Valuable Vinyl

By: Sierra Steen

When seniors Ashley Brimacomb and Jessica Huffman take trips through their classic music selections, they may be using retro time machines that are becoming increasingly popular with teenagers today.

Vinyl has made a big comeback with sales growing by more than 50 percent recently, reaching a record million sales per year, which is the highest it’s been since 1996.

Huffman and Brimacomb are two big fans of the old school format.

For Brimacomb, the sound difference is a big reason for choosing vinyl. “I really like the little crackling sound that comes with vinyl because of the dust that collects in the little grooves,” she said. “Personally, there’s a difference because my record player doesn’t have an equalizer, so I can’t turn the bass up like I usually do.”

Huffman also prefers the sound quality that vinyl produces over radio/cell phone music. “It’s more clear in my opinion. I enjoy the white static noise it gives off. It sounds more like you’re in the time period when the music was produced, and I think that’s cool.”

With all of the different albums, singles and soundtracks produced over the years, it’s nearly impossible for these two to choose a favorite.

“It’s so difficult because I have some classics that my parents passed down to me that are so great. For example, I have Prince and the Revolution, which is one of my all time favorites. There’s also Billy Squier’s album “Emotion in Motion,” Foreigner’s album “4” and some newer stuff like the xx’s first self-titled album that is so relaxing, especially on vinyl,” Brimacomb said.

Brimacomb said she hopes to get a better record player and own more vinyl in the future, even though it costs more than other forms of music.

Huffman has been collecting and listening to vinyl for around two and a half years now, but she’s always been a fan of the classics. “I’ve always known about the bands on these albums because I grew up listening to older music. My dad introduced me to them, and I remember listening to them in the car. I really like my “Wings At The Speed Of Sound“ album, and I really like any of the Beatles’ albums just because those are classics. I don’t think I have an all-time favorite because I like my new vinyl and my old vinyl equally,” Huffman said. “I find myself collecting more soundtracks than actual albums because the scoring is beautiful.”

For Huffman, Brimacomb and growing cast of young music fans, collecting vinyl is an expensive hobby, but the paybacks of dropping a needle on record players just can’t be matched by making a quick visit to Spotify.