   Music is a big deal in my life, and it always has been. To me, it’s more than something to put on while completing a homework assignment or cleaning my room. I was the, “band director’s daughter,” up until high school, and you can always find me at a concert; I “live my life to a soundtrack,” as I like to call it. In recent years, my love for music has grown tremendously, downloading album after album from my favorite artists, and traveling from city to city across the east coast with my closest friends just to see these music acts; I’m notorious for seeing the same show more than once. Music has a way of bringing people together in one community; it’s one of my favorite ways to find common ground with someone. 

   When I turned 18, and Christmas approaching rapidly, I knew I wanted something relating to music that was unconventional and that I could keep throughout my adult years. I asked for a record player – a turn table, rather. With a few tears of wrapping paper, and my passion for music quite evident to my mother, I opened a black Crosley turn table with a red interior on Christmas morning, including a Twenty-One Pilots and The 1975 vinyl. 

   As my vinyl collection has grown over the year with new additions like The Smiths, The Beach Boys, and Amy Winehouse, I have come to appreciate this more complex, old-fashioned way of listening to music. Record players aren’t exactly portable, so it forces the listener to sit down and physically change a disc, otherwise it does not work. I also think it’s a nice alternative to consuming music from our phones, through headphones, and into our ears. It’s all about having an experience and creating a connection as opposed to just having background noise.

   Vinyl has not always been a hopping trend, though. So why is there suddenly a market for those who want to use vinyl as a means of consuming music during a time that digital streaming is at its peak? The resurgence of vinyl can be attributed to the desire for a more tangible way of listening to favorite artists, the feeling of youth when it was first introduced, and the sound quality over digital formats.

   Vinyl declined in the first place due to the introduction of the CD in the early 80’s. The format got physically smaller, making it easier to transport and even use in cars. According to Rare Records, aside from the decrease in disc size, vinyl became too normal within every household, and the average consumer wanted a product of higher quality. As soon as something can be improved upon and advanced, that old tactic can immediately be thrown out of the window. Everything has its cycle, and with that, vinyl cycled out of the market. Of course, after the long run of CD’s, iTunes was introduced (which is still a dominant platform for downloading music) as well as other streaming apps like Pandora and Spotify. I understand the appeal of having music right at our fingertips, I’m an avid Spotify user myself, but I also see the appeal of having your own music library that you can hold and flip around; it is physically in your possession.

   Because we live in in a primarily digital society, and it’s the easiest route to practically do anything and everything, there is a lot of confusion among consumers regarding why anyone would want to listen to music through a more difficult process than just the touch of a button (Barron, 2016). Some people like the fact that there are no short cuts involved when using vinyl. Here is a step by step process: 1. Thumb through each record until you find the one you desire, 2. Gently pull the record out of its sleeve and make sure not to leave any finger prints or scratches, 3. Hold the disc by its outside edges and place it on the turn table, 4. Turn on the turn table, 5. Swing the needle over the record and place it softly toward the outside, and 6. Adjust the volume as needed. This is just to get the album going; you’re on your own when it comes to navigating a specific song. That’s what people love about vinyl records, it’s so much more complex than it needs to be. Another physical aspect that vinyl collectors thrive off of is hunting for that one record they have yet to get their hands on. I have been in this position multiple times, and it’s an absolute thrill when you have a specific record in mind, but it’s not guaranteed that it can actually be found. When it is found, it’s like striking gold! This “hunt,” cannot be done when it comes to digital downloading because, again, it’s pretty much guaranteed access for the consumer. Where’s the fun in that? Finding vinyl is an emotional investment from the start, therefore, it causes an emotional experience once it’s actually spinning on the record player.

   After laying the needle down on a record, it’s difficult to gage what song is where on the disc, so it’s best to just let it play. Concept albums are the best for this, albums that are meant to be listened from beginning to end, front to back; Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is a prime example of this. It’s best to let albums play when you have no plans, so sitting down with your ears open is the only task at hand. It creates an emotional experience because distraction is not a factor. You get to feel the music and lyrics, and attempt to understand the perspective of the artist. And when Side A is done playing, you have to get up out of your chair, turn the disc over to Side B, and return to that state of mind. It’s a physical and emotional engagement all around. Coming from a dedicated vinyl collector/listener, “It does enhance the listening experience. If you sit down, listen to your record, look at the cover as I used to do when I was a kid, it changes the whole experience and does make it much richer and more emotionally engaging,” (Jobiee, 2015). Holding the sleeve of the vinyl can also trigger an emotional connection with the vinyl played; it more than likely includes all of the lyrics to each track as well as eye catching graphics. Having the lyrics printed in front of the listener is crucial to the experience because they are reading what they are hearing; it’s almost like studying, therefore, it sticks with them. The design plays a really important part with vinyl consumers, because a lot of them actually buy for the artwork, and no one wants a drab vinyl cover in their collection. Because vinyl was so popular when it was first introduced, it’s resurgence reminds those first vinyl users of their youthful selves.

   Nostalgia is a driving factor regarding the comeback of vinyl; it’s the feeling of returning to a specific moment in the past, or reminiscing on what once was. This is very prevalent in older generations of vinyl collectors today, because they had to witness vinyl’s decline after it was introduced in the first place. Vinyl came back because of its users from the past. Younger generations more than likely would not have as great of an impact on its return because we typically think of millennials wanting the new and now; why would they bring back something of the past when digital streaming is more simple? The people who used it in the past yearn for its comeback, and they were influential enough to do so. 

   Despite nostalgias impact, one can argue that it is very much not a leading factor in vinyl’s resurgence, rather the younger generations today see it as a hip trend. 
