I love physical media
To quote John Cusack in high fidelity, ‘books, records, films matter’
I love physical media, but More than anything, I love music and spending hours AND HOURS iN record shops
you see..
it’s about the excitement of flipping through recordS
and finally finding what you were looking for
in a record store you will meet all kind of fans
iN THE POP SECTION you’ll OFTEN meet the group of teenagers who are looking for the latest taylor swift
THESE SAME fans have helped with the RiSE of vinyl sales in the last years by purchasing THE MULTiPLE AND VERY EXPENSiVE RECORD VARiANTS THAT ARTiSTS SELL TO PUSH FANS TO ‘COLLECT’
THEN OF COURSE YOU’LL FiND THE MIDDLE-AGEd MEN DESPERATELY searching FOR ANY RARE BEATLES RECORDS, LiKE THESE GUYS
i think the white album is the greatest beatles album, no, it’s easily the best album ever recorded
the album has sold over 20 million copies, but the rarest copy of them all is serial number 0000005 why?
well, because 0000001, 0000002, 0000003 and 0000004 were all snatched by paul, ringo, george and john
right...lately in music there has been a resurgence of 70s and 80s synth elements, especially in pop music
which, by the way, it’s another reason why rec0rds have been selling more these past years
speaking of synth...
in the alternative aisle you’ll often find younger listeners who are into synthpop, goth, post-punk, looking for Bauhaus, Depeche mode, the cure, siouxsie...
now, I won’t argue with you on whether depeche mode are goth or not...
Anyway, they are pretty requested in record stores, but their records are either hard to find or too expensive to buy
which is the case for many artists and bands, a phenomenon that discourage younger fans to pursue this hobby and passion
most of them visit the stores with friends who share this same passion
other instead bring friends who don’t, and interesting conversations can be heard in the aisles...
but don’t you think it’s a waste of money?
I just don’t understand why you spend money on vinyl and cds when you could simply enjoy the music online and pay less than £10
it sounds better. but it’s not just about listening to it
well, what is it about THEN?
for instance, I like collecting and owning physical copies of my favourite albums. Then again, it’s about feeling part of the community and supporting the artist. I also just really love browsing in record stores and talking to people
so do you ALWAYS listen to your physical copies?
sometimes i guess, yeah.. although i enjoy the listening experience, i OFTEN listen to music on DIGITAL PLATFORMS because I can’t always afford records.. and also I have access to more music online
I love physical media
I love cds and 7” singles the most because they’re cheaper; cds are also easier to carry somewhere else and easier to care for
each single has a different artwork, and it is nice to see them organised in the collection
whenever I can I spend hours browsing and browsing...
I don’t always buy but I love looking at the cover artworks
and EXPLORING THE DESIGN AND OPENING THE BOOKLETS
it is all about the tactility and the listening experience. now, back to the type of fans you encounter here and finding out whether these copies have posters or LYRICS sheets included, which i think every copy should have
the classic rock section is always crowded, either by old men or the jim Morrison wannabe
wearing their bell-bottoms and shiny belts and leather jackets
Browsing discogs, checking for the pressing year of the record, and checking if it is being sold for a reasonable price
so there they were some of the people you might encounter at a record store everyone might visit for different reasons
but those who leave with a record will share the final experience of listening to the record purchased while enjoying a nice cup of coffee, or cleaning, dancing, or thinking about their own existence... ♪ I wanna die
