The current comeback of buying and collecting vinyl’s is not a trend. I believe that vinyl’s are here to stay because of old generations familiarity with them and newer generations fascination with them.

In the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, vinyls were the dominate music medium. In the 90’s however, vinyl began to lose its appeal, as CD’s became the new dominate force in the music industry. In the 2000’s however, music became digitally accessible, making it harder for CD’s to thrive in the marketplace.

Ironically, now that CD’s are starting to die out, vinyl is making an unexpected comeback to the music landscape. For the first time since its popularity decades ago, vinyls are outselling CD’s.

Dove Johnson, a 19-year-old Neuroscience major, finds the comeback of vinyl very interesting and is really excited about it.

”I think they are very unique and show a bigger part of history,” said Johnson. “It would be pretty cool if they became popular again. When I was a kid, I remember being mesmerized by my grandpa’s large collection in his basement.”

The older generation that grew up listening to vinyls during its peak, in some ways, this resurgence allows them to relive that nostalgic experience they had back when they first owned vinyl records.

For this new generation and generations to come, the revival of vinyl is a whole new experience, especially when it comes to younger people who are growing up with music being more accessible on the internet.

Many people of this generation are finding out about vinyl for the first time, starting their own record collections, starting a brand new era for a once dying musical art form.

While this new generation of music fans see vinyl as a way of collecting a larger version of an album that they might have on their iPhone, a lot of people are purchasing vinyl players as well. It seems that people are curious as to what vinyl sounds like compared to a digital file.

Vinyl is known for its sound quality, I also believe that people of this generation are being drawn to it for the visual aspect. From the big album art work, to the lyrics and liner notes, people are buying vinyl just off of the strength of its visual content, almost like looking at a painting.

“I would definitely want to hear what it sounds like,” said Johnson. “But ultimately, it would be a collective item, I’m actually thinking of buying a record player too.”

For a lot of younger people who are constantly listening to music on their iPhone or iPod, the revival of the LP is becoming another way for this generation to experience music like never before. The digital music world now has competition with the rise of vinyl records.

Whether it’s the nostalgia factor for those who grew up with vinyls, or the current generation’s growing fascination with them, this comeback is here to stay.