I stream music like everyone else. It is in the car, in my headphones at the gym and playing in the background while I answer email. It is a remarkable thing to have nearly every song ever recorded a tap away. And yet I still buy records, and I do not see that changing.
The simplest reason is that a record makes me pay attention. When I put on an album, I have made a small decision. I picked it out, slid it out of the sleeve, set it on the platter and dropped the needle. After that much effort I am not going to skip around. I sit down, or at least stay in the room, and listen to the thing the way the artist put it together.
Albums as a whole
A lot of the albums I love were built to be heard in order. The quiet track after the big single, the instrumental that sets up the closer, the way side one ends and gives you a breath before side two. Shuffle flattens all of that. Vinyl puts it back, mostly because flipping a record every twenty minutes keeps me involved.
Something to hold
I also like the physical part. Album art at twelve inches is a different experience than a thumbnail on a phone. Liner notes tell you who played on what and where it was recorded, and I have discovered more than a few musicians by reading the credits and then looking up what else they played on.
The hunt
Then there is the fun of finding records. Browsing a used bin is one of my favorite low-key ways to spend an hour. You never know what will turn up, and some of my favorite albums were ones I bought on a whim because the cover looked interesting or the price was right. It is a slower kind of discovery than an algorithm, and I think that is part of the appeal.
It does not have to be precious
I want to be clear that none of this makes streaming bad or vinyl better in every way. Records can be noisy, they take up space and they are not cheap. I just like having both. Streaming is how I find new music. Records are how I spend time with the music I already love.
If you have a few old records sitting in a closet, my only suggestion is to play one from start to finish some evening with your phone in another room. It is a small thing, but it is one of the easiest ways I know to slow down.
Views expressed here are my own and do not represent the views of my employer. Content is for general information only and is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.