Ultimate Chart (a/o May 25th):
Think digital is actually good for the environment? Less CDs, plastic, paper inserts, and physical shipping are all positive developments, but digital (and its hyped-up cloud) comes with heavy environmental baggage. iPads, smartphones, and Beats
by Dre headphones all get dumped into landfills eventually, and the cloud is arguably filthy: just a few months ago, Greenpeace gave Apple horrible marks for its space intensive, coal-burning server facilities.
Of course, plastic (in all forms) can be tremendously damaging to the Earth as well. But the recent retro-boom in vinyl may actually be positive for the environment, at least compared to the alternatives. In fact, according to a recent argument from Florida-based Alpha Music Manufacturing, there are several reasons why vinyl has a much friendlier footprint. Here's the logic:
Albums are rarely discarded into landfills. Most are kept in a collection due to their increasing value.
Most album manufacturing companies actually shred and re-use the ones that do not sell. And, discounts are offered to artists that return their unsold 45s for shredding and re-pressing a new 45 with new songs.
The records that are tossed are typically not as damaging as other forms of plastic. Compilations that are actually discarded into landfills have very little environmental impact because vinyl material can be better broken down naturally in comparison to many other plastics.
Once ripped or burned, CDs and DVDs oftentimes hold little value to the owner. They can quickly be tossed, whereas few music fans rip their vinyl and throw collectibles in the trash.
Damaged CDs are instantly marked for disposal. Tossing a damaged Stones CD requires little consideration, however, tossing a Stones album that may have a scratch or two just isn't the norm. The album covers, jackets, and other elements appreciate in value even if damaged.
...and, we had a few more to add:
Apple's iCloud is part of a strategy to sell more devices like iPads and iPhones. Those devices invariably become obsolete, crash, or irreparably damaged after a few years. Their value moves to zero, and they are replaced.
Sorry: when's the last time you heard of a vinyl-pressing sweatshop in China with anti-suicide employee contracts?
And, anecdotally: Vinyl collectors are more likely to care about the environment, in general. There aren't numbers to back this up (yet), but most vinyl collectors are typically educated and more environmentally-aware. They are usually less likely to hyper-consume, and more likely to support environmental causes and programs.
Comments Closed
@jackwrigley Monday, June 20, 2011
Jack Wrigley
Fond of vinyl for the sound. Great points why its better for the environment, too.
@Soulintentdnb Monday, June 20, 2011
Soul Intent
buy vinyl and save the planet....simple tingz
@KateBomz Monday, June 20, 2011
Kathleen B.
!
JanonymousR Sunday, June 19, 2011
This seems to be an unfair argument. You're comparing waste created by pressing thousands of vinyls to the waste created by Apple's servers and all music playing hardware. It's not fair to count hardware as packaging for digital music, and if you do you must account for all the other uses the hardware provides.
Also you're not accounting for the fact that vinyl offers a finite amount of music to a limited amount of listeners, while digital offers nearly unlimited selection with easy reproduction that adds nothing to environmental damage other than the electricity production (which is being used not only for uploading/downloading in most cases). Even if vinyl were more ecologically friendly it is still less eco-friendly per song.
Robert Levine Monday, June 20, 2011
I'm fascinated by this and I wonder if anyone has any better information on the subject.
This seems to ignore the biggest environmental consequence of each. Vinyl uses fossil fuels in its transport, and I think in its creation as well. On the other side, the environmental consequences of discarded devices are enormous, due to batteries that leak mercury into groundwater.
@SuzTammaro Monday, June 20, 2011
Suz SchneiderTammaro
ummm...
Mr Wales Sunday, June 19, 2011
[Citation needed]
AlainEtCo Monday, June 20, 2011
Information without sources is not information... It's only "communication" or "infomercials"
Visitor Monday, June 20, 2011
This statement is simply painful...
Vinyl collectors are more likely to care about the environment, in general. There aren't numbers to back this up (yet), but most vinyl collectors are typically educated and more environmentally-aware. They are usually less likely to hyper-consume, and more likely to support environmental causes and programs.
presnikoff Monday, June 20, 2011
anecdotal, yes...
