National Vinyl Record Day
About National Vinyl Record Day
When is National Vinyl Record Day? This holiday is always observed on August 12
Today is National Vinyl Record Day, an August 12 holiday. Today we celebrate this classic music format and remember the terrific music and times of yesterday. Dust off your old vinyl 33 1/3 and 45 RPM records. Pull your phonograph, HiFi, stereo, or turntable out of the attic or garage. Grab a beer or a glass of wine and savor the music and memories from your youth with a few friends. The nostalgic trip down Memory Lane is certain to make you feel great. Caution: It will also make you wonder “where did all the years go!?”
Records on a round disc have been around since Emile Berliner invented them in the 1800s. Around 1960, the vinyl record was first produced. Known as the Golden Age of vinyl records, the 1960s and 1970s saw a tremendous cultural revolution occurring at the same time. Rock and Roll music exploded onto the scene, recorded on vinyl records.
Like any other technology, newer and better-quality formats came along to replace it. Cassette tapes, and for a short while Eight Track tapes, provided competition for vinyl records in the 1970s and 1980s. Compact Disc (CD) records hit the music world in 1982, with much improved sound quality. Like cassette tapes, it’s smaller, more compact size and durability allowed them to easily fit into automobile music systems and carried around with music players and boom boxes. In the late1990s, music downloads from the internet were put into I-pods and cell phones. Early in the 21st century, vinyl records and phonographs saw a surprisingly popular revival. Never destined to replace the newer and better music technology, the vinyl revival record offered a pleasant nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Vinyl Records Are a Literal Treasure
Are your vinyl records worth money? Don’t toss those old vinyl records, that have been gathering dust in your basement or attic. And, don’t put them in a garage sale until you’ve checked their value. It could be worth less than $5.00, or it could be worth much, much more. The most expensive vinyl record ever sold was not Ringo Starr’s personal copy of the Beatle’s White Album (Serial #0000001) which sold for $790,000. The highest price ever paid for a vinyl record was Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Only one copy was ever made, and it sold for $2 million!!
Did You Know? While black vinyl records were the dominant color, over the decades vinyl records were made of many colors. The black color proved to provide superior quality.
Vinyl Record Trivia
Amaze your family and friends with your knowledge of long-playing vinyl records.
- Once almost discontinues, vinyl records made a comeback and are still sold. 41.7 million vinyl records were sold in 2021.
- They came in 33 and 45 (Rotations Per Minute).
- Music is on both sides of the record.
- Earlier versions consisted of shellac and were 78 RPM.
- In 1931, the first 12-inch vinyl record was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 played by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
- Record speed in 1925 was 78 RPM.
- In 1948, Columbia Records introduced the 12-inch 33 1/3 RMP record format.
- The term “record speed” refers to a scratched record. When the record player’s needle is caught in a scratch and a segment of the song plays over and over again.
- Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album is the all-time biggest seller. It sold 32 million copies in the first year, and over 70 million to date.
How to Celebrate National Vinyl Record Day
- Get out your parents’ or grandparents’ old records and record player and listen to songs of their generation.
- Go retro and get a record player along with some vinyl records.
Today's Chuckle
“When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.” – – Paul Horning
History and Origin of National Vinyl Record Day
This special holiday was created by Gary Freiberg of Los Osos, CA. Freiberg is a music enthusiast and founder of a non-profit group dedicated to preserving the cultural influence of vinyl records on society.
August 12 was selected to celebrate this holiday, as Thomas Edison invented the phonograph on August 12, 1877.
We did not find any documentation confirming either of these days to be a true “National” day. We found no congressional records or presidential proclamation. However, we believe this holiday is a good candidate to become an official national day, as the record format carried the music of more than a generation of people.
Definition of “National” Days – and why it is important to distinguish true National days.
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