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VOA文化艺术2022--制作人试图跟上不断增长的黑胶唱片销量

时间:2022-07-05 07:54:32

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Producers Trying to Keep Up with Growing Vinyl Record Sales

The invention of the Compact Disc (CD) caused vinyl music records to fall out of popularity over 30 years ago.

But sales of vinyl records have been growing for the past 10 years. The COVID-19 pandemic only increased sales.

In 2021, money earned from "vinyl" sales was greater than $1 billion for the first time since CDs took over the market.

Vinyl records, made out of a kind of plastic, had been the main method for listening to music until the 1980s, when CDs took their place. As a result, many factories that produced vinyl records were shut down.

Mark Michaels is head of United Records, based in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. The company is the largest record producer in the United States. He said the industry "has found a new gear, and is accelerating at a new pace."

Many of the new customers are old enough to have listened to records during their childhood or young adulthood1. But the recent increase in "vinyl" sales is not just from older buyers.

A younger generation is buying records. More current artists are meeting the new demand. They have begun releasing their newest records on vinyl as well as the normal electronic releases.

Because vinyl record sales were so low for so long, the industry has had to make major changes to keep up with increasing demand. Major record labels are restarting their old manufacturing plants. Smaller independent vinyl presses are also starting up.

There are now around 40 active vinyl plants in the U.S. and most of them are small. They cannot make records as fast as people are buying them.

It can take six to eight months for an order of records to be filled. Manufacturers are also dealing2 with shortages of materials, which can slow production even more.

The answer to these problems is not as simple as opening more factories. The machines that are needed to create vinyl records are rare. In the 1980s, many manufacturers destroyed or took apart their vinyl pressing machines.

Today, there are only a few companies that make the machines, and none of them are in the US. These machines are in such high demand that these companies cannot create them as fast as they are being bought.

There is some debate about the sound quality of vinyl records compared to electronic recordings3, but that is not the whole story.

Mark Mazzetti develops musical artists and has worked for Sting, Janet Jackson, and others at A&M Records. He said: "I love the vinyl experience. All of it. To me, there is an electrifying4 sound when I play records that I don't feel from digital."

Because record production is not meeting demand, nobody knows how much longer the market will increase at this rate. For his own part, Michaels is hopeful about the future.

"I believe in music, and I believe in the importance of music in people's lives. I don't think that changes," he said.

Words in This Story

new gear – n. to move from one level or area of activity to another

accelerate – v. to move faster: to gain speed

customer – n. someone who buys goods or services from a business

digital – adj. using or characterized by computer technology


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 adulthood vKsyr     
n.成年,成人期
参考例句:
  • Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
  • Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。
2 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
3 recordings 22f9946cd05973582e73e4e3c0239bb7     
n.记录( recording的名词复数 );录音;录像;唱片
参考例句:
  • a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
  • old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐
4 electrifying f2081dbc620a5b326b713cef8349d30e     
v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 );使兴奋
参考例句:
  • The dancers gave an electrifying performance. 舞蹈演员们的表演激动人心。
  • The national orchestra gave an electrifying performance of classic music. 国家交响乐团举行了一次古典音乐的震撼性演出。 来自辞典例句

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