Time's January article on the vinyl upswing offered that "LPs generally exhibit a warmer, more nuanced sound than CDs and digital downloads. MP3 files tend to produce tinnier notes, especially if compressed into a lower-resolution format that pares down the sonic information." But what if that "sonic information" wasn't there in the first place? Isn't everyone using ProTools now? It would seem that this call for great sound and the rise of digital recording would be at odds.

Is vinyl mastering so superior to the "noise reduction" CDs are legendary for that even digital music sounds better on LP? Or is the hype just, well, hype? Do people just think they're getting better sound on new records because they assume they're getting a pure analog experience? Does the appeal of the gatefold overcome the fact that once a sound is digitized, there's no turning backl? The vinyl I buy tends to be used and $1.99, so I can't speak from authority about the sound quality of new vinyl. But maybe you can.

Why do people buy records? [Matablog]
Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back [Time]

Two years on, the White Stripes' Icky Thump has just notched up the highest weekly sales for a 7in single for more than 20 years. Retailers and record labels put the rising vinyl sales down to bands rediscovering the format and to music fans' enduring desire to collect. It's not unusual for fans to buy a 7in but have nothing to play it on, says Paul Williams at industry magazine Music Week. "It's about the kind of acts that have very loyal fan bases that want everything to do with that act," he says. "They maybe will buy the download to listen to, but they get the vinyl to own. It's looked at like artwork."

HMV agrees that vinyl is back from the brink, and the chain has been rapidly expanding its record racks to meet rising demand. The group's Gennaro Castaldo cites the huge popularity of "indie" bands, such as Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, which enjoy loyal followings among teenagers and students, especially during the summer festival season.

"Labels have realised that it's cool for bands to release their music on vinyl, especially in limited edition form, which makes it highly collectible," he says.

The aesthetics of albums also make them attractive—the lack of cheap plastic boxes and expansive canvases for cover art make the idea of album-as-collectible that much more possible, something that probably wouldn't happen with a CD unless you're talking about, say, that Jane's Addiction "Been Caught Stealing" maxi-single with the finger handcuffs attached to it in 1991. But for those concerned about portability—and who don't feel like indulging their retro tendencies all the way to a new cassette player—we like the idea that some labels, including Merge and the Beggars Group, have had, which involves bundling free digital downloads of albums with purchases of the vinyl edition. That way, you get the pretty collectible without having to find a '56 DeSoto in order to listen to it while you're on the road.

Back in the groove: Young music fans spark vinyl revival [Guardian]

...Vinyl still accounts for a small percentage of music sales. Last year 858,000 LPs were sold, compared with 553.4 million CDs, according to Nielsen SoundScan. While the 2006 figure was up slightly from 2005, the overall trend has been down from 1.5 million in 2000. [Company CEO Cris Ashworth] believes the data are skewed, though, because a lot of vinyl is sold in mom and pop stores not reflected in the SoundScan numbers.

His company has managed to thrive by picking up business from rivals in a shrinking market. Today, he has only 13 competitors, compared with several dozen before CDs took over in the '90s. Revenue hit $5 million in 2004 and grew to $7 million in 2005. Last year saw significant growth over 2005, Ashworth said.

A majority of that business comes from hip-hop and dance artists eager to get their songs into the clubs, and we're guessing additional revenue is supplied by well-off nerdophiles who need their virgin-vinyl reissue of The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. But perhaps the most interesting tidbits in the story are about the 45-year-old plant itself, which includes a "party room" that once hosted a Wayne Newton birthday party, and even features a furnished apartment that hosted out-of-towner Motown producers during the segregation era.

Record maker puts his stamp on music history [AP, via UsaToday.com]

The Soul-Sides.com Guide to Turntables For Digitizing Vinyl [soul sides]
So You Want To Start An Audioblog... [soul sides]
Earlier: Plug-And-Play Turntables Drop The Needle On Even More Nerdiness

Somewhat related: Plus Deck Cassette Converter, which we'd probably think about picking up if we didn't already have an MP3 of "Oh Sheila."

The Turntables That Transform Vinyl [NYT]