Why more people are buying records in the streaming age
On weekends, there is barely room to stand in the small record shop in the arts district. Half the customers are in their twenties. Records, once thought of as something from their parents’ generation, are back in young people’s hands.
According to industry figures, vinyl sales have grown steadily for more than a decade. In an age when a single phone can play almost any song, why are people buying heavy, expensive discs?
The Album, Start to Finish
Vinyl listeners all talk about time. When one side ends, you have to get up and flip the record, and it is hard to skip to just your favorite tracks. That inconvenience, they say, is what gets them to hear an entire album from beginning to end.
Streaming helps you find music, and records help you remember it.
Record shop owner
If You’re Just Starting
- Check the condition of the needle before splurging on a turntable
- Start with one album you love
- Inspect used records for scratches and warping
- Store records upright
The joy of slow listening is, in the end, the joy of giving music your time. This weekend, why not play one album all the way through?
Add your first comment to this post