Why do Vinyl Records Still Matter?

We live in a world where we have access to almost any piece of music ever recorded at the touch of a button. It’s so easy and cheap to explore the depths of Mozart in the morning, a serving of Led Zeppelin for lunch and David Bowie for dinner. It’s become the new norm to expect to hear great music instantly and for free with no thought of the creative process.

The music industry has changed more than any other because of the technology that enables instant gratification. Streaming services have capitalised on the disruption caused by pirate sites like Napster and Limewire by charging monthly fees to listeners and paying very small amounts of royalties to artists. It has changed the game, not just the rules. When something becomes free and easy to obtain, does it lose its appeal? It’s interesting to consider whether a listener would give a free stream of a song the same attention and indulgence as they would for a £12.99 vinyl record.

Maybe the process of having to go into town and buy the record from a knowledgeable tastemaker and then obtain a physical record with beautiful artwork that had taken somebody a long time to design adds to the experience. And that’s the point. Music isn’t something to be consumed like a sugary fix that tastes worse as time goes on. It is an experience. It’s a journey from A to B that starts before the first note is played and ends with a hidden bonus track 8 minutes after the record appears to have run its course.

The ritual of buying a record is one of the reasons for the formats resurgence. Nick Hornby articulates this wonderfully in his novel High Fidelity Record store day sees the community of vinyl hunters on their quest for their next big treasure. A nostalgia laden trip to any of the great record shops in London leaves you feeling part of something.

As someone who grew up after the vinyl era, I’ve always romanticised the idea of buying a vinyl of an artist you love and not knowing what to expect when the needle hits the groove. The sense of anticipation as you sit round with your friends to listen to a record for the first time must have been an exciting feeling. Record store day attempts to recreate that. The longing for that feeling will never leave us. It’s part of being human.

May you all enjoy todays record store day in the sunshine.