The New Age of Music
A Deep Dive Into The Modern Interest Towards Vinyl Records
E. O. Milne
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT A VINYL RECORD that makes it so well-loved by the people of the world in 2023?
It most definitely is not the convenience as that is out of the question.
There is no part of record collecting that is convenient and yet since 2006, the industry has begun to thrive. There is no exact explanation for why people aren’t content with just streaming music on their phone, but after having been a collector for a year now, I think I may have a reason.
In August last year, I got a free Audio Technica LP60 turntable on Gumtree. I got into that form of music not because I was excited but more curious.
I was curious why some like myself at the time would listen to Spotify for free and have access to all the music in the world, while others would choose to spend anywhere between $20 and $100 on average for a single album. It made no sense.
But to understand this form of music, we need to look back in time to the 1970s. This was a time before CDs, or the iPod, were a thing, and the only real way to listen to music was through Vinyl records. Back then, nearly every single person in the world had some form of turntable, while others chose the Walkman Cassette player.
But the difference between then and now is that back then, vinyl would go for less than half the price of what it does today. In fact, in comparison, it would have been cheaper back then to buy the latest, most famous album than to buy a CD at today’s prices.
In the 1970s, vinyl was so cheap that it was something people didn’t think twice about before buying. But then came easier ways of listening to music, such as the CD and iPod. They were more convenient and had superb quality compared to that of a plastic disk. So over time, demand for vinyl subsided, meaning that in the early 2000s, less than 900,000 vinyls were being made every year. And that was why the price went up so drastically.
But then in 2006, something changed in the mindset towards vinyl because it was no longer seen as unnecessary but instead seen as an art form.
It was a way to appreciate music and the creator of said music without just carelessly streaming it. Because with Spotify you don’t really think about what you’re listening to. You can listen to it while making dinner or you can have it as white noise as you fall asleep.
In today’s day and age, music is a distraction to pass the time. Something in the background. But with vinyl you have to really enjoy music to want to play it.
Further, it allows you to understand what you enjoy listening to instead of being pressured to listen to the latest Spotify hit by society. Because it makes you question if you are willing to spend a certain amount of money on it.
A personal experience I had with this was with artists like Post Malone or The Weekend. Vinyl allowed me to develop a new music taste and find artists I enjoyed, such as the Strokes, Cream, and more.
It is the highest form of appreciation for music because you not only have to invest in an album, but you must go out of your way every time you listen to it.
Because it is not like you can put it on in the background because halfway through an album, you have to flip it over.
So, this is why I believe vinyl has become so popular nowadays.
Because even though it may not be easy, the feeling of placing the needle on the groove of a vinyl and listening to the crackle of the song is one of the best feelings in my week.
Because you have to immerse yourself into the album and experience the music the way that the artist intended, with every word being engraved into your mind.
So, I know that it may sound like a burden to many, but it is an art form that is making its way back into the world and it doesn’t look like its production will be slowing down anytime soon.
Or at least I hope not.