As Mike Bart searches through the various milk crates in his room for the record he wants, pulling out and replacing each LP, he can't stop smiling.
Bart is a senior audio production major who disc jockeys for Dance or Die nights at the Union, 18 W. Union St. He is one of many students on campus who has found a love for vinyl records.
There is just something about a beat-up old record. You can hear the crackle. The history adds to the sound. I can't explain it.
Since he started seriously collecting vinyl his senior year of high school, Bart has accumulated a collection of around 2,500 records.
It is kind of an addiction
I guess he said.
Bart searches not only record stores, but also flea markets, classified ads and the internet for rare or unique albums. One time while on the job delivering pizzas, he even scored some records from a customer.
Other vinyl collectors agreed that the search is half the fun.
When you find something you have wanted for a while the feeling you get is exciting and genuine
said T.J Gerlach, a sophomore English major.
There are so many cool
exotic records out there. It's collecting music on another level.
Gerlach still purchases CDs but said there is something different he likes about vinyl.
Just putting on a record is such a different experience than a CD. It's authentic.
According to BBC.com (http://www.bbc.co.uk/
music/features/vinyl), vinyl records reached their golden age in the 1960s, when Beatle-mania hit America. When cassette tapes and eventually CDs became available, vinyl was kept alive through turntablism
otherwise known as what Bart does today: deejaying.
The record industry has been trying to kill [the vinyl industry] for years. I don't think it is going to
Bart said.
At Haffa's Records, 15 W. Union St., owner Eric Gunn said he sees a fair amount of people buying vinyl -mostly DJs -and it has a loyal, core following.
I wouldn't call [vinyl] a phase. It's not like it's something new
said Gunn.
Katie Rife, a junior journalism and video productions major, described purchasing vinyl as a musical investment.
If I really like an album
I'll buy the record. It is a form of devotion and commitment to the music.
A search on eBay (http://www.ebay.com) revealed prices for record players ranging from $20 to $1,800. New players start around $150, but can cost as much as several thousand dollars.
Record prices vary. Rife has bought albums for as low as 25 cents when she goes thifting and has purchased imported Radiohead and Bjork albums for as much as $35.
The downside of collecting vinyl, as Bart, Gerlach and Rife said, is portability. With MP3 players such as the iPod putting thousands of songs right in your pocket, it may be difficult for some to commit to heavy vinyl.
Some students are finding a way to combine both past and present by digitizing their record collections.
Julian Miller, a sophomore political science major and record collector since the age of 15, transfers the music on his records to his iPod.
But Miller said he prefers listening to it in vinyl form over the digitized version.
With vinyl
it has that warm sound. I can fill up a room with that
Miller said.
