Music has always been a huge part of my day-to-day life even when I was younger. However, as I grew up in the digital age, the way I’d hear my favorite tunes ranged from YouTube to borrowing my mother’s iPod.
I did this for practically my whole life. It was so easy to just hear music at the touch of a button, not having to wait for anything other than you very own internet connection.
There came a time though when that itself was not enough for me. I loved the music I’d play from the unreal sounds of electronic dance music such as Avicii, to the slow and melancholic rock and roll songs of Pink Floyd, but there just felt like there was something missing.
One fateful day, I found myself browsing the electronic section of Barnes and Noble where I ran into the Vinyl section. It was filled with the giant discs covered by unique artworks all across the shelves.
That Christmas, I had nothing that I really wanted, so out of curiosity, I asked for a record player along with one of my favorite albums of all time, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. My mother was surprised at my request but got me the album anyway.
I didn’t expect much from it, but I was wrong. The second I put my hands on the cover and held it, things felt different. It felt almost magical to hold something that could create music.
It may not have been an instrument, but a feeling of joy overcame me as I held it and looked at the artwork on the front. It was a breath of fresh air to actually own a physical piece of music rather than stream it on the internet.
I quickly hooked up the record player and began listening to the record. It was an experiment I still haven’t forgotten. It was similar to the feeling of owning and reading a physical book instead of reading it on a phone or computer screen.
I began my collection in 2020 and I still collect records to this day. I still listen to music on my phone, but I will not soon forget the feeling of sliding the vinyl out of its sleeve, carefully placing it onto the record player and lift the needle onto the disc and hearing that crackle as the music came to life.
