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Comment by benologist | Hacker News Reader

This has nothing to do with the recording industry. The reason the record is / has died is progress. The labels didn't shut down record stores in Costa Rica, people stopped caring about them. There barely even is a recording industry in Costa Rica and this is the most developed country of centroamerica.

The reason latinos want MP3s and MP3 players is they're cheap as piss and they can jump on limewire in any internet cafe and download more songs. It's convenience and it's progress and it's why the MP3 won everywhere, not just in CR.

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Interestingly, the vinyl record is still making a comeback in the US, even while MP3s continue their inevitable spread.

I used to DJ and think something has been lost with the virtualization of media, which is why I'm in no hurry to get a Kindle. But when you say vinyl's making a comeback, I'm skeptical of whether this amounts to more than a niche market of hipsters, among whom the space and cost requirements of collecting vinyl can serve as a status marker. Could you expand on your comment?

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2012/120104vinyl/

It would be nice if you mentioned what was in the link rather then posting it without context. In this case: "It's Official: Vinyl Sales Up 39 Percent In 2011..."

I thought the context was abundantly clear from the parent, although adding the title undeniably provided enough information to allow me to skim over the link altogether!

I just saw a TV comercial for a new album by a popular band, where they said, album available as digital download and LP, no mention of a CD.

(I am from Denmark, not the US but still...)

Someone else posted some stats. It's fairly widespread and the growth rate is rather strong, but it's still, of course, rather niche in comparison to the total market.

Fred Meyer started selling vinyl recently due to an ordering error, they ordered the vinyl instead of cd version of REM's "Accelerate" album, most stores realized the error, some put the album up for sale regardless, and sales were so strong the chain decided to start carrying a limited selection of vinyl albums. Currently vinyl album sales are still maybe 1-2% of CD sales, but at the rate vinyl is growing and CD is slipping that ratio is likely to increase.

It doesn't really matter in a country like CR though - it's got a tiny population and online shopping is a pain in the ass, it can barely even contribute to a revival let alone support one within its own borders.

I see a lot of smaller bands putting their record out on just vinyl, but providing it with a download code for DRM free MP3.

Friend of mine is in an amateur band. They sell vinyl records and download links. They have ignored CDs. If you want the physical object, you probably want a record.

That comeback has a pretty low floor though. It's never going to come back like it was during its heyday... it will be a niche thing forever, just coming back from extinction.

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