Op-Comic: Vinyl is back. And also ... cassette tapes? Really?

a radio disc jockey holds a cd under the banner "Mexican-American splendor"

(J. Gonzo / For The Times)

By Henry Barajas and J. Gonzo

April 23, 2023 3:08 AM PT

Vinyl records revenues increased for the 16th year straight, making up $1.2 billion of overall sales. The data made me wince.

I was absorbing music even before I was plucked from utero. A pregnant woman says, "He's kicking to the beat! Feel!"

My parents didn't let us kids touch the record player, but the CD player was always within my control.

The need to preserve music came at an early age. My sister used to make mixtapes by ripping straight from the radio waves.

I may or may not have illegally downloaded music in the noughties. Now I buy it. The only way to keep music alive is to pay.

I don't think the current generation understands the deep meaning attached to mixing a tape or burning a CD for someone.

I was a radio disc jockey in 2013. I played music from vinyl, streaming and CDs. But CDs were how companies sent new music.

I was at party last month high on acid, talking to strangers about retro media. Nostalgia is also one hell of a drug.

Major artists are bringing tapes back, and I'm all for it. We've got to keep experimenting to give artists a fair share.

Henry Barajas is an author in Los Angeles. J. Gonzo is an artist in Phoenix.

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