NathanJE Monday, June 20, 2011
Amazing. I remember being a kid growing up in the burbs outside of Boston in the 90's, and my once-hip-now-lawnmowing neighbor's wife threw out his entire vinyl collection including Black Sabbath, AC/DC albums, Zappa, and the works totalling maybe 70 albums. I picked up every single one and it's part of my collection to this day. And even if it got to the trash heap I'd bet someone else would have picked it out for themselves, wiped the garbage slime off and dropped the needle to play.
@mensdrea Monday, June 20, 2011
Andrea Villarreal
Interesting factoids
@freeenvio Monday, June 20, 2011
freeenvio.biz
Is this true? It would be nice to think it was.
kthomson Monday, June 20, 2011
I co-ran an indie label in the 1990s that pressed a lot of vinyl. A huge factor that's missing here is the shipping and storage costs. Vinyl is heavy, and it has to get shipped from the pressing plant to the label (or directly to the artist) by truck, where it then needs to be stored in decent climate controlled conditions to avoid warping, then needs to be shipped again by truck to distributors and stores (or directly to mailorder customers). And that's just domestic distribution!
I love vinyl and have a decent sized collection myself -- not to mention many boxes of vinyl from the label in storage -- but there are significant transit costs of a heavy, large sized product that need to be factored in if you're doing these comparisons.
@mmoi_mtl Monday, June 20, 2011
MMOI
Good eye opener as to why records were relatively eco-friendly.
@solitary_1 Monday, June 20, 2011
Solitary 1
Keep vinyl alive.
John Monday, June 20, 2011
LOL reason eight is so ignorant.
@tablloyd Monday, June 20, 2011
Well to be fair what your not considering is that digital is the reason why vinyl is not a massive landfill problem. If vinyl was the only musical consumption device it would be the problem. Record players would replace iPods in our landfills, vinyl records would replace CDs and etc. The only reason why collectors keep records is because they are all that is left consuming this product. The real problem squarly lands on the shoulders of us, the massive disposable consumer.
At the end of the day isolating the problem to large single areas like a manufacturing plant or a server farm is the only way to start solving the problem. Once you have everying thing isololated into a few massive locations. You can now start to talk about how to address the problem through regulations and legistation. Which means you at least have a chance at making a significant impact...If it's left to everyone to do thier part it will fail. Remember recycling is still not saving the world.
presnikoff Monday, June 20, 2011
@tablloyd
Nice point. Yes, this is a 2011 pound-for-pound comparison. In the pre-digital 70s, I'm sure that players and LPs were getting tossed into landfills just like CDs in the 2000s.
Which brings up a major counter-argument related to scale. Vinyl is totally niche, while CDs and digital consumption are mainstream and massive by comparison. So, it's tough to expand the eco-friendly aspects of vinyl to, let's say, the cloud. The cloud itself requires the focus as you mention.
/pr
ballyhoo Monday, June 20, 2011
#8! more than you know. I'm in NYC and most vinyl collectors don't even drive cars, and eat vegan and recycle religiously.
@tracksounds Monday, June 20, 2011
tracksounds
Totally disagree with reason 4.
@nickishamel Monday, June 20, 2011
Nicki Shamel
I like #8. A stereotype I'm ok with fitting.
@kenallanjoonyer Monday, June 20, 2011
Ken Allan joonyer
I miss spinning Vinyl. People leaning over the dj booth with a cigarette. Ashes falling on the records.
@gorgeouscolours Monday, June 20, 2011
The Gorgeous Colours
Yet another reason why vinyl rules
Sam Monday, June 20, 2011
I think more needs to be made of the server issue. The cloud relies on massed banks of servers that need to be cooled extensively - which uses a lot of energy. The Internet and has a massive carbon footprint and can in no way be seen as a straightforward solution to our environmental crisis.
@HumanistExec Monday, June 20, 2011
Global Leadership
Solar power, wind, or hydroelectric make this MOOT.
