Reading through this thread, I can see no evidence that vinyl is dead in the water for those who choose to use vinyl for their replays.
Most have a collection that will survive for a very long time.
Second Hand Vinyl Sales is a huge market, and very good value products can be found by the careful buyer.
The Bespoke vinyl re-release market seems to be in a very stable condition.
The mainstream vinyl market is growing if the released sales figure is correct.
Haptics and Nurture has a lot to do with vinyl, for many it is this ritual that is the attractor, as well as deep embossed memories of a certain age group, who were brought up with a passion for vinyl and the mechanics required to replay it.
There are younger generation enthusiasts, who are dedicating time and money into building a vinyl system .The mainstream marketers are targeting these new followers, especially with the replay hardware.
Across the globe, modern outlets similar to cyber cafe's, playing vinyl, serving beverages and food, as well as replay hardware are often in towns and cities across the globe, basically a modern version of the olden ways of being interactive in a record store.
Vinyl is now integrated into the hi-fi system, in a variety of ways, for some it is the only front end, for some front ends of differing technologies.
When I see the use of a TT on a recent blockbuster Star T Rek Movie, this format is one that will last, the same as Film in Photography, Valve Electronic Systems, and one day Combustion Engines, all come from the past century, but want to be part of a collectors wanted list, for a few centuries to come.
How the designs will fit into a daily usage scenario, is a unknown.
How the mainstream market produce items to support interest is a unknown.
As off today, vinyl has a large population of satisfied users, it has a foothold in healthy sales both New and Used, so in my mind, it is here and will remain in the mainstream for a good while yet.
