Posted on Northernstar, by helen Hawkes
GROOVY TIMES: Nick Barovsky, owner of The Audio Room, Lismore, has seen a positive swing back to analogue technology and vinyl.
EVERYTHING old is new again, at least on the music front.
On the back of figures from the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), which reports vinyl sales jumped more than 100{fa76ff8d89001c4e403402728e1a7786cd25c7bdb58a18ff0a8051c7751c2729} last year, The Audio Room’s Nick Barovsky says that figure is closer to 500{fa76ff8d89001c4e403402728e1a7786cd25c7bdb58a18ff0a8051c7751c2729}.
“Young people between 18 to 25 are discovering vinyl,” said the Lismore store owner, whose opinion is backed up by leading online vinyl retailer http://www.musicshop.com.au.
It says baby boomers are also rediscovering their taste for music collecting.
Mr Barovsky agrees: “In some cases it is the young people turning their parents back on to vinyl.
“In others, it’s the father and son coming into the shop and buying vinyl together.
“It’s very exciting.”
Mr Barovsky stocks 15,000 secondhand records and has been in business in Lismore for 17 years.
“When I first opened the shop, everyone thought I was crazy,” he said.
“Now they think I am lucky!”
He believes the compact disc is dying because of downloading, but says vinyl remains the best music medium because of sound quality, permanency and the fact that you own it.
And, if you’re looking for something to play your records on, Mr Barovsky sells quality British Rega record players that retail for $550 to $15,000.
Figures released this week by ARIA show the Australian vinyl record market jumped from $2.8 million to $6.4 million in just one year, with online retailers creating an opportunity for consumers to get new albums and hard-to-find rarities.
“Sales of vinyl have really spearheaded growth for us over the last year,” said Craig Thompson, the executive director of http://www.musicshop.com.au.
“Vinyl is about giving people a way to express their taste through their collections and by sourcing from across the world.”
TOP 10 VINYL RECORDS OF 2014
Built on Glass – Chet Faker
Lazaretto – Jack White
Abbey Road – The Beatles
Morning Phase – Beck
Turn Blue – Black Keys
X – Ed Sheeran
Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
1989 – Taylor Swift
SOURCE: http://www.musicshop.com.au
