It’s no surprise to hear that vinyl records have made a revival since their inception in the early 1900’s.
Casual musical listeners not invested in or dedicated to the music industry may say otherwise, since their source of listening to music would primarily be from subscribed streaming services, but vinyl records have definitely made a comeback.
Since 2007, there has been a dedicated day annually celebrating record stores called Record Store Day where consumers can expect to find limited edition vinyls pressed specifically for the day, as well as finding their favorite artists performing at local record shops.
Record Store Day is recognized and celebrated internationally and evidently brings together the audiophiles involved in the unique culture, further illustrating how records are not only a listening experience but a social experience too.
Additionally, it has been reported by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) that “despite the challenges to retail sales from Covid-19 restrictions, vinyl grew 28.7% by value year-over-year to $626 million”. Clearly an appealing finding for we are currently in the age of an abundant amount of streaming services at the touch of our fingertips, but nowadays there are certainly a variety of reasons as to why vinyl records are alive and on the rise.
Analogue Quality
Terms like “warm”, “full” and “lossless” are what come to mind when audiophiles discuss how superior music sounds on vinyl records as opposed to CD’s and streaming services. Not to mention the nostalgic sounds of crackles and hisses. Audiophiles will go to lengths to declare vinyls as the closest medium to the real deal, and with good reason. Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering has stated, “I think this is what people like about [vinyls]: it pins very closely to the way that human beings hear music organically; it’s very mid-range-y and very warm.”
Music on streaming services dull in comparison since they are digitally compressed and lossy in order to not overwhelm the servers, as well as to keep the downloadable file sizes in mind. John Kunz, of Waterloo Records in Austin has discussed the re-emergence of vinyl records, stating, “I think there was a pendulum swing back to the analogue sound; it is sound waves rather than zeroes and ones emulating a sound wave.”
Diverse Audiophiles
There are four kinds of listeners: casual listeners, referential listeners, critical listeners and perceptive listeners. Needless to say, audiophile purists definitely fall under the critical and perceptive bracket which in turn is a possible reason to why they purchase vinyls in the first place. Curiously enough, as published by the RIAA, the demographic for buying vinyls in 2018 were the teens of the 80’s and 90’s (now aged between 35-54 years old) accounting for 21% and 24% of the sales respectively. However, it is worth noting that the millennials and zoomers are also driving sales up at 19% and 16% respectively. This could be due to a variety of factors, for instance their parents playing vinyl records during their upbringing, pop culture, or just collecting them as artifacts without even listening to them.
The Treasure Hunt
There is absolutely nothing like the experience of heading to a record store to go through some vinyls. Without a doubt, there is a certain kind of community — audiophiles, hipsters, collectors, music fanatics — who still actively seek out vinyl records, so it’s a great place to meet like-minded people and form endless connections. Rummaging through the records can be a therapeutic, introspective experience either by randomly selecting interestingly titled tab’s like ambient/experimental, or choosing what artwork spoke to you the most.
Since we thankfully exist in the 21st century, we can now preview listen to records prior to purchasing them, unlike how customers were at risk of purchasing expensive vinyls way back in the day without the certainty of whether they would like the artist, their music, or whether the vinyl was unfortunately warped due to manufacturing defects.
Tangible Listening Experience
Purchasing a vinyl also creates an intimate bond with the artist. The listening experience begins with mindfully choosing which record to listen to since a vinyl isn’t carefully taken out of it’s sleeve to listen to only two songs. It’s quite an immersive ritual; the selection process, pulling the selected vinyl out of the sleeve, laying it on the turntable, delicately placing the needle on the record and finally, kicking back with the visual artwork in the palm of your hands.
While listening to the record that took the artist months to create, fans can flip through the intricate artwork, personal lyrics and thoughtful liner notes enclosed in the packaging where they can understand the musicians more as artists. This tangible experience with audio is impossible to replicate through digital streaming services, and not only are CD liner notes microscopic, but their jewel cases easily break as well. Some records contain posters, stickers, and a unique download code to acquire the tracks digitally, which analysts have disclosed the latter as a major contributing factor for the rise in record sales.
Unparalleled Value
Even though vinyl records are more costly than the monthly streaming service fee or triple the price of a CD, there has been a resurgence in sales for vinyl purchases. The RIAA has revealed, “for the first time since 1986, revenues from vinyl records were larger than from CDs.” Moreover, they are considered collectibles to many as over time their value appreciates like aged wine — there is nothing like an original pressing. Records can be passed down in the family to the next generation and have exceptional resale value depending on the musician, year of manufacturing and the condition. However, besides the resale value, vinyl records hold inexplicable sentimental value related to either older relatives leaving behind their record collection, the adventurous journey to attain the vinyl, or if it’s a rare piece of work no longer being pressed.
Supporting the Artist
It is well known in the music industry that underground artists or artists from indie and small labels primarily receive the bulk of their income via ticket sales and merchandise. Loyal fans who not only add their favorite artist’s songs to their playlists, but actively participate in supporting the artist’s journey, will also invest in their vinyls. There is just more to obtain out of a vinyl in contrast to buying a CD or digitally downloading, and it’s definitely a way to expose family and friends to the artist after obtaining a physical copy.
Final thoughts
In short, record store trips expose locals to musical rarities and encourage one to venture into new sonical experiences; scoring an original pressing of a classic analogue hidden gem on a random outing is an irreplaceable feeling and social experience. It has only been made possible by the rise in vinyl popularity, the audiophile community supporting the artists they love and by recognizing high fidelity music.