Record players were one of the biggest staples in the roaring 20s, for many years almost every house in America had a record player. Before that there were only live opportunities for music. It was a big opportunity to pick your own albums and choose when you want to play the song of choice. Slowly over the years record players began to slow down in sales due to CD’s, and then down the road newly digital music. But there was a rise in 2007 of sales, and by the early 2010s, record players were back! But why?
Digital is way more convenient and records are delicate, expensive, and a hassle at times that digital just isn’t. But like any hobby it has its pros and cons. Modern digital music doesn’t have the same effect as vinyl, since vinyl truly immerses you into the music, it’s better quality when properly taken care of, and it gives listeners an opportunity to collect physical copies of music that are personal favorites. Vinyls collect the entire sound wave on what is playing, while digital music is sampled in periodic intervals, which only includes part of the sound wave being played.
Those who lived in the golden age of record players, may be looking for nostalgia getting back into them. Younger generations are so used to the world of technology that listening to music in physical form is foreign and new, just like anything else that is new, people are bound to try it, due to our curious nature. Along with that, listening to records has a difference in sound, and when younger generations are so used to hearing it one way, it’s intriguing to hear their favorite songs in a different form or even a better form.
In 2022 1.2 billion dollars were spent from people buying records, which even is a 20% jump from 2021. The global vinyl record market is projected to reach 4.12 billion dollars by 2030. While CD sales have gone down 95 percent since peaking in 2000. With every trend they have their ends and beginnings, but with the data it doesn’t seem that record players are going anywhere anytime soon. Although with easy access to music on your phone, not every household has a record player, this may be what it could look like in the future; or by then will they die out like CDs?
photo credit – “Vinyl Record Player” by nan palmero is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
