Vinyl records have seen a surge in popularity over the last decade despite the increase in music streaming services. But why should you switch to vinyl music over digital downloads this year?
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why vinyl is so popular and why you should consider switching to vinyl this year.
Vinyl has warm, high-quality playback
Digital files are compressed when transferred between devices and across the internet and the nuance and depth of the music are hampered as a result. Digital compression doesn’t happen with vinyl so you get exceptional quality. Plus, vinyl records have tiny physical imperfections which gently distort the audio to create that unique vinyl warmth and fullness. Nothing else sounds like vinyl and the experience of listening to your favourite music on vinyl is simply different than via any other medium.
You own the music you love
It’s incredible to have almost limitless tracks and albums available in the palm of your hand with streaming services, but the downside is you don’t own any of them. If you cancel your subscription you can’t access your tracks with adverts getting in the way. If you move to another service you have to pull together your favourite music collection all over again. If the internet is down, you can’t stream a thing. With vinyl, you have hard copies of your favourite music no matter what, and if you keep your records in good condition, they’ll be yours for decades.
You create an experience with every listen
The peaceful ritual of flicking through your vinyl collection, removing the record from its sleeve and gently laying the needle down is something that can’t be beaten by streaming services. It’s harder to skip tracks on vinyl too, which encourages you to experience an entire album from start to finish without rushing through to your favourite parts. Listening to vinyl can give you a fresh appreciation for your favourite artists and encourage you to slow down and be present with the music.
You support artists and record stores
Streaming services have led to artists getting paid significantly less than they were when we could only access music via physical records, tapes and CDs. When you buy vinyl, the artist gets a decent royalty fee and the more money they make, the better equipped they are to make more of the music you love. Plus, when you buy vinyl you support record stores and their employees, who just so happen to be the ideal people to turn to if you’re looking for some new music recommendations.
You discover new genres and hidden gems
Streaming services often recommend new tracks and artists but they rarely take you too far away from the genres you listen to on a regular basis. When you go into a record store you can more easily come across new music that is completely out of your comfort zone, which is an appealing prospect for those who love discovering fresh sounds. With vinyl records, it doesn’t matter if you listen to new music or old music, both have been popular on vinyl over the years. If you’re interested in discovering some of the top 80s artists of all time to listen to, you can still discover amazing music from the likes of Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac, and Prince.
Browsing vinyl also gives you the opportunity to find rare records, limited edition runs with unique artwork, coloured vinyl and interesting compilation albums, such as film soundtracks, that you’d never stumble across when using a streaming service. Life of Vinyl has an incredible variety of new and used vinyl records for music lovers to choose from, whether they’re a fan of movie soundtracks or iconic bands.
Vinyl has sentimental value
There’s something special about holding hard copies of music in your hand that helps you to remember the moment you heard an artist, track or album for the first time. The artwork on the sleeve also helps to cement key albums in your mind far better than thumbnails on streaming services ever could. Vinyl has sentimental value that digital music lacks. Plus, you can pass vinyl records down through the family, gift them to people you love, or put them on display as visual art. A vinyl collection is a tangible representation of the music that has shaped you over the years.
