The Vinyl Solution
Not only is the vinyl LP disappearing, but perhaps the entire concept of "album" as well. A recent USA Today article argues that "the very concept of songs integrated into a whole faces extinction." Meanwhile, the New York Times provides tips for converting your vinyl LP collection to digital form.

Last in 2003 Edna Gunderson stirred up discussion around the music world by declaring that the album "is dying under the wheels of an accelerating revolution." She didn't mean the physical LP itself, which has been hanging on only as a specialty item, but the album format: 10-12 songs from the same artist, created at roughly the same time and intended to be packaged together.

The Internet has pushed music consumers toward thinking of individual songs, not album-length sets, as the primary unit of music. "The entire game is changing," says Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas. "I can handle the fact that artists are selling fewer records and making less money, but you can't take away our albums!"

Elsewhere in the article, diverse artists (Alanis Morrisette, Bob Seger, Ray Manzarek, Keith Richards, David Bowie, Dave Matthews, Michelle Shocked, and the Fountains of Wayne) weigh in on Apple CEO Steve Job's recent proclamation the "The album is obsolete!"

Even if the future of albums is shaky, many people have a lot of great past music on old LPs. The New York Times recently profiled several software products that permit computer users to convert their vinyl treasures to digital form, even restoring them to new condition, without the scratches and pops. All that's needed is a turntable (duh!), a preamplifier (the stereo amp might just do), and a computer. Software packages vary widely in features and price ($40 to $1200), but a modest investment of money and time can bring an entire collection back to life.

Read Gunderson's article at USA Today or at Burnish.net

Read the Jan. 1, 2004 New York Times article on digital transfers [abstract page includes corrections from original article; fee required]  or at 10e20 Web Design, w/ posted comments

Browse the products mentioned:

• Pinnacle Clean Plus 4.0 from Pinnacle Systems
• Audio Cleaning Lab 2004 from Magix
• Toast 6 Titanium from Roxio
• Peak LE 4 from Bias
• Soundsoap from Bias
• HyperEngine/Ray Gun Pro from Arboretum
• Restoration Bundle from Waves