Radios, DVD players, and home telephones have all seemed to go out of style, but record players have managed to be the exception to vintage technology that has faded with time. Vinyl stores are still popular, musicians release records with their new albums, and it has become a sort of treasure to collect vinyl records. It seems that through time, collecting vinyl records has maintained a specialized culture in younger generations, and there is significance to why this culture has been preserved.
Record players feel worthy enough to keep around, but why is it better than any other outdated object/design? For starters, I feel like the obvious reason would be for its visual aesthetics. A really top-notch record player can really make a space look retro, 80’s modern, vintage, and indie. Vinyls themselves have a unique look – from translucent to hot pink – they stand out. Putting album covers and old scratched-up vinyls from the thrift store on the wall has also been a popular interior design technique.
Secondly, record players are perfect for all audiences, whether you’re into hard rock or 2000’s R&B, any musical style is available to play. It may have been trends that have kept it a relevant thing, but it is people’s interaction with this mechanical object that has made an impact on society, besides its function of projecting lyrics and melodies.
I remember in middle school, I was ecstatic to unwrap a Crosley turquoise record player and an ODESZA album on vinyl (very hot at the time) that was gifted to me. I felt like the it girl with this new little decor piece. Maybe that’s what it is too – the feeling that you have a unique form of playing music, and a way to represent your music taste by which albums you purchase. At the time, I didn’t know how to take care of such a device, but I desperately want a new record player for my apartment now, and the hunt has begun.
My boyfriend has a record player, and collecting more and more records has become a way for him and his roommate to bond and share music with each other. It has created an opportunity to share a space for a mutual interest. As a communal activity, listening to music on vinyl has created an incentive to hang around in the living room, therefore influencing more unity among them. It creates a reason to invite people over to listen to your newest vinyl and treat music like a sacred token that rewards you with memories to treasure. It may start with one conversation about how amazing the artist Sade is, and then it sparks the motivation to play more songs and catch up with one another.
Lately, I’ve heard of many people trying to look for their particular niche showcase object for their homes, and a record player is definitely at the top of my list. I am looking forward to seeing how this addition of technology could transform our living space, inspire gatherings, and ignite a rhythm to move and celebrate life.