The Reason Old Record Players Are Making A Big Comeback
If you are an audiophile, you likely either own a record player or know where to find one. The record player was a revolutionary invention that helped bring music into the homes of millions of people starting in the 19th century. It had remarkable staying power for decades until other inventions, such as the casette player, radio, CD player and other portable music devices, began hitting the market. Thankfully, it has seen a major revival in recent years, and it's hard shopping anywhere without there being a dedicated section to record players and vinyl.
There are a variety of benefits to having a record player, and they all depend on the individual looking to purchase one. The streaming boom has had its benefits for music accessibility, but the lack of true ownership has begun weighing down on consumers. Music streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music have had their issues with retaining and pulling music, so a return to physical media makes sense. There is also the fact that vinyl simply sounds better due to a lack of data compression. However, these are only secondary explanations for the resurgence of vinyl, as the primary one is much more grounded in human nature than you'd expect.
What's old is new again
The main drivers behind why record players have seen a resurgence seems to be a mix of sound quality and the simple, cyclical nature of trends and nostalgia. The Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA, published a study on consumer trends that showed most purchasers of record players were born between 1997 and 2012, effectively making Gen Z the core audience for the vinyl resurgence. Northwestern University's Nu Science Magazine theorizes that younger people gravitate toward "vintage" trends due to a disconnected sense of nostalgia. This would make sense in the context of record players since vinyl was largely phased out by the time millennials and Gen Z came onto the scene.
The rediscovery of older technology and reapplying it to a modern context is not a new phenomenon. It's a discussion many in the fashion world have had over the years, with fashion curator Michelle Finamore telling The Zoe Report that recycled trends have been a practice since the 17th century. Similar romanticism can be found in various other industries, from entertainment to automobiles. Viewing and cherry-picking certain parts from an unfamiliar era seemingly comes naturally to us for one reason or another, and the resurgence of vinyl records and record players has proven that.