The Second Coming Of Vinyl And The End Of All Music

With the birth of iTunes in January of 2001, and the rise of music streaming apps such as Spotify and Pandora Radio, the music industry has drastically changed over the years.
Today’s music listeners consider CDs and cassette tapes ancient history. But a rather peculiar phenomenon is taking the music industry by storm… for a second time.
Vinyl records are in the midst of a rebirth of sorts. According to Fortune.com, LP record sales are at a staggering 28-year high. In 2015 alone, Vinyl records accumulated $416 million, the highest since 1988, which was a year that produced timeless records such as Def Leppard’s “Hysteria,” Guns and Roses’ “Appetite for Destruction,” and Paul Simon’s Grammy award winning “Graceland.”
The rebirth of vinyl has the music industry scratching its head. There is no one reason as to why the vinyl resurrection is happening during the age of the internet. Perhaps the nostalgia factor strikes a chord with older buyers? Or, maybe it was the hipster movement of the 2010s that spearheaded the vinyl resurgence? One thing is certain. The rich, deep and warming sound of the vinyl record is something that electronic and digital releases of music cannot capture. Neil Young once famously sang, “Hey Hey My My, Rock N’ Roll will never die.” And apparently, neither will vinyl.   
Retail stores are cashing in on the new vinyl trend. Stores like Barnes and Noble Booksellers and BestBuy are selling new and re-releases of classic albums.
But, for the locals of Oxford, the best place to buy records, new or used, is The End of All Music record store. This unique vinyl shop is Oxford’s unofficial home for hipsters, collectors and music lovers alike. The End of All Music offers a sprawling variety of music. Springsteen bootlegs, Lady GaGa new releases or original presses of Marvin Gaye can be found on the shelves, together in harmony. The End of All Music receives plenty of praise from local music lovers, but it has also received national attention. In July of 2016, The End of All Music was one of ten records stores featured in a USA Today travel column.
The End of All Music is open seven days a week and is located on North Lamar.

By Colin Sullivan, an intern for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at cdsulli1@go.olemiss.edu.
For questions or comments, email hottytoddynews@gmail.com.