You can get lost in a record store. Rows of vinyl-wrapped treasures wait to be rifled through. Striking artwork paints sound to paper as your fingers move along the sleeve’s edge and flip to the next one and the next one. Time slows and you’re caught up in the nostalgia of vintage vocals and the thrill of undiscovered gems.
There is an agelessness to vinyl records. Despite the coming- and-going of cassette tapes and CDs and the norm of digital streaming, the record has remained a constant, its popularity ever surging over the past two decades. Last year, 43 million records were sold, reflecting a steady 17-year-running growth. And the purchasing demographic is tied between ages 25-33 and 55-plus.
The medium attracts the aficionado whose smooth jazz spins atop a stylish Shinola Turntable. It’s the habit of the hobbyist whose shelves are stacked with artists from Stevie Wonder to AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac and Iggy Pop. And now a younger group is learning to love the ritual: Eagerly pulling the record from its sleeve, carefully placing the needle, listening to the crackle as it begins to spin.
Fifteen-year-old Bailey works at Weirdsville Records in downtown Mount Clemens and her collection could rival that of someone five times her age: Classic rock, easy listening, country, metal, swing, even Broadway soundtracks. She champions, “The bigger range you have, the better.” And it’s not the Netflix show she and her friends rush to change, but the record they all want to flip over. There is a warmth and depth second only to sitting in the room with the artist, the richness coming from the deep grooves of the vinyl disc.
“The best thing about putting on a record is the quality of the sounds and the experience of it,” she says. “It’s something physical you can hold onto that brings you closer to the music. It’s personal to you and has meaning.”
And for the novice, one favorite musician – be it Taylor Swift or James Taylor – may be the launch to an eventual library of them. They just need to take the first step: Making the intentional decision to buy a record.
“You don’t always have to start with the big dog first,” advises Davey Taylor, Weirdsville Records’ owner, suggesting first a lesser-known artist or album. “You might start talking to fellow music lovers around you and now you’re more open … it kind of snowballs into more than what you were ever thinking.”
Davey believes the culture and community found while perusing records can lead to a larger repertoire. “If you want to learn about music, go to a record store. You’ll learn more about the artist, more about a song, more useless trivia because you’re immersed in it.”
And while he doesn’t believe the popularity of vinyl records is a passing fad – record pressing plants can hardly keep up with the demand – he does concede this generation has the best of both worlds – in physical music and digital downloads. But, “There’s something cooler about, ‘Look at my record collection. It’s tangible for some reason, and it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve listened to it, looked at the cover or read the lyrics.”
“The best thing about putting on a record is the quality of the sounds and the experience of it. It’s something physical you can hold onto that brings you closer to the music. It’s personal to you and has meaning.”