Culture Crash: The Return of Vinyl Records

When vinyl records were replaced by 8-tracks and cassette players, it seemed as though this old way of listening to music would never be revived. However, decades later, it’s pretty easy to find local record stores or order new and used albums online.

And it’s not just a few collectors who are bringing back the vinyl market, huge superstars like Adele, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are all pushing new releases out onto records, and that market is booming. Though far from its heyday, more than 2 million vinyl records were sold in just one week last December. In fact, for a while, there was a shortage of places for artists to get new records pressed, as demand was outstripping supply.

I have dipped my toes into the expansive waters of shopping for and listening to vinyl records and I must say there really is a certain tactile element that is thrilling about looking through records at a store and, though it may seem somewhat quaint, there’s a specific magic in listening to music on a true record. So fire up an old Beatles album or a new Billie Eilish record, it is very easy to revel in your favorite music in its analogue glory.