{"id":50009,"date":"2024-11-17T18:40:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-17T17:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69bc8630-ba2a-4db7-b582-1d9f02ddcd53"},"modified":"2024-11-17T19:09:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-17T18:09:22","slug":"why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Why hasn’t the vinyl revival touched the classical music market?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Sunday, 17 November 2024 at 17:40 PM<\/p>

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We’ve seen a vinyl resurgence in pop and jazz music coming for many years… but for some reason, this hasn’t translated into the classical music market. Why is that \u2013\u00a0and why do classical musicians and labels need to jump on the LP bangwagon?<\/strong><\/p>

\u2018Fly me to the Moon\u2019, Frank Sinatra\u2019s 1964 hit, lived up to its name. Half a century ago, in July 1969, it was the first music heard on the Moon when it was played \u2013 on cassette \u2013 by Apollo\u00a011 astronaut Buzz Aldrin as he stepped onto its surface. Eight years later, NASA\u2019s exploratory Voyager spacecraft entrusted its 54-minute cross-section of Earth\u2019s music to a record, etched with instructions on how to play it \u2013 including a handy stylus.<\/p>

<\/div> <\/figure> <p>The scientist behind the project, the legendary <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Carl-Sagan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carl Sagan<\/a><\/strong>, was optimistic that the spacecraft would not only be \u2018encountered\u2019 but that the record itself \u2018will be played\u2026 if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space\u2019. Who\u2019d have guessed that 50 years later, we ourselves would still be playing these records (as well as cassettes, inexplicably making a comeback too).<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-resurgence-of-vinyl\">The resurgence of vinyl<\/h2> <p>Over the past 15 years record sales have skyrocketed. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), over five million vinyl LPs were bought in the UK last year \u2013 that\u2019s eight per cent more than in 2020 and the 14th consecutive year of growth.<\/p> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A booming hi-fi market<\/h2> <p>As for the hi-fi market, \u2018there\u2019s never really been a revival for us; we\u2019ve always sold turntables since 1967, and we\u2019re selling a lot more now than we did ten years ago,\u2019 says Tony Revelle, chief operating officer of the leading specialist retailer Audio-T. \u2018We now sell more <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/audio-equipment\/best-turntables-record-players\">turntables<\/a><\/strong> than <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/the-best-cd-players-for-classical-music-lovers\">CD players<\/a><\/strong>, streamers and DACS combined, and sales of one of the most popular turntable brands \u2013 Rega \u2013 have increased ten-fold.\u2019 \u00a0<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rega Planar Turntables - The whole range compared\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tH7ZXD32GsE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>The servicing and upgrading of older decks is also serious business, though the people bringing them in have changed, as children inherit their parents\u2019 cherished equipment and want to get it going again. Not that turntables have remained static.<\/p> <p>\u2018They\u2019re better now than they ever were,\u2019 claims Revelle. \u2018They sound more digital in terms of detail and fidelity but they still have that indefinable quality which enables you to get engaged in the music in a way that pure digital often doesn\u2019t. Of course, digital sound can draw you in, but in order to match what vinyl does (even with just a \u00a3300 turntable) you\u2019ll have to spend much more money.\u2019 \u00a0<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/how-to-build-a-budget-hi-fi-system-with-high-quality-sound\">How to build a budget hi-fi system with high-quality audio<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The aesthetic appeal of vinyl<\/h2> <p>But is this all just nostalgia? \u2018There were some amazing stats going round two or three years ago about how few vinyl records were actually taken out of their shrink wrap,\u2019 says Steve Long of Signum Records. In 2016 the BBC published research showing that half the people surveyed weren\u2019t primarily interested in playing the records they\u2019d just bought: many of them didn\u2019t even own a turntable. \u2018Vinyls\u2019, as they\u2019re referred to today, are a style statement: their arty covers perfect for casually propping up in the background of an Instagram post or popping into a slick \u2018vinyl frame\u2019 for mounting on the wall. \u00a0<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/how-to-digitise-your-cd-and-record-collections\">How to digitise your record collection<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why isn’t the vinyl trend crossing over to the classical music market?