Surge of interest in vinyl amongst millennials

By: Merissa Alyea Binti Omar Ariff

Young audiophiles are playing a huge role in keeping the vinyl culture alive. Majority of millennials today still stream music on their mobile phones on Spotify or Apple Music but there are a number of youngsters who choose to tune in and drop out with their turntables and vinyl collections back home after a long day.

The primary factor that draws millennials to vinyl is the analog sound it reverberates which is significantly different compared to its digital counterpart. When listening to a vinyl on a proper sound system, the vocals and music is so rich that it almost makes listeners feel like they are listening to a live show. This vivid listening experience is something that cannot be compared to digital audio format used in streaming platforms that is reduced by compressed files made to fit into the memory of these platforms.

“Listening to my favorite albums on vinyl offers me a listening experience that leaves me in awe each time I play them. I will never be able to see some of my favorite bands perform live such as Led Zeppelin or The Stooges but having their albums on vinyl provides me an immaculate listening experience that makes me feel as though I am hearing these albums being performed live.” said 22-year-old barista, Ernest Sutton.

Millennials today are also drawn to the vinyl experience of finding themselves entering a record store being full anticipation, not knowing what vinyl they will stumble upon during their search. The purchasing of vinyl experience is a exhilarating moment itself for millennials as they spend hours rummaging through stacks of 12’ inch and 7’ inch vinyls at their local record store discovering new artist, befriending other audiophiles at the store and sharing their love for their favorite artist as well as discussing their preferred vinyl pressings and releases.

Ernest Sutton’s Vinyl Collection

At Home

“I would call myself an introvert, I find it quite difficult to engage in conversations with strangers as I fear that they would judge me. However, since I got into vinyl collecting it has helped me to improve my social skills significantly. Whenever I’m digging for new vinyls at my local record stores around Kuala Lumpur I will never fail to make one or two new acquaintances at the store. I find it easy to talk about my interest with other vinyl enthusiasts as they are very engaging and we have a lot of common ground to build a potential friendship on.” said 23-year-old student, Mukhriz Jeffery.

Vinyl is a tangible item that makes young collectors so more enthusiastic about continuing to collect vinyl to add on to their existing collection. Physically holding on to an LP with the beautifully designed album artwork leaves collectors in ecstasy especially if it is an album they have been looking for a while for. The feeling of holding the album in their own two hands cannot be compared to the feeling of streaming an album which will only last as long as the streaming platform is active.

“When I hold my favorite albums from my vinyl collection physically in my hands it still gives me butterflies in my stomach, the excitement of taking out the vinyl from its sleeve and placing it on my turntable still gets me ecstatic each time I do it.” said 21-year-old student, Miles Magness.

Millennials play a key role in keeping the vinyl culture alive, without them the vinyl culture would not be able to be sustained as there would not be enough demand to keep vinyls in production. The rise of interest in vinyl amongst millennials has not only provided them a safe space to express themselves without the fear of being judged but also more importantly gives them the platform to keep the love for music alive.

Ernest Sutton’s Vinyl Collection

At Home