Music is at its best live!
20.4.2023
When cassette tapes replaced vinyls it was a common belief that vinyls would be forever forgotten. Then cassettes changed into CDs, but now we can see vinyls making a comeback. A French man, Édouard Léon Scott de Martinville, recorded folk music with a phonoautograph already in 1860. Record player’s originated from 1889 and clay discs, made of pulverized stone, enabled home listening. Nowadays, vinyl is made of polyvinyl chloride. Vinyl LPs have become common in just the past few years and already in 2020, vinyl had a 62% market share of all physical record sales in the US. Which format gives the best sound quality and listening experience? With the word “best”, we must consider what format gives the most authentic soundscape of the original sound – the live sound. This means automatically that we start to examine the different types of sound devices. For less than 200 euros, you can purchase a CD player with an amplifier and speakers. At the price of a car, you can purchase an extremely high-quality record player with separate amplifiers, speakers, special cables, and accessories. The same equipment can also be bought for less than 1000 euros. The so-called “hi-fi people” usually change to the newest gear so you can buy second-hand sound equipment at moderate prices.
Many people are satisfied with what streaming platforms have to offer and they listen to music mostly through the internet, so they believe they don’t need record players of any kind. This brings to mind how helplessly low, if nonexistent, is the compensation that musicians themselves get from these platforms.
A whole generation grew up in the era of C cassettes. The cassette players in cars “ate” most of these cassettes. There aren’t many working C cassettes left in this generation, but on the other hand, there may be some CDs and LPs remaining. With the older generation, even more LPs. From my shelf you can find, for example, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Charlie Parker etc.
The vinyl cases are important because they include information about the artists, recording processes and possibly some song lyrics. I’m always slightly disappointed when the record I buy doesn’t come with a little booklet to explore. Often, I come back to these booklets and the stories within them.
C cassette, CD, vinyl, or streaming platform, it doesn’t matter. All formats feel meaningless once you hear music live. The feeling when you sit still and wait for the musicians to get on stage is a fantastic moment every time.
Buy all types of records you can find. Enjoy them at home. Enjoy music time after time. But go to live events as well! Music is at its best live, especially jazz and especially here in Korppoo!
Bosse Mellberg
Chairman
Korpo Jazz