@nidalnidalnidal Monday, June 20, 2011
Nidal
The worst pro-vinyl argument ever...
terry Monday, June 20, 2011
I hyper-consume vinyl lol
And an iPod consumes a LOT less power than a turntable hifi system with all its requisite components and watts :)
I like both.
@wonderfoool Monday, June 20, 2011
Marianna B.
agora tenho motivos pra odiar a Apple xD
@trevordebrauw Monday, June 20, 2011
Trevor de Brauw
Vinyl fans - the environment thanks you (interesting argument anyway)
@gemgemloulou Monday, June 20, 2011
Gemma
And it's awesome.
@awintory Monday, June 20, 2011
Austin Wintory
This is just hilariously flawed logic (even though I want to agree, and personally bemoan the loss of physical CDs)
@rvngintl Monday, June 20, 2011
RVNG
Interesting article, if not a little snooty / snotty
Nate Monoxide Monday, June 20, 2011
It isn't the format of the music, it's if the music itself is good that matters. As for the 'vinyl owners are more consciensious about the enviroment' statement, that's pretty pretentious and ridiculous.
Lucifer's Attorney Monday, June 20, 2011
Obviously a conversation started though eh ?
Ignacio Monday, June 20, 2011
This is why I read Digital Music News every single day.
Mikey Maybe Monday, June 20, 2011
I love vinyl, and appreciated the info on vinyl recycling ect.
But those last three reasons are pretty silly (illogical, sensational).
@urpdist Monday, June 20, 2011
URP Dist
Save the world. Buy Vinyl Records ....
@HungryEar Monday, June 20, 2011
Hungry Ear Records
I don't know if I agree with this article on what's greener: vinyl or the Cloud, but it bears reading.
@CRASHarts Monday, June 20, 2011
WorldMusic/CRASHarts
vinyl is one of the better environmentally friendly music products...
Maybe this makes sense...
@Sonicbids Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sonicbids
While the cloud may be green.. it's not the only one
@Louis19 Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Louis Rondeau
Really interesting.
@factorynation Tuesday, June 21, 2011
factorynation
Can you spot the propaganda?
Mars Wednesday, June 29, 2011
OOOh, Tiger Blood smells a troll
Rameen Mansour Tuesday, June 21, 2011
....and people typically trade their old vinyl to used record stores
@andrewrhickey Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Andrew Hickey
(yeah, records!)
@dariusjagjag Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Darius Van Arman
Ever wonder if someone like Rush Limbaugh was a vinyl fan, what kind of argument he'd make re: vinyl & the environment?
@BerkleeDoug Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Doug Orey
Really awesome article
@mtsrecords Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Mightier Than Sword
...interesting article
@HeadCountOrg Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Listen. To. Vinyl.
Maxwellian Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Who knew there were so many vinyl haters in the ranks?
@ProSoundNews Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Pro Sound News
Some of these points are flimsy or repetitive, but it's an interesting argument
-Clive
@azlisa Wednesday, June 22, 2011
lisa cortese
Vinyl fans - the environment thanks you
(interesting argument anyway)
Nathan Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I have nothing against vinyl, but the environmental argument seems to be almost entirely rhetoric, generally benefiting from the current lack of scale with vinyl. In a world where there was widespread adoption none of the benefits would carry through. Likewise, in a world where someone made an effort to optimize their environmental footprint with digital distribution it would be possible to be better than vinyl. Taking the points in order:
1. Albums are rarely discarded into landfills. Most are kept in a collection due to their increasing value.
This is only try because of their rarity. The reason albums are rare is because most of them have already been discarded due to damage or just as music collections have been updated to newer formats.
2. Most album manufacturing companies actually shred and re-use the ones that do not sell. And, discounts are offered to artists that return their unsold 45s for shredding and re-pressing a new 45 with new songs.
There is no need to shred and re-use a file, digital storage re-use is so automatic it's just a given.
3. The records that are tossed are typically not as damaging as other forms of plastic. Compilations that are actually discarded into landfills have very little environmental impact because vinyl material can be better broken down naturally in comparison to many other plastics.
