According to a recent report from eBay, the online auction giant, they sell more than three million vinyl records each year. It is also reported that eBay users buy and sell six vinyl records every minute (or an average of one every ten seconds). It seems the vinyl record, just a few years ago an afterthought as an audio format, is alive and well. So what is all the fuss about?
First and foremost, if you ask any record collector, it is the sound quality they love the most about vinyl. The music isnt compressed into ones and zeros or binary sound. Then of course, there is the element of collectibility, people may buy vinyl as an investment, in hope that, over time, the records will appreciate in value.
Furthermore, people collect vinyl because they may want a piece of their past, so nostalgia is also an important element for the record collector. People are also drawn to actually owning a physical product and may enjoy the ritual that is involved in listening to the records. And a new generation has discovered the special allure that vinyl records have, the limited editions, colored vinyl, picture discs, audiophile records (a 180-220 gram), the album cover artwork...