Earlier this year, Amazon launched a service called AutoRip for CDs, which gives customers free digital copies of every CD they purchased from Amazon going back to 1998 and going forward for new CD purchases. The copies can be streamed or downloaded as MP3s from Amazon's Cloud Player. It turns out, Amazon was only scratching the surface: starting today, the company is offering AutoRip for vinyl records purchased on Amazon since 1998 and for all new vinyl bought from the website going forward.

"Many of our music customers are vinyl fans and it’s traditionally been very difficult to make digital versions of vinyl records," said Steve Boom, head of digital music at Amazon, in a statement. "Now customers can enjoy the albums they buy wherever they are, not just when they have access to a record player.”

"It’s traditionally been very difficult to make digital versions of vinyl records."

The move is a savvy one for Amazon, given that vinyl music sales have been resurgent since 2008, and are showing no signs of slowing down, while CD sales continue to drop year-over-year. It also doesn't hurt that Amazon's Cloud Player is available now with apps optimized for iPhone, iPad, Android via the Amazon MP3 app, and of course, Kindle Fire. Where Amazon spins AutoRip off to next is anyone's guess, but video seems like a likelier bet than cassette tapes, in our opinion.