Why some obsolete media stick around: the case of the LP record

In this paper, we propose an explanation for why some media technologies fail to disappear from the market after having been displaced from their 'dominant design' status. Our point of departure is the observation that established models of technological change can not provide such an explanation because their foci do not extend beyond what happens to previously dominant technologies after technological discontinuity. We use the LP record as an empirical basis for our theorization. Our results suggest that the central mechanism at play explaining post-dominance market presence is the successful recasting of central technological features from a functional-utilitarian to an aesthetic realm.

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