Vinyl, not just for dinosaurs it seems.

People today feel that the hottest thing is downloads; the ease of sitting at home or even on the go, downloading songs for little or nothing compared to their retail value. The perfect system you might say; direct payment, no nonsense, and convenient. So why are high street music shops like HMV still open? Why are vinyl sales steadily climbing in the UK?

And why is there more and more record stores opening across the UK instead of closing down? The simple answer might be nostalgia; people buying vinyl to nail to their walls, turn into bowls and pieces of so-called ‘modern art’, or to play on dusty record players salvaged from attics and garages, to relive their younger days and memories that the records might bring back.

But in my view and the view of many others, people have simply realised that it is more satisfying to actually own music than to simply buy and listen to it. Downloading from sites like iTunes and Google Play is something that many people, including me, indulge in because of the low-cost convenience it provides. However, there is nothing more satisfying than going to a record store, meeting like-minded people, and buying good music on vinyl.

Vinyl records have a longer shelf life than CDs or tapes; they may require more care, but how else could they have survived this long without a little TLC now and again? In addition to this, vinyl seems timeless; whereas CDs and downloads are just a part of modern life and therefore part of ‘the norm’. For me, as a vinyl collector, I enjoy buying and listening to vinyl records because of the pleasure they provide, few other hobbies allow you to meet such a friendly and open group of individuals.

Vinyl collectors appreciate all music tastes, which means you can learn about new types of music all the time. Plus, vinyl sounds so much better than other formats; it’s richer, has more depth, and is there anything more recognisable than the sound of a needle on a vinyl record. It’s not just original vinyls that are enjoying new-found life; modern remastered pressings are popular too, and new bands are cashing in on the ‘Vinyl Revolution’ by having their new albums released on vinyl as well as CDs and downloads. A popular example of this is the latest Arctic Monkeys album ‘AM’, which has been hailed as the most popular vinyl of 2013/14.

Record Store Day has been declared the official celebration of vinyl records, where record shops across the country sell special edition repressings of ground-breaking and popular records as well as limited edition releases of albums and singles. “So where can I buy this stuff in Worcester?!”

I hear you cry; well, I will finish by giving you my personal recommendations on where to buy vinyl in the Worcester area. ‘Rise’ is in Crowngate shopping centre and has a large section of recent and re-released vinyl records, although the range here is limited, the records are brilliant.

However, for me, the best place to buy vinyl in the area is in Great Malvern, a fifteen minute car or train journey away, on Church Street in a small side alley, is ‘Carnival Records’, a shop devoted entirely to vinyl, but with a small CDs section. The second-hand section there is a delight for anyone who wishes to embrace the joy of vinyl. Viva la Vinyl Revolution!!!

Article by James Devine

Image  by  ‘creative commons search’ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf3R_gYH2Ck/UAMODxPp6zI/AAAAAAAAEno/g9ctJD4yraM/s1600/Record-disc.jpg