Again a digital download is not damaging at disposal time at all.
4. Once ripped or burned, CDs and DVDs oftentimes hold little value to the owner. They can quickly be tossed, whereas few music fans rip their vinyl and throw collectibles in the trash.
This is where digital distribution comes in. Why send the file on a plastic disc when you can just send it as bits over a wire? Also, in the case of large scale vinyl distribution ripping and trashing vinyl albums would be just as common as ripping and trashing CDs.
5. Damaged CDs are instantly marked for disposal. Tossing a damaged Stones CD requires little consideration, however, tossing a Stones album that may have a scratch or two just isn't the norm. The album covers, jackets, and other elements appreciate in value even if damaged.
This is just another issue of rarity. In 50 years I'm sure there will be highly valuable CDs from the 90s. I can still recall the folded up poster that came in Pearl Jam's Ten.
6. Apple's iCloud is part of a strategy to sell more devices like iPads and iPhones. Those devices invariably become obsolete, crash, or irreparably damaged after a few years. Their value moves to zero, and they are replaced.
In a world of vinyl, turntables and stereos become obsolete, wear out, or suffer damage. Also vinyl itself is subject to such damage where as a digital album is not.
7. Sorry: when's the last time you heard of a vinyl-pressing sweatshop in China with anti-suicide employee contracts?
Not to say that there isn't a problem, but you really think vinyl is the solution? You don't think vinyl-pressing sweatshops would spring up in China the second enough vinyl was sold to make it profitable?
8. And, anecdotally: Vinyl collectors are more likely to care about the environment, in general. There aren't numbers to back this up (yet), but most vinyl collectors are typically educated and more environmentally-aware. They are usually less likely to hyper-consume, and more likely to support environmental causes and programs.
Correlation is not causation. If you're living a life of keen environmental awareness and enjoying your vinyl, kudos to you. The vinyl is not causing your environmental awareness.
A couple more points mentioned in the opening:
-The cloud is filthy...
-Manufacturing turntables and vinyl albums is also filthy. The cloud is filthy because it is huge, not because it is bad on a per album basis. Again, not to say it shouldn't be improved, just to point out the fallacy in considering vinyl a superior option.
-You always have to upgrade your iPad/iPod/iPhone/etc.
-No you don't, it's a choice, just like vinyl is. You could easily play all your music on an "ancient" iPod. These are even starting to become collectors items so they may some day even be as hip as vinyl. If you want to optimize for the environment upgrading hardware is almost always a poor choice.
Mars Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A vinyl doesn't consume any energy when not being used. The cloud on the othehand continously consumes energy to maintain your songs available online.
Tic Toc Tic Toc ...
lvj_ranch Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I'll put my old fashion records and turntable up against any CD and player out there. (never mind the MP3's and WAV stuff)
@theDougling Thursday, June 23, 2011
Douglas Hugh Taylor
Interesting reading
Nipper Victor Thursday, June 23, 2011
I pay for my vinyl ONE time, and I'm done. I don't have to give Apple Computer money EVERY MONTH for the rest of my life in order to play MY music on an iPhone that has a MONTHLY fee about the price of 5 LP's. No monthly fees - something you can hold in your hand and show your friends. AND, most importantly - MOST, if not, ALL Vinyl SOUNDS BETTER than any digital music on your crappy little phone. Pure audio quality for the past 100 years: long live analog audio and its pure sound!
@DoradoPkg Thursday, June 23, 2011
DoradoPkg
Cleaner than the Cloud... vinyl is green!
Mars Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Energy consumed for maintaining the servers, the wired and wireless infrastructure. The connections between our devices and our files. The impact of all this electromagnetic radiation.
And we need to compare and decay rates soil impact between vinyl and acetats.
@messystench Monday, June 27, 2011
messy stench
I'll be the last person to go green, but this is just interesting...
@UnkaMunka Saturday, July 02, 2011
Unka Munka
...and Steve Jobs can't monopolize it.....yet
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