Sony Is Making Vinyl Records For The First Time Since 1989

The demand for vinyl continues to climb, and in light of it Sony has started creating records for the first time since 1989. The announcement was made today by Sony Music Entertainment, which says production will be taking place at a factory located near Tokyo. The news comes in light of increased consumer interest in records, and not just old ones: we're seeing soundtracks increasingly launch on new vinyl, including the 'Ocarina of Time' soundtrack and the 'Last Guardian' soundtrack.

Sony was once a major component in the global record business, churning out millions of records every year to satisfy music lovers around the globe. As times changed, though, consumers turned toward smaller, more portable music options, the height of which was the CD...something Sony itself was heavily involved developing. It eventually dropped its vinyl business as consumers gravitated to CDs.

Consumers later moved away from CDs in favor of digital music downloads, being wowed by the ability to pack dozens — and later hundreds and then thousands — of songs onto a single music player. The portability and usability was unrivaled, but also missing the magic that came with owning a physical disc that could sit on a shelf for all to see.

What was old became new again, and consumers began thrifting old players and records, building up their collections from dust bins and dime deals, slowly bringing the market back from death. Demand has risen for years, driving up used record costs, and companies have responded by launching new record players packed with modern tech and newly pressed vinyl with more modern albums.

If all goes as expected, vinyl record sales will exceed the billion-dollar milestone by the end of this year.

SOURCE: The Guardian