Vintage, Vinyl, Broadcast, Print

The Endurance of Tradition

In the midst of what is AI mania -- considered more disruptive than the twentieth century’s television and computer takeovers and the explosive arrival of the internet — there is another less noticeable phenomenon around today: the endurance of analog, which I think of, less technically, as tradition.

There has been data accumulating for some time, but it was the revelation that Taylor Swift’s album The Life of a Showgirl sold 1.334 million vinyl records in its first week that conclusively made the point. The total of all album downloads was about four million.

As a book publisher, I was prepared for the digital transformation that took place around the turn of the millennium. The results are now in. Seventy percent of books are bought in print, ebooks are about 20 percent, and audiobooks (the fastest growing sector) are 10 percent of sales. Even among younger readers, from all accounts print is the decisive favorite. Turns out that growing up reading Harry Potter books and now following Tik Tok recommendations has been a major plus for old-fashioned turning of pages.

Over the summer, for my first ever foray there, I went on eBay to buy vintage polo shirts because newer versions have less cloth and fast fashion lasts barely a single season. Then In The New York Times I learned there is a boom in the sale of vintage clothing, including among younger style-setters.

Another Times story (this news purveyor is definitely no longer its former fuddy-duddy self) reported, surprisingly, that broadcast media is where live shows, mainly big-time sports events, are drawing audiences and advertising that streamers are trying to match. Cable and networks are in decline, but they still pay a lot of bills.

Following up, I wrote to A.G. Sulzberger, the Times’s publisher, to ask about the print newspaper as a business asset since the daily circulation is now so small a fraction of the global digital circulation. “Yes,” he answered, “print is still profitable, comfortably so.”

He explained: “I’m a big believer that the next new thing never fully replaces the last big thing. But also, that the last thing tends to decline — more slowly than conventional wisdom — until it reaches a steady state among niche devotees.”

Here is what else I have noticed. Hollywood now considers launching movies “only in theaters” as code for “this is a major motion picture” whereas going straight to streaming is a signal that a film is of lesser importance. Small screen is just not big screen or an IMAX extravangza, which has expanded significantly.,

A musical about Bobby Darin (who died in 1973) is Broadway’s biggest hit this fall. Tickets are going for $700.Podcasts are radio programming on demand, which the pervasive use of earbuds have made omnipresent. Walls, bulletin boards, and lampposts are covered in printed announcements of events, political slogans, and lost pets. Old-fashioned photo booths, where teenagers squeezed in decades ago and made funny faces, have reappeared in malls.

Yes, your “phone” is indispensable, although texting in bursts far exceeds making calls. Social media is dominant in spreading information, falsehoods, and corrosive messages. Everyone of all ages, from toddlers to oldsters, is connected.

There is, however, reason to believe we are reaching a turning point in which resistance to bombardment by stimuli is being mandated or personally chosen. Outside my apartment window is Bethesda Row, a pedestrian pathway among downtown buildings lined with restaurants, cafes, and, significantly, lots of seating around firepits on chilly fall evenings. This is a popular destination for teens, families and anyone with an urge for in-person experiences.

Of course, there are phones everywhere, but the good time vibe is traditional.

Shopping online is unquestionably convenient. Strolling weekend farmers’ markets is much more fun and very popular with buyers wherever I see them. They can also be lucrative for sellers. They are, in their way, another reassuring reminder of the benefits of casual experiences.

(Here is where there needs to be a disclaimer about how shopping and entertainment are enjoyed by people with the means to pay for them, which too many Americans seem not to have. Acknowledged.)

Sports in schools and community teams, from pee-wees to varsity, have never been bigger now that girls have a full share and more. Traditionalists are appalled by what has happened to college sports which has become more a business than a competition among amateurs. Watching sports at home is great and more Americans are doing that than ever because of the popularity of soccer, gymnastics etc.. But seeing games in person is unforgettable, especially because tickets are so expensive.

I have my own measure of what people still take seriously in journalism. Write a piece for the online version of a magazine with a significant print circulation, of which there are some of note, and people will invariably ask, “But will it be in the magazine also?” Still, I am committed to writing for digital readers, on Substack these days. Stars who made their names in print —Tina Brown, for example — are attracting large (and paying) audiences.

If something of mine appears in print, the books I have been writing, the sensation of seeing the pages is different from my digital output, and I’d wager a great many people who write regularly would agree with me. Letters delivered by snail mail, because they are so unusual, will get attention that email does not — and are likely to be remembered.

We all seem to agree that AI is a very big deal and while a crash of one kind or another is inevitable with consequential regrets, I am equally convinced that the benefits of what is time-honored are nowhere near over or ever will be.