Backstory: I went to this talk with Sasha Frere-Jones, pop music critic for The New Yorker. He had a little moment where he espoused the virtues of vinyl, quoting a friend who mentioned mp3's were like "a photocopy of a polaroid of a photograph of a picture," or something along those lines. He mentioned that mp3's feature roughly 3 per cent of the musical data on a given tracks master studio recording. This was at once not particularly surprising but also rather slap-in-the-faceish when stated in such blunt terms, kind of like looking at a smokers left lung.
Anyways, this kind of restoked my vinyl fires, which are decidedly on and off like any of my various hobbies.
By no means am I qualified to speak on vinyl. I'm going to anyways.
My modest collection is in single digits if you don't include the castoffs I bourgeoissily stole from my dad. Still, you don't have to be a connoisseur to understand the appeal of the vinyl experience.
First off, because I have such a small record collection to pick from, I listen to the same albums more frequently. The result is a more intimate exposure to music, breeding more familiarity for better or worse. Either way, my relationship with an album -- the physical LP -- is much more tangible. I have to literally select it, and handle it, being careful not to scratch or warp the record in order to make sure I can experience it again in the future. By respecting music's physical manifestation I feel like I learn a greater respect for the music itself indirectly.
Secondly, my record player is not part of my computer, or my tv, or anything else. It is a machine that exists solely to play music, meaning in order to listen to records I have to make a purposeful trip to my stereo. And I can't go anywhere! The music is only going to be perfect in that one spot in between my two speakers. I'm making time to hear these songs, it's not something I'm doing in the background. This record is the main course.
The act of buying a new record is an exciting experience itself. Yes, you can pay for music on iTunes and listen to it, but really that is such a shadow of the fun of buying a LP. You get to go to a store -- a real place! -- surrounded by choices you can casually browse through. Much like adopting a pet, you often have to make a decision about who you're going to take home that day; it has to be an album that you connect with personally in that moment.
All the way home you think about listening to the album. There is no instant gratification here, not unless you have a record player in your car or backpack. The delayed gratification makes the payoff all the sweeter when you finally get home. Even the simple process of having to rip-off plastic wrapping and pulling out a pristine piece of vinyl for the first time is such a special treat compared to double clicking a mouse button.
Thirdly, you can't skip songs. Well, I mean, you can, but it's almost more trouble than it's worth. Get up? Walk all the way across the room? Naaahhh. By essentially forcing yourself to listen to every track, you get to appreciate things that if you had the power to, you might have skipped over and missed. It's almost like forcing yourself to try eating new foods -- you might not like things at first blush but often we are surprised at what ends up growing on us. Music is no exception.
Finally, audio fidelity. As mentioned above, mp3's are a shadow of original studio recordings. We could get into digital vs. analog recordings here, but again, I will never claim expertise in this arena. All I will say is the difference between listening to an LP, the warmth and depth of the music, has a life that cd's -- nevermind mp3's -- cannot replicate. Music sounds more real (as it should in analog) with records, and that just makes listening to it a more enjoyable experience.
Listening to vinyl seems snobby, and it's inconvenient and impractical. Make no mistake about it. But if food has taught us anything it's that quick and easy is not always the best approach. Moreover, eating lunch in your car will never be as enjoyable as sitting down and enjoying a slow cooked meal prepared with love and fresh ingredients.
If we're willing to pay a premium for food this way, shouldn't music be afforded the same latitude?
