Back in black: Music enthusiasts decode the growing love for vinyl records

In September 2022 the Recording Industry Association of America released a midyear report that stated that vinyl sales had hit 22 per cent of all physical album sales in the country This is a drastic rise from 157 per cent in 2021 and marks a steady return for the oldschool medium in this digital era Meanwhile Harry Styles Liam Gallagher and Sam Fender are among a growing crop of artistes who are releasing their music on vinyl In the age of free and subscriptionbased music apps is this phenomenon of going old school a novelty or a fad Musicophiles and collectors weigh inClosest to live musicKinjal Gosar 29 founder Drocer RecordI have been listening to classic rock ever since I got hooked to it on vinyl by my friends I love the feeling you get when you are listening to music on vinyl There is a lot more engagement and connection with the music than on digital mediums which can sometimes come across as white noise Vinyl records are the closest you can get to the live music experience Since opening my own store I have also interacted more with younger people than the older generation In the past few years especially post the pandemic people have decided to go back to the basics They have started investing in things that bring them joy The GenZ might not have spending power but they are interested in buying vinyl records Millennials have the spending capacity and do spend Thenthere are always people in their 40s and 50s who grew up with these records and are returning to themfor nostalgia Favourite vinyls Pink Floydrsquos Dark Side Of The Moon Thriller Led ZeppelinEscape from digital burnoutSantaji Shirke 28 audio tech engineerI only buy music that I am going to listen to I believe there is an aesthetic difference in the experience People enjoy the ritualistic aspect of setting up and playing the record The album format is key to the vinyl experience With digital formats you donrsquot experience the album as a whole The other issue is that online music is too accessible People are on digital devices all day for their job and donrsquot want to return to the computer to relax or listen to music People also crave that feeling of owning something mdash quite like how physical book sales have not gone away completely despite Kindle and audio books being availableFavourite vinyls Iron Maiden Number of The Beast ACDC Back in BlackPicsAshish RajeThe analogue charmSavio Iyer 42 cofounder Mad Hatter MediaI started collecting vinyls in 20022003 before the revolution began In the last decade sales have gone up and pressings are returning For instance Pink Floyd rereleased their pressings twice in the last decade The format lends a distinctive listening experience It has its imperfections but the reproduction through analogue has its own charm There is more warmth and resonance that canrsquot be described The charm is also that you hear a whole album the way it is cut the way the artiste wants you to hear it On digital mediums you generally hear one or two tracks Most collectors are in their 30s or older The generation in their 20s that are collecting vinyls are mostly musicians Favourite vinyls Dark Side Of The Moon Louis Armstrong Vangelis SagarSavio Iyerrsquos vinyl collection of a Ravi Shankar album PicsSameer MarkandeExperience music differentlyPicPradeep DhivarAmol Nayak 46 architectFor me it was my fatherrsquos collection that sparked my own interest Vinyl records stretch your process of listening to music You canrsquot skip songs Your mind settles down And if yoursquore fond of music vinyl records are worth collecting Itrsquos not just the rarity of the albums but their covers too that stand out Andy Warhol has created vinyl album covers Duran Duran had artwork by Patrick Nagel Moreover I canrsquot listen to Pink Floyd in concert anymore or Deep Purple in Mumbai this is the closest I can get to the feel and sound of a live concert As a passion there have always been collector groups abroad because it was more accessible Now it has arrived in India as well A part of this culture is about people trying to stand out from the crowd More youngsters are trying to do that mdash to listen and experiencemusic differently Favourite vinyls Def Leppardrsquos Hysteria Guns and Rosesrsquo Appetite for Destruction ZZ Toprsquos Eliminator