Are you kidding? How did we ever use this primitive technology for so long? And why are some people still using it? Every Thursday, CTS will highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly of technology from days gone by in our #TBT Technology blog. Enjoy reliving the good old days!
VINYL LP RECORDS
When they were invented: 1948
Purpose: Music storage that’s durable and cheap
Who still uses them: Hipsters, record collectors, DJs
Why they’re still used: In 2015, people bought 11.92 million records; 10 years earlier, they bought just 900,000. General reasons for the resurgence is the popularity of the big, beautiful sleeve artwork, the rise of music streaming which has mostly killed the utility of the CD, and the belief that vinyl sounds “better.” This last one isn’t really true compared to high-quality digital and considering the limits of human hearing, but it does sound different, and if you prefer that sound, more power to you. And most of all, it’s used because people want to be cool. — Popular Mechanics