<\/h2> <p>\u2018Although sales of vinyl overall are amazing,\u2019 confirms Long, \u2018we\u2019ve been underwhelmed with the figures for classical music, which only amount to about two per cent of the UK classical market [compared with 34 per cent for CDs and 55 per cent for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/best-music-streaming-services\">streaming<\/a><\/strong>]. When we reissued the Gabrieli Consort\u2019s award-winning <em>Venetian Coronation<\/em> on two LPs in 2013, we were working with very small numbers: we pressed 1000 copies and needed to sell 500 to break even, which we\u2019ve done, but it hasn\u2019t put a gold disc on the wall.\u2019 \u00a0<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: A New Venetian Coronation, 1595\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/0FoiiTbgOKYHAkUWjDI6GQ?si=0BoAWwhmQYSBkhd-iZ_9YQ&utm_source=oembed\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Low volumes and high production costs make classical LPs a niche product, and recent manufacturing delays are not helping the rollout. Caused by a combination of Covid, labour shortages and a scarcity of PVC, demand for vinyl is currently running at about double what the factories can produce. Small classical labels, like Onyx, find it difficult to meet release dates, especially when popular artists like Adele are hoovering up capacity with vast orders \u2013 such as 500,000 copies of the album <em>30<\/em>.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/how-to-boost-the-sound-quality-with-hi-fi-accessories\">How to boost the sound of your hi-fi with gadgets and accessories<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vinyl: what’s the appeal?<\/h2> <p>For true vinylistas it\u2019s worth the wait. For some, playing records is a positively sensual experience: sliding the black, slinky PVC out of its tight-fitting dust jacket onto a revolving, padded bed, guiding the stylus into the opening groove and savouring the gentle crackle and purr.<\/p> <p>For German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich, the LP is life-enhancing. \u2018The only time I listen to music for pleasure is on vinyl,\u2019 he reckons. \u2018I hadn\u2019t really listened to music for a long time, and then ten years ago I was asked to make a vinyl album and I really got into it. Since discovering vinyl, the joy has returned to my lifestyle.<\/p> <p>‘I\u2019m home and I sit down and look through my collection, which is still quite humble (but growing!); I choose a record and relax \u2013 I\u2019ve got 25 minutes until I have to get up and change the side. Lots of people have this kind of experience \u2013 connecting the ritual of putting on a vinyl with unplugging and taking time out.\u2019<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Leonard Elschenbroich - Elgar Cello Concerto\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N6fEXtCTOzo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>Rising vinyl sales have not been matched by a surge in new recordings. Reissued classics are, of course, very welcome, especially gems such as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/simon-rattle\">Simon Rattle<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s 2014-15 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/jean-sibelius\">Sibelius<\/a><\/strong> symphony cycle with the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/berlin-philharmonic\">Berlin Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> (seven clear vinyl pressings at a mere \u00a3200). But it\u2019s a big event when a new recording is made specifically for release on vinyl.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/simon-rattle-and-berlin-philharmonic\">Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic: seven of the best recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/sibelius-a-life-in-10-masterpieces\">Sibelius: a life in ten masterpieces<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>\u2018For once it\u2019s the LP which is the focal point rather than a nice add-on to a CD release,\u2019 says Matthew Cosgrove, general manager of Onyx Classics. \u2018And Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk thought the intimacy and intensity of Brahms\u2019s two <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/cello\">cello<\/a><\/strong> sonatas, alongside arrangements of his <em>Four Serious Songs<\/em> were the ideal repertory.\u2019 Whereas most vinyl releases today are digitally recorded and edited, every element of this new record is analogue, something rarely attempted since the heyday of the LP half a century ago.\u00a0<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/how-to-keep-your-cds-and-vinyl-in-top-condition\">How to keep your CDs and vinyl in top condition<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why classical musicians should embrace analogue sound<\/h2> <p>It\u2019s often assumed today that increasing the amount of information available \u2013 like adding extra pixels to a photo \u2013 will actually make the result more realistic. But Elschenbroich isn\u2019t so sure. \u2018An ultra-high-definition photo can look hyper-real, unlike the way we actually see with the naked eye. To me, pictures taken on Kodachrome film from the mid-70s seem more natural.<\/p> <p>‘The same with analogue sound: our instruments make sound waves in the air, the microphone picks them up, the wave form is recorded on tape \u2013 it\u2019s not changed into 0s and 1s like a digital recording. Nothing is lost in\u00a0translation.