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than a needle. Even with the repair kits that can fill in the scratches that scatter the laser, CD in a practical sense have demonstrated a much shorter practical lifespan than vinyl.

Fortunately, mp3s eliminated the worry about a physical media completely and there's the rub. Without a physical media in hand, the listener becomes captive of computerized music and built in limitations regarding copying and sometimes even how many times you can listen to a song. In regularly making my own CD mixes, I refuse to believe that is fair. I also tested the hypothesis that CD's and mp3s sound better than vinyl. I made a digital CD with all three formats: CD, mp3 and a half-mastered vinyl recording. Without the tell-tale pops and crackles, no one could tell the difference in the fidelity. In fact, on some of the late vinyl recording, the dynamic range was better. Some of my older vinyl did have a few of those crackles, of course. But, while I could actually eliminate most of the "noise" post-recording, I choose to leave them in because they DO provide a certain nostalgic value to the listening experience. But in some vinyl cuts, there were no pops to worry about. In fact, I choose to run one song completely into the silent segment between songs just so there WOULD be some pops to prove this was indeed a vinyl cut.

The music industry has done its best to cripple music sharing and the ability to make copies at will. No worries with vinyl. Vinyl presents an alternative source material which allows for control over how and where a song you purchased can be used. With software available on the market, you can clean-up a song that in less than stellar condition while obtaining the original full dynamic range that may be reduced on a commercially manufactured CD. Vinyl does not time-out. Vinyl requires minimal equipment (if you kept your turntable, that is) and you don't have to send your turntable in to have the battery changed. Vinyl has lasted for much longer than the average CD and with care, probably will continue to. And with vinyl, you don't have to wait for a little known band you like (like "Chase" for instance) to be released on a digital format. You already have it and can digitize it yourself.

I'm not knocking technological advances that allow someone to store thousands of songs on a device the size of a credit card. If it's convenience you want, the technology is there. However, if you want the music to remain "free" after you purchase it, then vinyl has no source code that prevents copying, does not time out and doesn't require a special brand of turntable to play. There are no counters that determine how many times you can play it. My plans are to pass my vast music source material on to my grand children one day and who knows...maybe they'll make some digital copies of rare early 20th century jazz for their friends to enjoy...because that's what music is really for.

Learn more about this author, Gunter Chang.
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