After the vinyl, age went out, and cassette players and then CDs came about, no one thought we would ever need a record player again. Most of us who grew up in the vinyl age got rid of the cumbersome contraptions in favor of portable CD players and MP3 players that let you take music on the go. However, in our technologically advanced world, it seems vinyl is making a comeback.
Analog VS Digital
According to an article written by Mathew Hughes, Reasons why vinyl is better than digital, there are four reasons why analog, or vinyl, is better than digital music.
- People who listen to vinyl have a more refined taste in music.
- Buying a record is a social experience that allows you to interact with others determining which music is best to buy.
- Vinyl records have a better sound than digital formats.
- Owning vinyl means that you can later sell it and make money off of it.
While listening to music on an MP3 is faster and easier, vinyl has a nostalgic quality that heightens the musical experience.
It’s not about the sound; it’s about the experience
As stated earlier, the sound of vinyl is better than digital, according to vinyl enthusiasts. However, it’s not just about the sound of the music, but it’s the experience you have listening to the music. Vinyl requires you to slow down and really listen and focus on the music. When you listen to an MP3 player, you can be distracted by walking, shopping, or even talking; most people use it as background noise for their life. However, vinyl music is stationary. You can’t take it anywhere, and so you really have to be in the mood to listen to it and experience it. Brian Dunning discusses the difference in listening to vinyl and digital music in his video In Fact.
Why is vinyl making a comeback?
Listening to my parents talk about music on analog makes me think they lived in a completely different timeframe. Today’s youths don’t even know what a cassette or cassette player is, and yet, they are enamored with vinyl. People whose parents never owned a record player are buying vinyl. How can this be when they have so much technology at the tips of their fingers? Well, access to so many technological advances is partly to blame. According to an article by David Sax in the LA Times, today’s youth have elevated the simplicity of the past and revel in the ability to connect with past experiences.
If you have ever purchased a vinyl record, you know it’s not just about the music. It’s about the way the album feels in your hands, and the scratch as you place it on the turntable. Listening to vinyl is a way of stepping back into the past when times were simpler. It is more about the experience than the sound. Not to mention, the coolest album art you have ever seen. Having a record player also provides you with an option not to have to use a computer or smartphone when listening to your favorite tunes. OPTOFF