Why Vinyl Is Still Relevant

This Saturday, there will be lines out the front of your local record store, because 19 April is Record Store Day, an international “holiday” for music-lovers and musicians alike. Musos will be making in-store appearances and releasing one-off specials across the globe, and you've got to get in early to get the vinyl atop your wish list.

The Australian ambassadors for Record Store Day are musicians Marcia Hines and Dan Sultan; and behind-the-scenes masterminds, Tim Dalton and Ian Hunter; while Adalita has been dubbed a 'supporter' due to her prior commitment to Bluesfest. They've each got their own reasons for wanting to be involved.

Adalita says that records are close to her heart. “I grew up going to record shops and loved going through all the vinyl and looking for my favourite bands and going home with a new plastic covered album; it was such an exciting feeling. Record shops were places to hang out too and find out about music, mostly from the record store owner who always knew just about everything about music.”

Tim Dalton, one-time recording engineer and tour manager for the Beastie Boys and Elvis Costello, says he “wanted to involve myself in Record Store Day as I've spent my entire adult life dedicated to music. Music, and modern life in general, these days tends to be about instant gratification. What I like about Record Store Day is a chance to reflect upon the actual product's creation”.

In 2013, vinyl albums were the only physical products to grow in sales; in monetary terms, they were up 53.31 per cent from 2012, with 137,658 albums sold at a value of $2,839,822. We don't want to drown you in statistics, but the 'Vinyl Renaissance' is a thing.

Dalton reckon that's because “Vinyl is metonymic, it's an artefact of value, it proves that you are serious about music to your peers. Buying vinyl gives a perceived value; spending $20-25 on a record feels like it's worth it versus spending that same amount of money on a file that you really can't touch or feel. It's tactile, has a unique odour and it's still seriously cool.”

Adalita agrees. “I reckon it's the size of the vinyl. It's like a big nice square coffee table book. It's a beautiful thing basically so it's conducive to being treasured. And there's a ritual involved, you know, turning on your stereo, selecting the vinyl, taking it out, putting it on the turntable, putting on the needle and swapping the sides. There's a little of you invested in it.”

Both Dalton and Adalita affirm that record stores are an integral part of Australia's music scene. Adalita says that “[Record stores] are passionate about music. And it's also a meeting place; all sorts of great butterfly effects happen because of record stores… Music is so essential to so many people's lives. We need to make sure we're being active and getting out there and showing our passion for music too.”

For Adalita, this year's Record Store Day is especially important, as it sees the release of her solo album on vinyl for the first time. “I'm so excited. It's such a satisfying feeling and I'm really happy with the sound quality, it's just exactly what I think vinyl should sound like. And it's funny but it's really given the record a new lease of life sonically.”