Vinyl in a Digital Age
Record sales have experienced a
260%
growth since 2009
Why Are Millennials Buying Vinyl Records in a Digital Age?
According to the LA Times, vinyl is making a comeback mainly within millennials. Millennials are buying into record players and vinyl because they are embracing aspects of the past without rejecting technological progress and innovation. They find that it’s possible to reconcile those realities that can peacefully and happily coexist in the present (LA Times- The curious case of Vinyl Records and Millennials).
We are living in a time that allows us to access any song at just the touch of our fingertips. So why are people are choosing to purchase vinyl records in a digital age?
TIME Magazine did a study on why music lovers are
turning to vinyl and away from digital. They included
“Six Reasons why Millennials Buy Vinyl Records” The main reasons why music lovers are turning to vinyl because of the sound it produces and the physicality of holding and owning one. Here is the list Time included on why millennials are buying vinyl:
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Status-some buy just because it’s what their friends/peers are doing--described as high school mentality
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Sound-described as “warmer”
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Art-described that vinyls are beautiful objects and CDs are just pieces of plastic office supplies. The vinyl record covers can be seen as works of art themselves
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Nostalgia
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Guilty pleasures
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Hidden treasures
An online article from The Oregonian Live did a piece titled “Does Vinyl Really Sound Better? An Engineer Explains” Adam Gonsalves of Portland's Telegraph Mastering said, "Vinyl is the only consumer playback format we have that's fully analog and fully lossless. You just need a decent turntable with a decent needle on it and you're going to enjoy a full-fidelity listening experience. It's a little bit more idiot-proof and a little bit less technical." Gonsalves has worked with artists ranging from Sufjan Stevens to Steve Aoki.
Meet Our Collectors
Jason has been collecting for about 13 years. One of Jason’s goals is to collect all of the albums on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 greatest albums of all time list. He currently has 97 of the albums included in his overall collection of 200+
Phoebe has been around records for as long as she can remember. Records were something her and her dad bonded over and continue to do so today. Phoebe started her very own collection, separate from her father’s, during her sophomore year of college.
Luke has been collecting his own records for the past 5 years, but his family has been collecting records his whole life. He prefers to listen to country and rock, with his favorite record being Chris Stapleton’s From a Room. Luke started collecting records because it reminds him of his barn in Springfield, Nebraska.