Vinyl Records: Why They're Still the Best Way to Listen to Music

The vinyl record is a form of recorded music that has been around since 1877, when Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. Throughout its history, vinyl has undergone many periods of massive popularity, especially in the early-to-mid 20th century, until CD's and eventually digital files overtook it as the masses preferred avenue of music consumption. However, vinyl has been making a comeback in recent years, not only with older music listeners looking for the nostalgia of their younger days, but with millennials as well. Why is this? Well, here are just some of the reasons why vinyl is still the best way to listen to music today.

1. Better Sound Quality

One of the biggest advantages vinyl has over digital is sound quality. The way digital files are created, much of the audio is compressed and distorted -- or even lost completely -- in order to make space for more files on a listener's phone or mp3 player. However, in doing this digital files lose a lot of the depth and clarity of the music. Vinyl, on the other hand, doesn't run into any of these problems. The recordings found in the grooves of a vinyl record are perfect representations of how the artist intended their music to be heard, and not a single frequency goes unheard. Because of this, vinyl has a much fuller sound, making it a much more satisfying listening experience than digital.

2. Vinyl is more than just an auditory experience.

When we think of our music listening experience, we focus on the sounds that we're hearing and not much else, right? Now what if I told you that the experience of listening to music could be so much more than that. When you buy a vinyl record, it comes in a huge 12" sleeve, with album art big enough so you can actually see the detail. Many records come in what is called a "gatefold" sleeve, one that opens up like a book, revealing even more art on the inside. To add to this, some records come in beautiful colored vinyl patterns, such as the pressing of Mae's "The Everglow" pictured below.

3. You can make money from vinyl

When you buy a digital music file, there's nothing you can do to get your money back if you decide you don't like the music. However, when you buy vinyl, not only can you make your money back, but you can actually make more money than you originally spent. The vinyl community is very active on sites such as Discogs and eBay, where hundreds of records are sold every day. Since records are pressed in limited quantities, their value goes up as time passes, rather than down. This means that if you have records that you aren't interested in listening to anymore, you can just sell them to someone else, often times for more money than you originally bought them for. 

These three tips are just some of the reasons why vinyl is still the best way to listen to music, even though digital has become more popular. Even with the convenience and portability of digital, nothing beats the experience of dropping the needle and hearing those first few notes in full clarity.