a free download with the record."
"This has grown leaps and bounds in the last year and a half."
At the back of Rotate This, Barney Stathakis, a grey-haired father of four visiting from South Africa, is sifting through a pile of dusty classic rock records. At the front of the store, 16-year-old Mike Thomas, an aspiring DJ, is checking out the latest hip hop releases.
There's decades between them, but they both find a similar sense of satisfaction buying and listening to records as opposed to CDs.
"For me, it's the artwork, the sound. Records are sort of in your face. To me a CD is small and sort of insignificant," Stathakis explains. "A record to me demands attention and that to me makes a huge difference. Also it's just the pure joy of putting it on and listening to it. There's also the joy of finding something. That thrill. It's unparalleled."
Thomas became hooked after seeing a DJ in action.
"I tried playing guitar and I was horrible at it and I wanted to play some sort of musical instrument. Then I saw a DJ and I thought I can do that. So I went to a local record store and I felt at peace there. It was so nice there. I started listening to all these old records and it just started there I guess."
"The difference in sound is so big, listening to something on CD or MP3, it's not even close to the same. It's unexplainable."
Before we leave the comfortable setting of Rotate This, Taylor takes us into the back room when he sorts the inventory and stores some of his favourite records that aren't for sale.
"Five years ago I'm checking a 9-10 box order from the U.S. And five years ago, it would have been about 8 boxes of CDs and a couple of boxes of vinyl and now it's like 9 boxes of vinyl and a little box of CDs. That's how much our business is changing. And that's not just representative of one supplier, it's true for all of them," he says.
"There's just something about holding a record, about dropping the needle on it that's just a warm cozy feeling and you just don't get that with a CD."
michaelt@citytv.com