Ok, this is not a thread about audiophile reissues, many of which I feel are overpriced cons.
It's whether by definition new music, especially ambient, electronica, dance etc, that is DDD thruout the recording/mixing/mastering chain, is better bought on digital media, cd or streaming, or whether lp is still where it's at.
Obv from the point of view of someone who is still fully invested in lp as a format.
Are there any lp guys out there who actively choose NOT to buy new DDD music on vinyl?
London Grammar and Adele 25, both I believe are DDD, and both slay cd/streamed (Adele I know for a fact, L Grammar reliably reported to me by Audiophile Bill).
An awful lot of new music I'm interested in is getting deluxe treatments on vinyl, and cd to some extent, and I'm wondering if I should stick to theory and keep analog lp for analog recordings, and cd for pure DDD.
This is an excellent question, and it applies to all music mediums/formats (not just LPs but also CDs, SACDs, FLAC/WAV hi-res audio files, tapes, etc.).
Of course it has been discussed in the past and still today it is even more relevant for all music lovers of all ages, from the new ones to the old hardcore ones.
Music recordings made today; if our search is for the medium(s) of our choice it is important to know how they are made the ones we buy from the record labels we buy with our money during our lifetime here on Earth.
Vinyl; LP or CD streaming?
Yesterday I was researching about the state of the LP made today but something came up that cut me short (health issue).
I have all Adele music recordings on CDs but I am not satisfy with their sound quality; I like her though, the reason why I have all of her in my less than satisfactory digital music collection (physical software).
Here are two links (free internet info):
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http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?p=3097423
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http://www.recordingmag.com/resources/resourceDetail/113.html
For the people who can afford the best, the time to investigate how today the LP is derived from is of prime importance.
We are talking today, not yesterday when LP was the main dominant music format, before cassette tapes, before DAT and before CDs.
* Open-reel-tape is for its own thread as it is a format of higher quality and calibration, and much more expensive today.
We remember the CDs of yesterday (from 1983) and their codes: DDD, ADD, AAD, ...
LPs don't have those codes, and CDs not anymore. To find out how they are made today we have to search each record label and know how their recording/mixing/mastering engineers use the tools they are using, for each phase from the mics to the final stage.
We also know that vinyl is an art in producing/manufacturing. It requires high knowledge/expertise/dedication, and it costs more money too (go to your music store and compared prices of new LPs versus new CDs). I did and I mentioned it before (the difference is on average twice more expensive for a new LP, and up to three times more, like $15 versus $45).
Second-hand stores are different and it's nor the subject here; which is NEW music in the year 2017.
When I was buying new LPs back then (late 60s early 70s) for $4.99 Canadian ($2.99 and $3.99 before my time), today is no more; how they are made and how much they cost.
When I started buying CDs back then (mid 80s) for $10-15, today is still the same, much less expensive now. Before it was the digital corruption, today the digital corruption we know where it is.
Cost relevance (past vs today):
In 1970 a new house cost $23,400.00 USD
In 1970 the average income per year was $9,350.00
In 1970 a gallon of gas was 36 cents
The average ticket price for a film in 1971 was $1.65
The average price for an album in 1970 was $3.00
Datsun 210 $3,869
If you have $100 Converted from 1970 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $517.65 today.
So, that would mean, in todays market, an album would have cost $15.53.
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This is a vast subject because of today's music business involvement. The competition for the $$ is fierce as ever, just like when CDs came up; the smaller practical and portable music format (MP3's father and mother). Cars in the 70s; 8-track tapes.
The younger people around me, music lovers? ...Their music collection is in their iPhones. ...They plug it @ home and in their cars.
The rest of us we simply live in the past with what we still have left. We are so lonely that we visit the best audio/music forums of the internet highway to discover new music and new quality music recordings on the formats of our choice.
Tidal is CD quality and costs only what...$20/month? And the people behind Tidal and the music selection are for us to accommodate or not our lifestyle.
So much music so little time.