The past meets the future

@pindac How one accesses various storage medium is also critical as to favorability for any one user. Access to music files by far the easiest, this alone could make it more desirable than any physical medium. Uninterrupted music sessions is huge draw for me, just last night suddenly got the notion to try various renditions of same song by Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Al Martino. A few presses on tablet, shazam. To look through my albums and cue up song may have taken hours.

I really enjoy both mediums, the problem with that is expenditure goes up in great measure, I don't doubt a commensurate amount to equalize sound quality. Unlike Ghdprentice, my analog has a way to go to catch up to digital.

Greatest liability to going in dual direction for those of us with limits on pocketbook is both systems suffer in directing expenditures on one or the other.

I'm also curious about the future of vinyl. If vinyl at or near end of innovation, and streaming in relatively early days, just a matter of time before absolute sound quality of digital surpasses vinyl. I'm sure it will maintain it's place as niche product, but over the long run become obsolete.  Boomer audiophiles have lifetime of experiencing or hearing others advocate superiority of vinyl, this has been great motivator for preference of vinyl over digital. What happens when that ends?  I don't see a lot of younger audiophiles entering vinyl arena without superior sound quality as motivation. Some will be attracted to the more hands on experience, nostalgia motivations such as art work, but when superior sound quality allied to more convenience and relatively lower cost of digital is considered, I'm afraid vinyl days numbered.

Yes, there continues to be innovation in vinyl, but not to the same extent and speed of digital. Vinyl has some real physical limitations, both in recording and playback arenas, digital much less. What does this mean for future?

I can only say as a boomer, vinyl was the dominant physical playback medium. From the time we were children we were exposed to record players and records, as budding audiophiles, turntables, cartridges held all our attention. We gathered great numbers of albums, albums easily available at department, drug, record, discount stores. Even allowing for inflation, albums were relatively cheap, we could use allowance or paper route money to purchase records. And I could go on and on. This was the golden age of audio to my mind, records dominated in so many ways. Today it is only niche, certainly there has been a renaissance, but this has been from near extinction levels. If I compare youth today to those of my time, vinyl is practically or totally non-existent for them. Between many, many youthful relatives and friends of theirs, the only youth I know involved with vinyl are DJ's, not a single one has turntable or home stereo system, most have or have had albums owned by parents in the home, all sold or cast off in garage or attic. I hear about this vinyl resurgence but don't see it with youthful masses, the only youth I observe becoming involved with vinyl are the budding audiophiles, relatively few and far between

I have fond memories of vinyl, lament the vast majority of today's youth won't  have these experiences and memories of a particular music format. I love steaming, but these vinyl experiences and memories cannot be replicated by streaming for the youth of today.

Yes, utility is a good thing.

All good comments above. especially williewonka's recitation of Ghdprentice's statement of a good losing it's performance edge. In looking back on my own situation over the last few years, every single bit of attention and upgrades have been  totally committed to streaming side. As a result streaming sound advantage has in fact commended the vinyl side to a purely nostalgic medium, it just sits there folornly unused, very sad. Even more sad is, I'm just beginning to acknowledge that regardless of how much I upgraded vinyl side it would rarely be used. I'm so immersed in the complexity of streaming, the sound quality is wonderful, the convenience is undeniable, whats not to like. I'm very afraid my listening prerogatives may have changed to the point I may not be able to go back to old ways of listening. My new way of listening is pretty much stream of consciousness, with a few taps on my tablet I can instantly go wherever my mind takes me, totally addictive for me!

I'm feeling very sad at the moment for my vinyl, all the effort to obtain present setup, 3500+ albums, and all it is is a memory piece. I'm really in a difficult place right now as to whether to sell it all off, or see it languish. The hoarder in me wants to keep, but whats the point if I only rarely or never use it.

I know from other posts all over the interwebs others have been at this same juncture and sold everything off, now I'm here. Is this how vinyl will die?

As to the issue artist treated unfairly in distribution of money with streaming. I agree there are issues here, but this is not inherent to streaming platform, its simply an unfair business model at present.

And since when have we not had unfair business models in the music business? I remember when a few record companies controlled the entire recording and distribution networks, Some bands signing for multi $100k contracts, others for relative pennies, and that if they could get recorded at all! Think of how many band never even got to record in the bad old days! I know I have a few cd's of these totally obscure bands from 60's into 80's where bands only output was some demos that were never released in the day. What about all these bands?

No, if one is going to lament the good old days, if you look back without the rose colored glasses you'll see they weren't so good. I lament what I believe will be the passing of vinyl, don't lament the business models that existed during it's heyday. I'll also add, the vinyl situation as it applies to business models continues to be very bad. I bet more than 90% of streaming content NOT available on vinyl. Most of the vinyl I see is the some reissue of some reissue of older material for which bands have been handsomely paid or current popular bands which are also being handsomely paid.

At least with streaming and the wide availability of home recording equipment one has a much better chance of having your music heard vs. vinyl. Since streaming I've heard the most obscure bands imaginable, both current and from those not so good old days. Just yesterday I discovered Moondog, totally obscure experimental artist from the 60's, the guy had to invent his own label, and of course no one heard his music back in the day, eventually left for Europe to be heard. This guy also has amazing life story, which is another bonus of streaming in that you get some insight into artists with attendant stories on artist and/or recording screen.

Streaming is awesome in that I get to discover new artists and new releases from old artists all the time. My musical horizons have been pushed much farther than vinyl ever allowed. Back in the day, the only way I could broaden my music horizons was through University student FM stations.

How can vinyl hope to compete with streaming going into future. I don't think its possible just based on some of the above. Vinyl requires expenditures most artists can't afford, pressing and distribution costs alone make it prohibitive. Vinyl will never be more than nostalgic or niche in future.