Are Vinyl Records Worth Keeping?

Well, the short answer is absolutely! Vinyl records are absolutely worth keeping for a multitude of reasons including their collectability, their distinctive sound, as well as their sentimental value. In today's blog, we'll take a look at some of the most compelling reasons for holding onto your favourite vinyl records.

Many music enthusiasts will argue that vinyl records offer a warmer and more authentic sound compared to their digital counterparts. Audiophiles often prefer the analogue sound of vinyl records, appreciating the imperfections and nuances that digital formats might not capture in the same way. 

Vinyl records produce this analog sound due to the physical grooves on the record. The analog nature of vinyl creates a warm, rich, and sometimes slightly distorted sound that many audiophiles find appealing. This warmth is partly due to imperfections in the playback process, including minor surface noise, crackles, and pops, which some listeners consider as part of the charm. 

Vinyl records also often have a greater dynamic range compared to digital music. They can capture a broader spectrum of sound, preserving nuances and subtle details that might get compressed or lost in digital formats. So, given the distinct difference in sound quality, casting aside your record collection for this reason could be considered to be ill-judged.

Certain vinyl records, especially those that are considered to be rare, limited edition, or part of significant historical moments in music, can appreciate in value over time. Collectors often seek out original pressings, special editions, or albums from specific artists or genres, which can become valuable items in the future.

Collecting records as a hobby doesn't have to be a massive financial undertaking, however. People collect records for many different reasons, one of which is sentimentality. For example, someone could be hugely into collecting Beatles records, but perhaps because they were that person's favourite childhood band; not necessarily because their records may be worth holding onto for their potential monetary value. 

Conversely, people may only wish to collect records of a certain condition. It may be that the list of records that they are after is more broad, but their respective conditions need to be above average as they may want to listen to them frequently. As you can see, collecting records can be a multi-faceted affair, with each collector's requirements being unique. 

Vinyl records often feature larger album covers compared to CDs or digital formats. The size of the cover allows for more detailed and impactful artwork, making it visually appealing. Artists and designers can use this larger canvas to create stunning, intricate, and visually striking designs that complement the music listening experience.

Album artwork also serves as a form of artistic expression for musicians and visual artists alike. It can convey additional messages, themes, or emotions that complement the music contained within the record. Some artists consider the album cover as an integral part of the overall artistic statement they're making with their music.

Many vinyl records are renowned for their iconic album covers, too. Artwork such as Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon," The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," or Nirvana's "Nevermind" have become iconic and are inseparable from the albums themselves. These covers have achieved legendary status and are celebrated as works of art in their own right.  

Despite the prevalence of digital music, vinyl has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Some people collect vinyl as part of this trend, appreciating its retro appeal or indeed supporting artists who release their music on vinyl.

In the past decade, worldwide vinyl record sales generated a collective $1.2 billion, with 2023 being the first year that vinyl record sales surpassed CD sales since 1988. In fact, even on a smaller scale, vinyl record sales in the US alone have increased every single year for the last 17 years!

With this exponential increase in popularity, vinyl records are now being introduced to a new audience, and and are being marketed in more new and effective ways - whilst also being introduced to a new audience of music-lovers. Young people are now growing up with vinyl records being one of the more popular and ways of listening to music - much like it was a number of decades ago. 

Vinyl records of course offer a tangible ownership experience that digital music lacks. Owning physical copies of albums, especially limited editions, rare pressings, or special releases, can hold significant collectible value and bring satisfaction to collectors.

We've talked before on this blog about the many different ways that vinyl records can be stored and displayed as well, and this is a luxury that not many (if any) other music mediums can offer. Being able to show off your musical taste in the form of physical home decoration really adds something extra to the whole music-ownership experience. We've even recently written a dedicated article on how best to display vinyl records in case you were looking for some inspiration.

In terms of actually owning your music, though, this is something that can only really be achieved when purchasing physical music forms like vinyl records. Streaming music digitally can be likened to renting whatever it is you are listening to at time. This means that there is always the possibility of your favourite song or album being pulled from your chosen streaming service at any time without exception. 

It's no secret that artists do much better from the sales of physical music mediums than they do from their digital counterparts. On average, an artist will make between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream, compared to approximately 10% of the revenue of each physical sale. 

These numbers can fluctuate depending on the success and reach of the artist or band, but generally speaking - you will absolutely be contributing more to the success of your favourite performers by physically purchasing their work.

In many cases, smaller artists and bands rely on physical sales as a large part of their collective income, and vinyl records play a big part in this. As they can be rather expensive to manufacture, the return on the sales of physical media will often matter much more significantly. As well as this, if you are buying from a smaller artist or band you may just have a limited-run or numbered release on your hands - so it's a win win for all involved!

There is something to be said, as well, for the fact that a vinyl record cannot have its 'currently playing' track skipped, paused or repeated in the same way that a digital-format album potentially could. 

This may sound like a bit of an anti-vinyl stance to take at first, but when you think about it, it is sometimes quite nice to just place the needle at the beginning of an album and simply let it play - you may even discover some hidden gems on an album that you thought you knew quite well beforehand by doing this from time to time.

There are also entire communities built on discovering new music in its physical form. Many small towns and villages up and down the UK have their own family-run record stores. Visiting local record stores like this can easily expose you to new music whenever you visit. Many stores have curated selections, staff picks, or sections dedicated to new releases, allowing you to explore and find albums across various genres.