The Vinyl Record Renaissance

John Harris in The Guardian on the vinyl comeback

A well-researched article

Facts about vinyl records (from Echoes, April 9, 2015)

Inner groove distortion

"Songs closer to the label and spindle hole on a record can sound audibly different than those on the outer edges due to what is known as inner groove distortion. At the beginning of the LP, on those outer grooves, the signal is cut across a relatively long section of vinyl, and the longer a signal is spread out across the medium, the higher the quality. When you get to those shorter grooves near the spindle hole, the signal is transferred to a much shorter section. The audio information, in the form of ridges and valleys, is closer together, and the more dramatic curve of the groove can affect the needle’s ability to track and read the information accurately. When producing a record on vinyl, the recommendation is to keep the louder, bass-heavy tracks at the front and the softer tracks for the end of the programs".