BBC 6Music is currently running a week of programs celebrating the vinyl record, a format which has recently regained a measure of popularity despite having long been technically obsolete. Although more advanced, digital media have been available for decades, a recent surge in vinyl sales suggests that such records still have a unique appeal for music fans which can't be replicated by their only real physical rival, the CD. The fact that a major radio station dedicated a sizable chunk of its festive airtime to a celebration of this format only serves to cement the idea of vinyl holding a special place in the hearts of fans and musicians alike, but what concerned me as I was listening to these shows was the extent to which the advocates of vinyl seem to be fetishising the form and - in doing so - sidelining the content of recorded music.
When asked, people generally justify their favouring of vinyl over other formats in one of two ways; the sound of the record or the tactile satisfaction of having a physical artifact. We will return to the former, but for now let's look at the latter. The format of recorded music is not in and of itself relevent to the quality of that music, unless by its nature it degrades or enhances the intended sound quality of the recording. I say "intended" because for some bands and artists low fidelity is an aesthetic choice. The physical experience associated with a particular format of recorded music (and here the wallprint-sized artwork and ritualistic turntable operation of vinyl easily wins out over the simplistic and therefore less meaningful experience of CD usage) is an attribute which must be counted alongside the other, myriad paraphernalia of music-making and listening, none of which are essential to the music itself. Just like the equipment a band uses or the recording techniques they utilise, the format of their recorded music is a part of the medium of delivery for their songs, but it is in no way essential to the music it holds. And it is this music which is the band or artist's reason for existence; they would not (obviously) be musicians without it. All else is secondary to the music written, played and recorded, and then preserved on plastic discs, digital files or whatever. The format should always serve the music for which it acts as a conduit, which is why I find its apparent veneration somewhat troubling.
Vinyl is more romanticised than any other format of recorded music, fashion and nostalgia both playing a part in its resurgent popularity as well as concerns of sound quality and tactile experience. This near-obsession with the medium of music draws attention away from the music itself, which is of course the reason for that medium's existence in the first place. It's a hallmark of music geekery (I myself being a major culprit) to fetishise the assorted paraphernalia which surround the music we listen to, but we must accept that the format of recorded music is also to be counted among these non-essential elements of music-making and listening. On occasion, it enhances the listening experience and enables musicians to get closer to a particular sound which they might have envisioned for their work, but generally it is incidental to the music itself, which is of course the most important part of the equation. The music is the end, everything else is just the means.
