VOA标准英语2011--Vinyl Records Making Comeback

Vinyl Records Making Comeback

Vinyl records were the main format¹ for commercial music distribution in the 20th century. But the big black disks, called LPs, nearly disappeared after audio cassettes and then digital media, like CDs and MP3s, took their place. Music industry reports say vinyl's popularity has been soaring over the last few years.
To some people, vinyl records bring back memories of growing up in the 1960s and 70s when rock and roll was king.
Back then, music lovers listened to Elvis Presley and the Beatles on black disks spinning on a turntable. Today's younger generation didn't grow up with records. So for them, vinyl is cool.
Jack² Lowenstein, 14, came to Crooked³ Beat Records in Washington, DC. "I prefer to buy vinyl records over CDs," he said.
Sarah Griffith, 19, is into vinyl too. "More recently I have started buying more, you know, like old punk records and stuff," she said.
Jonathon Oldmixon is in his 30s. For him, vinyl records are collectibles.
"I do not have a preference. However I will admit there are some things I want specifically on vinyl because they have a certain aesthetic⁴ appeal to them, the picture on the cover is really nice or the record itself is really nice," explained Oldmixon.
Nielsen SoundScan tracks audio sales in the United States. It says vinyl records, with almost 3 million sold, were the fastest growing music format last year. By June this year, the number of vinyl albums sold was 40 percent greater than the same period last year. But still, vinyl sales in the U.S. are tiny compared to overall CD and MP3 sales.
Bill Daly, the owner of Crooked Beat, is part of the trend.
"Since 2007, vinyl has grown to where it is now, 99 percent of our sales," Daly noted⁵. "In 2007, when they started introducing new vinyl releases, a free MP3 download card with it, that is when the sales started surging."
Daly says his online sales of vinyl have also been growing.
"We ship all over the world almost every day," added Daly. "You name a country, we probably ship there because there are not very many record stores around the world anymore."
Furnace MFG in Virginia was mainly known for manufacturing CDs and DVDs. Now its core product is vinyl. Eric Astor, who heads the company, says boosting production of vinyl to meet growing demand has been a challenge.
"They haven't made new vinyl record pressing machines since the early 1980s, so you have to find the equipment that is available and there is not a lot of equipment available," Astor explained.
Astor has partnered with vinyl pressing plants in Germany and Holland. The pressed records are sent to Furnace's headquarters where they are packaged and shipped.
Astor says his company produces more than two million vinyl records a year.
For some people, vinyl is a reminder⁶ that, in a world of Internet downloads, the hands-on-feeling of records has been lost.
Joe Pollock has been collecting vinyl for seven years.
"I go through my collection, I pick out what I want to hear, I put it on, there is that, you are touching⁷ it, you are feeling it," said Pollock. "There is warmth to it. And you have to sit through a whole album."
Eric Astor, president of Furnace MFG, agrees.
"A record that is pressed well from start to finish can sound much better than anything digital because of the fact that it is not in compressed, whereas with any sort of CD or even high-res digital file there is always a little bit of compression," said Astor.
Astor says there's nothing like listening to a vinyl record. He says vinyl's popularity will continue to grow. He's banking⁸ on it.

1 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

4 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

8 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。