The tangible record sleeve in your hands, the crackling sound of vinyl on a turntable, the vintage allure — all reasons why avid vinyl collectors attest that their favorite form of listening trumps digital downloads in nearly every variable.
As everyday music fans are climbing aboard the bandwagon to join veteran vinyl collectors, vinyl sales have increased on Amazon by 745 percent in the past five years, according to media reports.
Vinyl is appearing on the shelves of retail giants like Urban Outfitters and Best Buy, but local establishments are cashing in too.
Employees at Haffa’s Records, 15 W. Union Street, said they have experienced a noticeable increase in sales.
“Definitely the indie stuff is sold a lot more on vinyl than anything else,” Andrew Lampela a co-owner at Haffa’s said. “But major labels are selling a lot now too.”
The crowd coming into Haffa’s is mixed Lampela said. There is often a wide range between college-aged buyers, as well as customers who have been collecting vinyl for over 20 years. He added Haffa’s can now see about 50 customers a day on weekends when they used to see less than ten in 2008.
Lampela said students are becoming more inclined to buy records based on their sound and retro appeal and because most records now come equipped with a digital download you can transfer to your iPod.
“Records coming with digital downloads is a smart move on the labels part,” Lampela said. “It eases the pain of buying a record on young people, and indie labels have been doing this for a while. Major labels always catch on too late.”
Marissa Starzinksi of Athens said she moved to the area three weeks ago and has already purchased about a dozen records at Haffa’s.
“I’ve actually listened to more vinyl here than where I’m from just because the selections larger,” she said. “I try to buy at least a record a month.”
Rachel Komich, a freshman studying English, frequently purchases vintage records but believes the trend will ultimately die out.
“A lot of teens are going to collect them for a year or two, and then it’ll go down,” Komich said. “It’s kind of a fad, especially for stores like Urban Outfitters. They just sell the new stuff.”
Fad or not, Lampela said those who claim loyalty to vinyl will stick with their record-based roots.
“It’s like anything; it’ll plateau,” Lampela said. “But I think a small majority of nerds like myself will carry on the tradition, especially since the major label era of CDs is coming to an end.”
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