Vinyl records spin their way back into the mix

Vinyl records have been around for just about seventy years now and while a number of people believe that it's a craze of the past, generations of music fanatics are now proving them wrong. Music collectors of all ages are getting in on the new vinyl obsession, while many have stayed devoted to their beloved vinyl.

"I still have people buying vinyl like it was the only (music) medium, along with the next generation who are buying the new "indie" titles as well as the classics of generations past," said Tim Williams, owner of Any Frequency, a record store in Monticello.

Williams said that there have been a wide variety of buyers in his store during the comeback.

"I see male and female customers anywhere from 14 to 60 years old," he said.

So what makes vinyl so appealing to such a wide range of consumers?

"There is so much nostalgia around it and it's a great collectable," said Williams. "People have so much music on so many different devices, but a record is different. You know that when you take the time to physically go to the store and buy a record and then take the time to play it, that there's a personal attachment between yourself and the record."

Sure, you may have a personal attachment to an album you downloaded for free on the Internet in the past few years, but just the action of actually going out and buying a record shows a vast musical passion.

"Music has become so disposable. The marketing of bigger box stores and on-line sites, which widen access to music, deflate (music's) value. Records, on the other hand, show a passionate side of music because of the attachment to it," said Williams.

Why do you think the price of a CD shot up to $20? Not enough people were dedicated to music to spend that much. Paying 99 cents for a song on iTunes might be cheaper and easier if you only want a handful of songs from an album, but there's still no connection with that artist from buying only a few songs. Physically buying a record and taking the time to play it and set it on your favorite tracks shows your bond with the record.

One question that may come in mind if you are new to vinyl records would be "How do records work?"

All you need is a record player and a record, but how do manufacturers put music onto a piece of vinyl? It's actually much simpler than you would think. The information is cut or pressed into the vinyl. The information is then extracted on playback by means of a transducer and stylus, which rides in the groves of the vinyl and forms the motions into analog electrical information that can then be amplified and sent to a speaker where you can then hear the final product. Many people believe that vinyl records actually sound better than high quality MP3s and CDs, which is also another reason that vinyl is making a big comeback.

We've all seen our father's stack of crates in the attic, full of vinyl records from his school days, but vinyl dropped off during the 90's. Vinyl used to be the popular choice of music up until about ten years ago. As new ideas kept being introduced to consumers such as CD players, radios, MP3 players and high definition sound, attention was taken away from vinyl. While these hot new electronics were developed, fewer releases came out on vinyl.

Williams, who is a DJ, believes that DJs really kept vinyl records alive during the past decade. They were really the only ones who kept buying and using them and without them, vinyl may not even be alive today.

Even though vinyl is making a significant comeback, independent record stores have come together and developed special days to keep vinyl fans coming back, these special days being Record Store Day and Vinyl Saturdays.

Record Store Day is "the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cookouts, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records and on and on," according to the Web site recordstoreday.com.

"Mothers, fathers, Christopher Columbus all had their own day, so why not record stores?" said Williams. What better way to celebrate music than to get free stuff and exclusive releases from your favorite artists?

April 19, 2008 marked the first annual record store day, and has been celebrated annually on the third Saturday of each April. Next year's record store day will be held on April 17, 2010. Vinyl Saturday, a mini version of record store day, is another big vinyl promotion day, held on the first Saturday of every month. The next upcoming vinyl Saturday will feature exclusive releases from the Avett Bros., Big Star, Mars Volta, and RX Bandits.

Any Frequency celebrates both Record Store Day and Vinyl Saturday.

"What I stock in the store is a balance of what is selling and what I hope to sell. I'm sure there is some algorithm turning in my head but I could never write it down," said Williams.

The best selling album to date at Any Frequency is "Blacklisted" by Neko Case, while popular titles at the moment include the latest from Passion Pit, The Metric, Miike Snow, Mars Volta and Wilco.

The store has some big plans on September 1-Any Frequency will move down the block from their current location of the past five years, into a bigger location with plans to increase their music selection, build a stage and host a number in-store performances from artists and bands around the area.

Another local independent record store that participates in record store day and vinyl Saturday is Exile on Main St. in downtown Champaign. Exile on Main features many in store performances, sells tickets to local festivals and shows, and is C-U's only independent retailer of all things pop culture, according to their Web site.