Why do so many people still buy Vinyl Records when streaming is so easy and ubiquitous?

There's a ton of different reasons that people collect records and we’ll attempt to go through all of them today to help you see the light on the other side.

It Sounds Better:

We’ve all heard that vinyl sounds better, but is this true and if so why?

There are a number of reasons that vinyl sounds better than streaming, vinyl also has a different sound to streaming, this sound is often described as being “warm”.

Audio is an analog signal, audio waves have an infinite number of possible values for their amplitude or frequency at any given point along the wave, a vinyl record contains grooves that are a physical representation of this wave and thus the analog nature of the wave can be preserved on a vinyl record.

This analog nature of audio presents an issue when it comes to digital formats as storing every one of these infinite values each of which has an infinite number of possible values would require infinite storage space as each of these values is recorded as a number in the computer’s memory. To get around this issue digital audio files use a technique called sampling, where at a regular interval the amplitude of the audio wave is converted to an approximate value, these values are then all connected together as a digital soundwave.

The number of samples taken is the sample rate, and the number of possible values for the amplitude is called the resolution of the recording. Increasing these will reduce the stair stepping effect seen in the diagram below and create a more accurate reproduction of the audio, however as above to perfectly recreate the original analog sound wave these values would need to be infinite and of infinite possible values which is impossible with current digital storage.

This problem worsens when it comes to streaming music, services like Spotify and Apple Music use “lossy compression” to minimize the file size of audio tracks, this has the benefit of making them quicker to stream (buffering on music is now basically non existent) and reducing the data used when streaming these songs stopping you from getting a worryingly high mobile data / internet bill at the end of the month.

This compression however cuts out even more of the detail from the wave form, this compression often also flattens out the wave form, reducing the difference between the highest amplitude value and the lowest amplitude value, resulting in a less dynamic and overall flatter sounding recording.

The Loudness War:

This refers to the ever present issue of mastering music “louder” by increasing the amplitude at every point of the waveform to make the music louder and thus more attention grabbing, similar to how ads are louder on tv and radio than the rest of the programming in an attempt to grab more of the listeners attention.

This results in a similar effect to the flattening out of waveforms we discussed above as this also reduces the dynamics of the recording.

Although the loudness war actually started in the 1940s with 7 inch vinyl record singles the issue didn’t truly take hold until the 1990s with the introduction of CDs and this trend continues into the music streaming age.

So why didn’t this trend affect vinyl records as much? Simply vinyl has a built in protection against this, a louder pressing results in a more difficult to track groove as well as necessitating wider record grooves and greater space between grooves meaning less recorded time could be fit onto each side of a record, these limitations proved to be benefits as it meant that vinyl has stayed mostly immune to the loudness war thus resulting in records often being more dynamic than their digital counter parts.

Waaaaaaaarmth:

You may have heard that vinyl records sound “warmer” than other formats, but what does this actually mean. It doesn’t mean that you can replace your heater with a record player, nor does it mean that your record collection is prone to burst into flames at any given point.

What this actually refers to is both the continuous nature of the analog waveforms that vinyl can reproduce (the digital sampling of music can result in a disjointed or sterile feel to music as especially detailed melodic sections are reconstructed from discrete stair step digital values), as well as the focus on midrange that vinyl has. The midrange frequencies make up a fair bit of music that we listen to. When mastering for vinyl, as midrange frequencies are the easiest to cut into the master record and the easiest for a record player to track these frequencies gain comparatively more detail compared to the high and low end (in comparison to digital files where the scale is regular and thus all frequency ranges are equally limited in their bit rate / detail). These frequencies also happen to be the ones the human ear itself is more sensitive to and thus this increased detail makes vinyl very pleasant to the human ear, this pleasantness is called “warmth” (results with cats, dogs and other species may vary).

Music Appreciation:

The digital age of music has allowed for unprecedented access to music and with an average of 49,000 new songs per day added to Spotify you’re never going to be short on choice. However this can result in music gaining a throwaway quality with a song just existing as part of today's newest hyper specific algorithmically generated playlist that you listen to half way through as you quickly rush into work, surrounded by the noise of traffic and other humans.

Records as a medium force you to sit and consider the music you are listening to, excluding 7 inch singles records hold an entire album, ep or musical project, songs are not easily skippable, and even starting playback requires carefully removing the record from it’s sleeve, placing it on the turntable and cueing up your needle into the starting groove. Once you’ve done all this, each side of the record will only last around 20 minutes so it's time to flip it over or grab the second LP or start a new record.

All of this creates an incredibly tactile experience that also makes you focus on each individual track, not just on its own but also as a part of the whole project. Records are big and record players and hifi systems are even bigger meaning records are enjoyed in a specific location, creating a separation between you and the rest of the world, allowing a truly immersive listening experience.

For some this process may sound cumbersome, but for many this process is almost ritualistic, it makes listening to music an intentional and physically engaging process, helping them to appreciate their music better and feel closer to the artists who made it. Records demand a level of respect, and in my opinion so does music, thus making records one of the best ways to truly appreciate an artist's catalog.

Big Art, Special Packaging:

As stated above vinyl records are large, specifically they are 12 inches in diameter, this means that similarly the sleeves these come in are large, being 12 by 12 inches, this large format gives a bigger canvas for the album artwork which often acts as a critical part of the overall tone, character, or message of the record. When placed on a stand next to your record player this larger cover art further adds to the immersive nature of vinyl records, record sleeves also often have further artwork on the back of the sleeve which is not present on streaming services or digital formats. Double LP albums (those with 2 vinyl records) often come in gatefold sleeves which contain further artwork on the inner spread of the sleeve, records can also come with liner notes which is a piece of paper or printed booklet found inside the sleeve which can contain extra artwork, lyric sheets, or even information about the production process of the album itself.

All of these little details that the physical nature of vinyl allows for gives a richer music listening experience and heightens the enjoyment of listening to records. Vinyl records are also often coloured in a way that matches the theme of the album.

Forming a Collection:

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, vinyl is a physical medium which means it can be physically collected, many people enjoy gradually collecting their favorite albums on vinyl, or trying to get the complete discography of a particular artist. Due to the fact that often records are only pressed in a limited amount or at a particular time, the feeling of finally getting a repress of an album you’ve wanted on vinyl for ages, or finding a great deal on a second hand out of print record is one of the most euphoric feelings a record collector can experience.

This can also add further sentimental value to the albums you love as each one will have a story connected to it, maybe its a record that you purchased right on release day, maybe you camped outside Real Groovy to get the album on record store day, maybe you found an out of print record second hand but in mint condition. All of these situations add a story and a memory to each record in your collection, bringing you closer to the music.

Records are also unique in their longevity, if properly stored and played on a properly calibrated record player a vinyl record can last for decades, and it can’t be pulled from streaming, or locked to a certain music platform, the music is truly yours.

Supporting Artists and Local Business:

Artists earn anywhere from $0.001 to $0.01 per stream on streaming services, while this may be okay for larger artists that command hundreds of millions of streams for smaller artists this can be incredibly hard to live off of, meaning they may need to de-prioritise their music, or potentially may be unable to produce music at all in the long run. In contrast artists earn anywhere between 10% to 25% of the retail price of a new vinyl record giving them a far better source of income and allowing them to produce more of the music you love.

Purchasing vinyl records also supports local businesses like Real Groovy, without vinyl records I wouldn’t be writing this blog post. Local record stores like Real Groovy employ many many music lovers just like you who are keeping vinyl alive and helping to maintain the respect that music deserves.