Panasonic has announced that they will cease production of the Technics 1200 turntable at the end of this year.
After kicking up the dust in 2002 by proclaiming that turntables had overtaken guitars in sales, the company now releases this statement:
Regarding our analogue turntable products, we have to inform you of our decision to terminate the business within this year, regrettably. Here are the reasons which made us reach this conclusion.
- Since beginning of last decade, our sales of turntables have been decreasing drastically. They’re almost one-fifteenth of the sales 10 years ago.
- Many key parts are no longer available as some of our suppliers stopped production or discontinued their businesses. Also, there is the risk that some key parts' availabilities might stop suddenly, and these parts are only being produced for our turntables. In that case we cannot produce the products that we have taken orders for already.
We cannot help discontinuing production in advance in order to avoid the worst case scenario.
The SL-1200 has been an industry standard for 35+ years; it's superior direct drive motor and consistent speed adjustment became the standard for which all other turntables were measured.
Its long term longevity was first threatened with the fall in popularity of Disco, but was rescued by US-based Detroit Techno and Chicago House music in the 80s, along with Hip Hop, for which the "Tech 12s" became a mainstay. From this point, its use exploded in the UK with Baleric and Hip House in the late 80s, and then with the Rave scene through the 90s and into the early 2000s.
However, technical advancements from groundbreaking tools such as Final Scratch, Fruity Loops, Traktor, Reaktor, Ableton Live and Serato have changed the way that electronic music is performed and produced.
Established DJs and producers have left the old ways behind in favour of a more extensible medium, and newcomers are attracted to it for it's ease of use (translated: no need to learn beatmixing).
Artists such as Tim Exile are mapping MIDI to a joystick controller to create new instruments for delivering live performance.
As a result of these advancements, Technics sales have crashed by 85%, and the brand is no longer viable as a business, says it's parent company.
Could this be the death rattle of vinyl? A moment of silence will be held in front of the faders tonight in honour of the memories that my 12's have brought.