I think that music today is to fleeting. It’s here today and gone tomorrow. People tend to move on from a song or album before even forming a real opinion because they haven’t taken it time to actually listen to the music. And who can blame them. It’s hard to stick to an album when you’re streaming it over an app on your phone that has access to millions of other songs and albums. When there is so much choice it’s hard to find something that you like and that connects with you. Listening to music on an app makes me often feel like I'm constantly missing out on something; like I'm listening to one song at the expense of another that will connect better with how I'm feeling or want to feel. But in the end, nothing fits the bill, nothing connects and I become frustrated.
With vinyl there’s less choice and more listening. The medium itself makes it that way. By the time I get off of the couch, select a record, gently take it out of it sleave, put it on the turntable and play it, I'm committed to that record. And it’s not because of any magical romantic spell that the record puts over you. The commitment instead comes from the fact that you had to get up off my ass and do something to get that record to play. It’s not at easy as the click of a button to play another song or change the album so I'm willing to give the music a chance.
I also like vinyl because I can pass them on. I believe that we are in large part the music we love. Each of the records in my collection say something about me and some even conjure up memories from my past. Memories of good times, old loves, broken hearts and family are all intertwined in my collection. It’s my dream that one day when I am gone that my kids and grand kids will be able to get to know me a little bit by listening to the music I loved.
Other than that, vinyl is just cooler than other mediums because of the artwork that comes along with each record. Just about all records have cover art and some even come with posters. So when I buy a record I get the art in the music and the art on the cover.
So there you go, that's why I love vinyl. What about you?
