Vinyl did and does make a comeback, even the vinyl pressing plants here have expanded. The problem is that it is mostly just for audiofiles. And since albums started phasing out over 30 years ago, most people really don't have any relationship with vinyl in their lives at all. Audiophiles and us old farts like them because of the "holding them in the hand" thing we grew up with. Was the greatest thing about music. Putting it on the turntable, dropping the needle, and spending hours reading the liner notes. But anyone under 30 has very rarely had that experience, so it really doesn't make enough of a difference.

It did lead to a really funny experience and a cool song I wrote with a hit writer. I wrote "VINYL REVIVAL:" with my friends, Joie Scott (Colin Raye and Shania Twain hits) and Jim Peterik, (Eye of the Tiger, Hold On Loosley, The Search is Over, and Vehicle). It was basically about vinyl records and some younger kids discovering them. Was a really fun song to write and record (while I was doing a vocal, Stephen Tyler, from Aerosmith, popped in and gave me a thumbs up, lol!) and interestingly enough, a few months after we wrote and recorded the song, I was at a party WITH an old fashioned "HI FI" system (you know, the ones that used to take up have the room?) and a bunch of college aged kids were checking out the album collection and playing records. They freaked at how much fun it was but most had never even heard of vinyl!

But as a practical application, it is a hard sell. Albums take up a LOT of room, while most people are downsizing, and for an artist, aside from being fairly expensive, (not to mention the weight! Try carrying around 50-100 vinyl records to sell, especially flying on airplanes, and you see it's quite limited. Although it would be fun to have my songs on one.

I hope you are correct about live music coming back, although I have my doubts. Again, so many people stream live shows now, it is another roadblock to viabliity for artists and writers. I know right now in Nashville, we will probably have about half the venues we once had come back. Far too many have simply closed for good. And some, like the world famous Bluebird, are so small and intimate, they might not ever be able to reopen.
Only time will tell.

MAB