Records

Vinyl records are used for storing recorded music and have largely become outmoded by CDs which now have the largest share of the market for albums sales after they first became available from the later half of the nineteen eighties. Despite being considered practically obsolete by many people there is still a niche market for records and the equipment used to play them as some new albums are still issued on vinyl, collectors also exist and many audiophiles and hi-fi enthusiast profess that vinyl delivers a more pleasing sound than CD. Additionally modern DJs will also opt to use vinyl as turntables are preferred for mixing.

Records similar to the vinyl records that we are familiar with, although made from different substances originally have been a popular medium for storing recorded music for many years and have been manufactured since the end of the nineteenth century. Early records would most likely have been made from Shellac, or in some other instances rubber, although Shellac was significantly more common. The material most commonly used to manufacture records was changed to vinyl from shellac around the 1930s as shellac was notoriously brittle and records would break very easily, and records made from this substance would also cause a great deal of surface noise resulting in imperfect sound when played. However there are people who collect these early examples of records and some may fetch very high prices at auction.