Why Vinyl is the Best Music Format

Recently there has been a return to vinyl among the younger generation, including me. Many people discount us as Hipsters, who enjoy vinyl only for the novelty of playing music in a "obsolete" way to make ourselves feel unique. While there definitely are some people out there who only listen to vinyl to make themselves feel like a special little snowflake, I am skeptical that they are even the majority of vinyl listeners. There are three main reasons that I started buying vinyl and I think they are also the reasons that so many other people have been coming back to the format too.

The first reason that I went back to vinyl was the tactile nature of vinyl. You can see the grooves and watch the needle vibrate inside them sending vibrations to the speaker which, in turn produces music. I feel like I own my music because I can see it and watch it play, in contrast to the music on an Itunes account which while cheaper and more convenient also feels more disposable and impersonal. Think about it this way, would you ever show off your Itunes library? How much will your Itunes library be worth in five years? More than that with an itunes library you don't even own the music that's on there. What you really paid for when you thought you bought music on Itunes was permission to put music on seven devices, after that you need to re-buy it. So, does that really count as ownership? And even if you do own your music on Itunes, what do you own? Code that tells your speakers what to play? Vinyl is better because you own your music, it's yours, you can see it, you even own the album art instead of just having a picture of it on a screen. You really own a piece of art.

The second reason that I came back to vinyl is because of the quality, and even durability of vinyl. Digital music, even music on cds can be, and often times is compressed to fit more music onto less memory. What compression does is cut out all of the very high and very low frequencies originally recorded, leveling them out and leaving the recording with a less dynamic range, and it doesn't sound nearly as good. With vinyl it is impossible for them to do that, the format doesn't let the record company mess with their artist's music to save money. Oftentimes the record company is the enemy of the artist, just ask Michael Jackson. Also vinyl is much more durable than cd, when a cd is scratched and it starts clicking and skipping it is unlistenable, you might as well throw it away, but vinyl, even after it is scratched, while it deffinatley does not sound as good as it did, is at least still listenable, and some think it adds a depth and charm to their records. I don't know about that, but a click or pop here or there is ignorable for me personally.

The final reason that I think vinyl is better, which I have really begun to appreciate, is that your vinyl will out live you, playing great music for generations to come. Think about that next time you listen to an old Jim Croce album, someone else who doesn't know you owned this great music that you both like and they have, in a way passed it onto you. It's a beautiful thing when you take the time to appreciate it, it also makes me feel guilty every time I open a piece of old sealed vinyl. The thought that someone bought the record as some kind of investment and decided to not listen to it and then 20 years later finally sells it, then I come in, buy it, and immediately open it and play it, sometimes bothers me, but in my mind good music deserves to be played.

I'd like to know any reasons that you got into vinyl in the comments section.

Also you can check out other content from me on my website http://www.thevinyltalk.com/