Why bother with records?

[QuasarQuail]

As an unofficial follow-up to my post from last week, I'll ask: why do you (or don't you) bother with expensive, bulky, delicate records in 2015?

I bother with them bigtime, but it's for admittedly completely unscientific reasons. For one, it helps me appreciate music much more. It's way too easy to compulsively skip and shuffle with Spotify and other services. On the other hand, I find it much easier to take a breath, sit down, and pay attention to a record.

Meanwhile, I really like just having the weird one-armed robot hang out with us in the den, doing its thing.

I'd also argue that music recorded "live," as jazz and some folk tends to be, sounds much better on wax. Somehow, it puts it right in the room for a very realistic sound. I didn't think I even liked jazz, but in this context, I can hang with it just fine.

You?

 

[slashin_velvet]

Mostly the romanticism of the merchandise. If I like a bands music, ill either buy a t-shirt or a record.....i'll never use a CD in the digital age, so i might as well get something more substantial for merchandise.

 

[line6man]

I get what you are saying about paying attention to the music. Listening to music as an activity unto itself seems to be a dying practice, as people become more and more passive in their listening habits. It used to be that you would sit down and listen to music on your home stereo, in the same fashion that you would watch a movie. With the advent of newer technologies, however, people have relegated music to a mere background activity. Vinyl generally encourages you to think of an album as a whole. You pay more attention to the way one song fades into another, or how an abrupt ending or beginning can change the mood of the music. You also get some time to pause and reflect as you finish one side of a record and flip it over to start the next side.

That being said, I generally don't listen to my small collection of records. I buy records that are easier or cheaper to acquire in vinyl than CD/MP3/etc. and then digitize them with my USB turntable and software. (Some records are not even available in CD format.) This is more convenient to me, as most of my listening is either done on my computer or in the car.

 

[sixstringsamurai]

it's the ritual...
taking it out, making sure it's clean, checking the stylus is free of dust, you drop the arm, and then there is the warmth of the sound, round and full, not cold and sterile.
The occasional pop, and hiss of a well loved platter.
The FULL SIZE sleeve art, Ltd edition posters, COLORED vinyl (My Kryptonite), Single colors, swirls, picture discs.....


Whats not to love?

 

[mayfly]

It's different, and that makes it interesting.  I think that CDs are actually dying as more folks just buy a download instead.  At the moment I use my record player more than my CD player.  But I use my iPhone/airplay more than either.

For our next album we're thinking of offering only two formats:

1 - digital download
2 - LP record with digital download included.

That's what I think people will actually buy.  We might do a small run of CDs, but only for promotion.

 

[TBurst Std]

Wow, I am stuck I guess. I converted to CDs (as well as SACDs) quite a while ago. I think I have one digital download purchase (it came with the CD). I guess I just prefer the higher resolution of CDs. I do use digital, but lossless FLAC files I keep on my server (I create these from my CDs). Yes I do convert those down for my iPod (which only serves a use in my truck or while I am flying, etc. Yes I have an old schoold iPod as I need the 160 GBs, I have a bit over 2000 CDs).

I guess I just want physical media.

 

[Kostas]

1) Ι have too many records to stop listening to vinyl. Many not by collectors standards but for my income. I bought my first record when I was 11 and I've never stopped buying since. Never in my life I thought vinyl was not cool or I should stop buying 'cause there's something new.

2) This:

it's the ritual...
taking it out, making sure it's clean, checking the stylus is free of dust, you drop the arm, and then there is the warmth of the sound, round and full...
The FULL SIZE sleeve art, Ltd edition posters, COLORED vinyl (My Kryptonite), Single colors, swirls, picture discs.....

I should mention I can hear the warmth so many people say but I don't necesseraily find it better than digital, even from the humble and outdated CD. I have heard digital reproduction (systems of many thousands) that were almost perfect. There was warmth, detail, soundstage...pretty much everything. Vinyl won't make a bad pressing or a bad production better. In the end, it's all about the music. I won't stop listening to music no matter the format.