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Records not just relics

By Eric Morris emorris@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

I’m not an audiophile.

When listening to music, I — like most people, I suspect — often can’t tell the difference in sound quality between an analog recording, as found on many vinyl records, and a digital one, like an MP3.

For me, the attraction of a vinyl record is the physicality. It’s the packaging and artwork. It’s holding the disc in my hands. It’s watching the record spin as the needle works the groove.

A few years ago, while thumbing through a bin of vinyl records in a grungy garage that was doubling as a makeshift record shop, a lurker beside me handed me an album he pulled from the stacks and said, “Here, you’ll like this.”

At the man’s recommendation, which came on Record Store Day 2011, I bought that record and genuinely enjoyed it. In fact, it became one of my favorites.

Record Store Day made its eighth manifestation Saturday. The event, held internationally in April each year, celebrates the long player as something more than a relic from a bygone era.

For the uninitiated, Record Store Day consists of record labels across the world producing special releases to entice people to spend money at their local record stores in an attempt to revitalize interest in a once-popular and still much beloved music medium and the businesses that continue to champion it.

It’s a day that demonstrates that the record is still an integral part of the listening experience for millions of music lovers.

The releases are often limited in number, meaning they’re tough to get your hands on, and they are often a tad expensive, meaning you’re spending a pretty penny for the plastic discs. But it makes for an exciting time for listeners and collectors.

Vinyl record sales have been on the rise for more than a decade, as older albums receive reissues and many modern artists continue to release their music in vinyl format. While records account for only a minute percentage of music sales, rekindled interest in them is evident.

Still, it’s rare to find a store exclusively selling records in 2015. The Internet helped digital platforms like downloadable MP3 files and streaming applications to replace physical media — and for good reason. It’s really convenient to essentially have the entirety of recorded music at the click of a mouse and to have the ability to take it anywhere. I use Spotify and an iPod nearly every day to listen to my favorite songs.

But on Saturday morning, I could have been found at Jerry’s Records in Pittsburgh (my store of choice and where I’ve spent the last five Record Store Days), rustling through bins of aged and worn records.

It was another opportunity to discover new tunes, to stumble upon that perfect addition to my collection or to hear a stranger say, “Here, you’ll like this.”

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