It’s interesting that in our super high-tech world vinyl records are making a major comeback. Rather than put on some Beats by Dr. Dre (headphones) and selecting from thousands of songs on an iPod, more young people are taking to placing an archaic, stamped circle of grooved vinyl onto a rotating disk and positioning a needle to hear the sound. Really? It might be hard to tell from the cover, but this is our annual economics and history issue. We decided to throwback to a time when the only music-on-demand was in the form of records and music boxes. We are revisiting the Great Depression to examine a time when our country had 40% unemployment and thousands of men and women were willing to work for food because they were literally going hungry. Let’s scrutinize capitalism and decide— if as so many are claiming— it’s no longer a fit for America.
Marriner Eccles was the most famous capitalist Utah produced, and in many scholars’ opinions he was instrumental in stimulating America’s economy by guaranteeing bank deposits and home mortgages. So sit back, relax and put on some: Django Reinhardt or Woodie Guthrie, and read some words on a page printed with ink. Who knows maybe if vinyl is making a comeback, so will print journalism.
We also suggest you check out our 6th annual Holiday Shopping Guide to find new and exciting ways to Shop Local.
