Why Do We Still Buy Vinyl?

Since the early 2000s, streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music have dominated music sales. Like so many aspects of our lives nowadays, these platforms fit conveniently into mobile devices, making them playable from almost anywhere. It also costs only about ten to fifteen dollars per month to subscribe to a streaming app and get access to practically any song in the world. Despite the fact that streaming is the most advanced form of music listening today, many music lovers still choose instead to invest in physical music, most especially vinyl records. While record sales took a sharp plunge from the late 1980s onward, the past two decades have seen a massive vinyl resurgence.

So why is it that historically outdated vinyl records have been steadily rising in popularity for almost the entire 21st century? To explore this phenomenon, Align Magazine chatted with students and young adults around Eugene about their listening habits and musical opinions. We also visited the House of Records, the oldest record store in Eugene and my personal favorite place to buy vinyl. These conversations gave us some much-needed insight into Eugene’s own unique vinyl culture and the qualities of vinyl records that make them beloved to music fans of every age.

Because so many record stores today are independently owned, the record shopping experience is refreshingly hospitable, especially in Eugene. Employees at record stores are friendly, absolute connoisseurs of all kinds of music, and they’re bound to have a wide range of recommendations. They also tend to tell some pretty cool stories, too, and the House of Records is no exception. While talking to Dora, a long-time House of Records employee, we learned that the store has been visited by celebrities ranging from Julia Roberts to André 3000. It’s crazy to imagine myself shuffling through the same records as these iconic figures in film and music. I’m also dying to know what they bought!

Dora, House of Records Employee. 

Dora also attests to the comforting vibe of record stores, and of the House of Records in particular. “I grew up here, and I’ve been coming here my whole life. I just love the vibe of the store and how cozy it is. I love the people. I love our customers,” Dora says. The love that the store has for the Eugene community and music, in general, is evident from the moment you walk in the door; vintage music memorabilia, vibrant colors, and an incredible collection of records are just a few of the things to love about the place. It’s no wonder that people from all over the Pacific Northwest travel to this spot to buy records. The House of Records is the quintessential, ideal atmosphere for all kinds of music lovers.

So, with everything to love about record shopping, why do so many people still hesitate to buy vinyl? After all, though vinyl records are rising in popularity, they still make up only a small chunk of music sales worldwide. In our conversations with students and adults in Eugene, the most popular answer to this question was financial reasons. After all, records are not cheap, and a turntable itself can cost over a hundred dollars depending on which one you choose. In addition, they also take up space and can be difficult to move around, something that the constantly-changing college lifestyle doesn’t always support.

While this might be true, there’s so many upsides to owning vinyl that can make them well worth their cost. Vinyl records are a fun way to decorate a space in a way that is personal to you. Music is, after all, one of the greatest means of defining and expressing your own style. Some of my favorite decorations in my own apartment come from posters I found in my records, or the artwork on a record sleeve itself. It helps me see my living space as a reflection of myself and my interests. This is immensely comforting to a college student like myself in a shapeshifting environment. In addition, one of the coolest things about records is their ability to represent the timelessness of music in popular culture. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve brought a record home only for one of my parents to say, “I had that one when I was a kid!” It’s so fascinating to realize that I own something that people decades ago listened to and connected to in the same way that I do. 

Records can also offer a uniquely rewarding and personal listening experience. Each album bought on vinyl has the potential to tell a story. One of my most treasured records I own is Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here because of the months I spent tirelessly searching for it at every record store I went into before I finally found it. Every time I listen to Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel on vinyl, I think of the beautiful summer week I spent in Vienna, where I bought it. Almost all of my records are a souvenir of the day in which I found them, and the memories that I associate with my vinyl collection gives me a tender and fond appreciation for physical music.

Vinyl has influenced the entire idea of music as an industry and as a dominating part of entertainment in popular culture. The listening environment that vinyl records build can’t be reproduced on streaming apps, and young adults around Eugene seem to agree. Many students that Align spoke to mentioned the interactive nature of vinyl collecting, such as Logan, who reflected on vinyl as feeling “more real” than digital music and a “multifaceted experience” for music fans. Others talked about how vinyl records can transport you back to the past in a unique way, whether it be your own past or a time long before you were born. Being able to listen to music in so many different formats that came from a variety of time periods is one of the coolest things about 21st century music culture. If you’ve ever been interested in exploring physical music, a record player is an investment that will last you years and give you unlimited bragging rights. And if you’re not sure where to start with record shopping, go visit the House of Records and see what finds you!

Photos Taken by Arianna Rinaldi at House of Records

Photos Edited by Natalie Robinson

To further immerse yourself into the world of vinyl and its collectors, enjoy this Spotify playlist created by Arianna Rinaldi. Hopefully, it will allow you to discover some new music as it is filled with a compilation of songs gathered from interviews with House of Records and Eugene students/young adults. Enjoy!