Abdeali Saherwala | Staff Writer
Featured image: You spin me right ‘round, like a record baby. | Courtesy of Anthony Savonarota
Millennials are considered to be the most tech-savvy generation. Their increasing reliance and desire for newer and more powerful technology has them continuously trying to get the latest phone, tablet, and computer.
However, despite the ever-evolving world of technology, many millennials are still collecting, listening to, and enjoying vinyls—an old-school way of listening to music.
A vinyl, otherwise known as a phonograph record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc, containing songs from a musician or band’s album.
In order to listen to a vinyl, a record player is required.
A needle-like device called a stylus traces the vibrations of the song on the disc, playing from one end of the disc to the other. Special care of vinyls and the record player must be taken, so that the vibrations are not corrupted.
Many feel vinyls offer a special kind of relationship with music. Listeners believe they get the purest form of the recording of the song, hearing the array of sounds that were made in the original recording, especially with older ones.
“I listen to older reggae music, and the cymbals are more pronounced, or the tambourine is louder on the vinyl. Another difference is the low-end or bass portion, which extends way lower in vinyl than streaming,” says Neave Constantine, a third-year Environmental Studies student.
Meanwhile, some millennials have inherited vinyls from their family, as it was their main source of music for older generations.
Ariel Gabriel Maizo, a fourth-year Kinesiology and Health Science student, also explains why she loves vinyls: “My mom’s brothers collect vinyls with the oldest dating back as far as the 1800’s, but the majority are 1980’s music, and the most current being Drake’s Take Care LP. Compared to streaming songs, there are huge differences in both quality of the music and the amount of care you must ensure in order to sustain these vinyls.
“I grew up listening to vinyls, and I remember being tasked to clear them out of dust, and one scratch can result in a dysfunctional record.”
Despite the smooth, edged sound of vinyls, streamed music is still currently one of the most convenient ways of listening to songs.
Vinyls are not easy to collect and can be expensive, in comparison to their digital counterparts. However, due to the perceived difference in sound quality, and thus, the bond that can form between people and music, vinyls are indeed here to stay.
