2. analog
  3. 182129-170951

Why aren't all modern vinyl releases 45s?

I have purchased a handful of brand-new records released post CDs, and all of them are 33s, except for Baroness' Blue album, which is two LPs of 45s. The audio quality is far superior to the 33s, and there is plenty of room left on the other records (usually 2x LP) to fit the groove density required of the higher rpm. All of this makes me wonder if these bands want to go through the effort of releasing vinyl in the digital age, why not maximize quality?

Thoughts?

ricksgiving

Showing 2 responses by ricksgiving

ricksgiving OP
19 posts
 

Thanks, the poor-sounding 33s seems to be the question at hand. I have my handful of 33s with great sound stages released across many decades (1st pressing of But Not for Me comes to mind), even if that's not my system's strong suit. Mastering is the other big consideration, I have some LPs that jump off of the speakers, while you have to crank the volume on others to get them going.

Don't have the technical knowledge to further the conversation, so we wait...

ricksgiving OP
19 posts
 

I was incorrectly ascribing who is making these decisions. The artist would probably have to fight for anything beyond what the label offers. I have the same album on CD and vinyl, and there's hardly any difference in the layout and artistic details between mediums.

Yes, the labels are looking to make money, and that comes down to cost of production vs expected sales. The average consumer wants 33, so they're going to put their production dollars where the demand is. I guess my mind was processing the idea as an audiophile, and not as a businessman.

That's kind of the point of posting onto these forums, though.

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