Media shit.

As part of my course I was forced to write a 500 word assessment of a media 'artefact' of my choice. I thought I was being original by choosing a record player. I was wrong. Who cares.


Media Artefact: The Vinyl Record Player

The vinyl record player, despite being technologically obsolete, is still firmly rooted in modern culture. They were used in the 20th century from the 1920's, up until the point when digital Compact Discs were introduced. CDs superseded the analog vinyl record. Datacide, 2009, cites the following reasons for the CDs success over vinyl: "...the Compact Disc that was ultimately much cheaper and easier to manufacture and lighter to transport."

However, vinyl has been experiencing a resurgence in the past few years - this could be explained by the fact that a vinyl record is larger than a CD and therefore tactile in a way that they are not; the space provided for often elaborate cover art and notes in the sleeve; better sound quality when compared to overly compressed audio files; and the sense of nostalgia that it invokes in a lot of people (the appeal to the 'retro' or 'vintage' aesthetic.) (TIME, 2008)

The very first incarnation of a vinyl player was developed by Thomas Edison in 1877, called the phonograph. Edison, being a scientist, was more concerned with what was 'scientifically correct' than to explore to full utility of his invention. (Vinyl Records Still Live, 2007). His phonograph used high fidelity wax coated cylinders instead of the lateral cut discs - invented by Emile Berliner - that more closely resemble a modern vinyl record. These records at first had a very low sound quality, but after working Eldridge R. Johnson the sound improved to the point where they could compete with the wax coated cylinders. Berliner and Johnson merged their company to form the Victor Talking Machine Company, market leaders for decades, who would spread to become JVC in Japan and HMV elsewhere.

Edison tried in vain to compete with the lateral disc, releasing a cylinder that had a maximum play time of 4 and a half minutes - even though this ultimately failed and Edison stopped producing the cylinders in the 1920s, it is thought that this technological restraint actually helped to shape pop culture by influencing the length of a standard pop song, an element of technological determinism. (The Telegraph, 2009)

In a generation that relies heavily upon their mp3 players as their main musical device, young people are criticised for not knowing good sound quality when they hear it. The lower fidelity sound recordings on their mp3 players produce a 'metallic' sound and studies have shown that a younger person will prefer this over the crackles and rumble of a vinyl record. (The Telegraph, 2009). This seems to conflict with sales figures which assert that vinyl is making a come-back; however, part of its very appeal is its exclusivity, and association with the eclectic and strange.

Vinyl originally lost the battle to CDs because record players are cumbersome and the discs are large. However, in a world now where everything is portable and instant, the idea of something static and almost ceremonial in a constantly changing environment is attractive. Audiophiles are also often quick to point out that music itself is not a digital medium, and to convert it into such causes it to lose some of its qualities; they believe that an analog medium is the only way to really capture music. (Daily Record, 2006)

References:

Datacide Magazine, 2009. The End of Vinyl Again? [online] Available at: <http://datacide.c8.com/the-end-of-vinyl-again/> [Accessed 19 March 2011]

TIME, 2008. Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back. [online] Available at: <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702369,00.html> [Accessed 19 March 2011]

The Telegraph, 2009. iPod generation prefers tinny music to CD. [online] Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/4941506/iPod-generation-prefers-tinny-music-to-CD.html> [Accessed 19 March 2011]

Vinyl Records Still Live, 2007. Vinyl record player history uncovered [online] Available at: <http://www.vinylrecordslive.co.uk/vinyl-record-player.html> [Accessed March 19 2011]

Daily Record (The Baltimore), 2006. Vinyl records enjoying a resurgence in popularity [online] Available at: <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4183/is_20060120/ai_n16025264/> [Accessed March 19 2011]


Why have you even read this far?