\u2019<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brahms Sonata No.1 for Cello and Piano in E minor Op.38 I - Allegro non troppo\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rt78kMpTbnk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>The heavy responsibility of turning back the clock, but not getting stuck in the past, fell to producer Simon Kiln. \u2018In preparation, we spent a lot of time listening to old recordings to get a sense of the pre-digital soundworld, but it was important to find what would actually sound best for Leonard and Alexei, and that meant trying out old and new microphones and experimenting with where to place them and how to arrange the studio.\u2019<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘There was heightened adrenaline in the studio’<\/h3> <p>The recording took place at Abbey Road in September last year with a specially assembled team who knew all about recording onto large spools of reel-to-reel tape and editing it with a razor blade \u2013 literally. There was no safety net, no back-up digital recording, and the pressure was on the performers to record long, accurate takes \u2013 usually whole movements \u2013 not only to conserve the tape (an eye-watering \u00a3300 an hour) but also to avoid the razor wherever possible. \u00a0<\/p> <p>\u2018The thing about razor-blade editing,\u2019 says Kiln, \u2018is that it\u2019s completely destructive: once you\u2019ve cut an edit into the master tape there\u2019s no going back. Because Leonard knew there were limits to where you can edit like this, there was certainly heightened adrenaline in the studio.\u2019<\/p> <p>This was something Elschenbroich relished: \u2018For me, one of the reasons for going analogue is that we can\u2019t record it bit by bit, like today\u2019s digital recordings \u2013 we can\u2019t fix every little thing. We have to record long sections. We did just three takes of the opening movement of the First <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johannes-brahms\">Brahms<\/a><\/strong> Sonata and between them we knew we could make maybe four or five cuts. So, it felt very close to playing live.\u2019 \u00a0<\/p> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The album conveys more sense of a real performance<\/h3> <p>This LP will offer music lovers and audiophiles something new and fresh \u2013 not the retro experience one might expect. Long takes and minimal editing offer greater freedom and continuity, and convey more sense of a real performance. Listening to traditional digital recordings, Elschenbroich often feels as though he\u2019s sitting in an empty concert hall, \u2018but with this recording \u2013 and I\u2019ve listened to it in many different places with headphones and speakers and so on \u2013 wherever you play it is where it\u2019s taking place.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/how-to-choose-the-right-headphones-for-listening-to-classical-music\">How to choose the right headphones for listening to classical music<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>‘So, if you\u2019re in a small living room, then Alexei and I are sitting there with you; if it\u2019s a big reception room, then we\u2019re playing for you at the front. There is no space that you enter: it enters into the space that you are in.\u2019 What Simon Kiln and the team have created at Abbey Road is, says Elschenbroich, \u2018the best cello-piano sound I know: it\u2019s the closest to how I would like to be heard \u2013 always! It will be difficult to record any other way from now on.\u2019 \u00a0<\/p> <p>As classical music lovers we may not be the ones who will benefit most from the current vinyl revival. Yet some of us still have our old collections, and there are boxes of second-hand LPs just waiting to be snapped up in charity shops and auction houses across the country. And if this analogue awakening does nothing else, it should inspire us to stop for half-an-hour, and make more time for relaxed, mindful\u00a0listening. \u00a0<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/audio-equipment\/listening-room-ideas\">Best music room ideas: how to create the perfect listening space<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/audio-equipment\/best-budget-turntables\">Best budget turntables<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Brahms Analogue: Cello Sonatas 1&2, Four Serious Songs\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/4hYk8Xh5CQnnoteVf80Ips?si=KcmlBjGdRneDowZDnEPtRQ&utm_source=oembed\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Sunday, 17 November 2024 at 17:40 PM We’ve seen a vinyl resurgence in pop and jazz music coming for many years… but for some reason, this hasn’t translated into the classical music market. Why is that \u2013\u00a0and why do classical musicians and labels need to jump on the LP bangwagon? \u2018Fly me to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":50010,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"9"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/why-hasnt-the-vinyl-revival-touched-the-classical-music-market.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Sunday, 17 November 2024 at 17:40 PM We’ve seen a vinyl resurgence in pop and jazz music coming for many years… but for some reason, this hasn’t translated into the classical music market. Why is that \u2013\u00a0and why do classical musicians and labels need to jump on the LP bangwagon? \u2018Fly me to…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/50009"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}