Patrick Meloche Professor Jeannette Novakovich ENGL 216 10 Novermber 2011 The White Paper

The Issue
On most fronts, technology is continuously improving itself. Things are getting smaller, faster, more efficient, and less expensive. In short, theyre getting better. However, in the world of audio, debate still rages about whether or not things might be getting worse. One of the loudest, and most long-running, arguments is the analogue versus digital media debate, which centers on the benefits of vinyl records against CDs and digital audio files like MP3s. Understanding this argument is essential for understanding the views of the consumer base, particularly the popularization of analogue audio, and how to market to them.

Background
The crux of the difference between the formats is audio quality. Vinyl, as an analogue format, is a true representation of sound. The grooves in the vinyl vibrate the needle, which recreates the recorded sounds. No information is lost in this process. Digital audio, on the other hand, is an approximation of sound. In order to contain audio in a reasonably sized file, like an MP3, compression is employed. Compressing an audio file means removing information that the particular compression format deems unnecessary. This results in an incomplete sound. Those who professionally deal with audio and many consumers recognize this difference and its one of the major factors that vinyl records have managing to survive to this day. Its also an indicator of the MP3s temporariness. As an imperfect format, it needs to be improved upon and eventually replaced. Vinyl, on the other hand, is much more permanent, as underlined by the fact that the new and used vinyl market is thriving again after existing for 20 years as a niche product. Its original decline resulted from the gradual adoption of the CD throughout the 1980s. Between 1981 and 1989, Canadian vinyl sales saw a 93.3% decrease. In October 1990, Canadian vinyl sales totaled just 2000 units, while CDs sold 2.3 million units. Today, however, vinyl sales are the best theyve been since 1991. In 2010 they reached 2.8 million units sold, which represents a 14% increase from 2009. Its the only audio format showing an increase in sales. CDs, on the other hand, saw a 13% drop during the same period, after a 20% drop the year before. Tellingly, the market has begun to expand beyond the DJ culture that predominantly supported it throughout the 90s. Before the advances that made CD DJing and digital DJing possible, DJs used vinyl. If it werent for dance music culture, the format quite likely would not have survived the 90s. Today, DJs have largely

hopped over to other formats because of their lower cost and ease of transport. However, interest in vinyl finally appears to have developed in other cultures. The Beatles Abbey Road was the best selling album in 2010 for the second year straight, and Arcade Fires newest album, The Suburbs, was second best, which demonstrates equal interest in both new and old non-electronic music.

Conclusion
The fact that consumers are ignoring the downsides associated purchasing vinyl speaks volumes for their dedication. They are significantly more expensive then digital alternatives; most MP3s cost 0.99$, while buying a record with just two songs on it can sometimes cost up to 13$, and that doesnt even include overseas shipping costs. Because theyre a physical item, they can be broken, scratched, worn down, lost or stolen, and they require a lot of space to store in large quantities; digital files, on the other hand, will sound the same forever, can be copied infinitely and can be stored in multiple places at once. Finally, digital files can be purchased from anywhere with an internet connection and received in a matter of seconds; vinyl requires finding and physically going to a record store, if one even exists nearby, and hoping they have what youre looking for, or ordering online and waiting up to a few weeks for your order to arrive. That the vinyl market is growing despite these hindrances indicates a true dedication the format. People who buy MP3s will move on the next format to come along, if its more convenient to do so, but those who buy vinyl have proven that they know what they want and theyll stick with it. Thanks to them, vinyl today stands as a prime example of the marketplace dictating the market. Despite the widespread abandoning of the vinyl format among major labels, a constant, strong consumer base has kept it alive and have no begun to help it prosper. Its important that the music industry recognize that in todays environment of dwindling sales, a format thats actually seeing growth and success deserves their attention.

Recommendations
The best way to increase the longevity of both the vinyl and MP3 formats is to standardize bundle packs. Consumers should be given the option of buying a record and receiving a free MP3 download of the album. This will help generate vinyl sales by making them more financially lucrative and enticing those who had never previously bought vinyl to become a consumer. MP3s could be marketed specifically as an on the go musical alternative, which sacrifices quality for convenience, while vinyl would be the higher quality, at home solution. Together, they address each others downfalls and provide consumers with a way of covering all their needs. As an added bonus, this wouldnt diminish total profits, as the production costs of MP3s are negligible.

Alternatives

A society should be formed to actively lobby for the preservation and continued existence of vinyl records. The digital audio industry should switch its standard from MP3 to a lossless audio format like FLAC to preserve audio quality. Increased marketing push for vinyl sale in general. o People will need digital audio for their on-the-go listening needs. This would make it possible to sell the same material to them twice to meet two different needs.

Work Cited
Coles, Terri. FACTBOX: How Vinyl Record Sales Stack Up. Reuters. 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2011 Dunlevy, TCha. DJ Digital. The Gazette 18 Nov. 2006. ProQuest. Web. 20 Sept. 2011 Kratina, Al. Facing the music. The Gazette 21 May 2011. ProQuest. Web. 20 Sept. 2011 Sanderson, David. Advances in digital technology are starting a vinyl record revival. The Gazette 28 July 2008. ProQuest. Web. 20 Sept. 2011 Greenburg, Zack OMalley. The Record Album Re-Turns. Forbes 18 July 2011: 62-64. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Sept 2011.