78s weren't ever pure shellac, which is too brittle, there were all kinds
of fillers in them, like later vinyl records. Many post-war 78s were made
with vinyl compounds. But I'm sure the best shellac discs hold up very
well.

Properly-produced vinyl is a very stable medium and a cheap material too. I
don't know how long a record could remain an accurate document sitting on a
library shelf - a few hundred years, a thousand? Maybe archives should
purchase some lathes and start training people to master and cut vinyl. It
may be a better option than digital for long-term preservation - or at
least the best physical backup available.

Artists who record digitally and upload to bandcamp or soundcloud will more
likely than not have their music be inaccessible in a hundred years, while
those who produce vinyl albums or singles, whatever the aural shortcomings,
will see theirs survive.



On Wed, Feb 3, 2016 at 12:32 PM, Frank Strauss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Diamond Disks!
>
> On Wed, Feb 3, 2016 at 11:41 AM, Chris Bishop <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Most people don't even want downloads let alone CDs. So in that sense
> vinyl
> > is as doomed as every other physical medium.
> >
> > But I disagree that vinyl is a dead medium at this time. The DJ scene is
> > stronger than ever in every genre.
> >
> > Records produced 50 or 60 years ago can be pulled off the shelf, cleaned
> > and played with almost no deterioration from age. What medium is more
> > stable in average storage conditions?
> >
> > Chris
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Feb 3, 2016 at 11:28 AM, John Haley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > > It's the old question--do you want fame or money? Many "artists" of
> > today
> > > apparently keep their day jobs and go for fame by giving it away,
> > thinking
> > > fortune will follow. Seems like it seldom does, and this has very
> little
> > > to do with basic talent. It's a recipe for a lousy pop music world,
> > which
> > > to my ancient ears is just what is happening. Meanwhile any third-rate
> > pop
> > > artist from the past can sell out a hall today. Thank goodness they
> are
> > > there.
> > >
> > > As for vinyl, it's a blip and a fad. If it gets people listening who
> > > otherwise wouldn't be, then fine, I like it, but we who ought to know
> > > better mustn't kid ourselves. As a format, vinyl is a dead one, and it
> > > deserves to be. Of course I'm not tossing out my record collection,
> but
> > as
> > > a person who restores old records in modern formats, I have no
> nostalgic,
> > > romantic illusions about vinyl's supposed virtues. If people are happy
> > > listening to it, then be happy and go for it. But as "audio people"
> let's
> > > not go fooling ourselves.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > > John Haley
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, Feb 3, 2016 at 9:09 AM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Interesting stats from Nielsen:
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/22/10816404/2015-album-sales-trends-vinyl-catalog-streaming
> > > >
> > > > Soundscan does not pick up the whole market, but the trends seem
> > > credible.
> > > > Interesting that Adele fans are also vinyl fans in such a pronounced
> > > way. I
> > > > wonder if the back-catalog trend was just a blip because so much of
> it
> > is
> > > > now in print either as downloads or physical media, just about every
> > > > "golden age" audiophile favorite is not out in new-remaster vinyl,
> and
> > > what
> > > > CDs are left in the pipeline are heavily discounted. But, that said,
> > the
> > > > market to create great new music is not really there -- artists make
> > more
> > > > just touring and releasing a song here and there via download or
> video
> > > > streams. So why get in a studio and create great art? There was also
> an
> > > > interesting interview in the latest issue of TapeOp magazine with the
> > > > Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree. One thing they said that
> stuck
> > > in
> > > > my mind is that there is a penalty today for taking the time to write
> > > > great, meaningful lyrics. The music-buying public wants catchy
> phrases
> > > and
> > > > well-worn stereotype statements set to music, they want simple
> ditties,
> > > and
> > > > simple sells.
> > > >
> > > > This report looks at unit sales for the first half of 2015:
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/us-album-sales-fall-4-in-first-half-of-2015-as-cd-rules-market-just/
> > > > The problem that isn't documented in unit sales is that copyright
> > owners,
> > > > artists and everyone else with a stake in making quality music get
> > > pennies
> > > > on the dollar from these streaming services, and that's the main
> growth
> > > > area as far as consumer uptake (yes, the vinyl niche is thriving, but
> > > it's
> > > > a tiny niche compared to overall music sales, and does not produce
> > enough
> > > > revenue to float any artist or major copyright owner). I think it was
> > > very
> > > > foolish for the record companies to surrender to streamers on the
> > cheap.
> > > > They should be charging royalties like radio, plus a download fee,
> and
> > > the
> > > > streamers should be forced into a model where everyone who streams
> > pays a
> > > > monthly fee. Most of the streaming is freebie streaming, and that
> just
> > > > doesn't produce enough revenue. If I were an artists, I'd say you get
> > > > nothing for free streaming, and if I'm a hit-making artist I'd say
> you
> > > get
> > > > nothing without paying me regular download fees.
> > > >
> > > > -- Tom Fine
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Frank B Strauss, DMD
>