Vinyl records have been extraordinary sources of music for over a century, however they lost popularity due to the creation of CDs and cellphones, but have recently been making a huge comeback, especially for younger teens. They initially were reintroduced to the world in 2017, but ever since then record sales have continued to grow more and more. Some record collectors have been building their vinyl collections for decades, snatching up new releases, original pressings, exclusives, and much more from their favorite bands and singers. With the comeback of records, many newer artists have been getting their songs pressed onto vinyl such as popular artists you hear on the radio, alongside represses of landmark bands such as Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Fleetwood Mac. The recently released albums on vinyl from popular artists have been gravitating towards young teens, packed with cool colored vinyl, posters, stickers. Taylor Swift, has recently released a few albums that have been pressed on vinyl, which are quite popular and helping to continue growth in the vinyl community. This has inspired many young adolescents to start record collections, along with the fact that some teens may have parents who also collect vinyl.

“[I started collecting vinyl records] in July 2020 because I thought it would be fun, [I currently have] 21 records in my collection.” Freshman, Jaxen Lara said.

Record prices have risen as they have come back, most newer vinyl records go for around $20-40, although if it is rare or an original pressing they can go for hundreds of dollars. Now, the price raise makes sense as records don’t only come in standard black pressing. Depending on the artist’s choice, you could be receiving records in colors such as red, gold, blue marbled, coke bottle clear, and even ones with pictures on them! Some come with cool lyric posters and CDs included as well. Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Lana del Rey, and Tyler the Creator are all popular artists whose records are often included in teen collections. Although, many young people do enjoy older music and own records such as Pixies, Michael Jackson, and Frank Sinatra.

“My most spun [vinyl] is Ohms by Deftones, my favorite pressings are OK by The Fall of Troy, Kids by Mac Miller, and Deftones by Deftones. OK by The Fall of Troy is orange [pressing] and Ohms by Deftones is clear.” Lara said.

Although there aren’t too many of them, record stores are still visited heavily by vinyl collectors in search of their favorite artists and bands. These stores often sell new and used records, CDs, DVDs, and some even sell record players/turntables. There are also a plethora of online realtors such as Discogs.com, a website to find new and used vinyl, and much more. Many chain stores, such as Target, Urban Outfitters, and Walmart have helped the vinyl community flourish, selling generic records, store exclusives, movie soundtracks, and players. These are more convenient for the general public and have helped grow the number of teens who purchase records. They often sell cheaper equipment for beginner collectors such as the Crosley and Victrola suitcase turntables, these are not the best option to use for a long time but for beginners they great, for they are portable and quite affordable.

“[I buy records from] Silver Platters in Lynnwood and Discogs, I have a Digitnow player,” Lara explained.

Collecting vinyl records is a great hobby if you love music, regardless if it’s old or new. Purchasing and listening to records can introduce you to music you’ve never heard before and it teaches you to not only listen to individual songs but rather to the whole album, which is a magical experience. Due to the recent skyrocketing of vinyl collectors, records and equipment are very easy to find for great prices, though, it is always recommended that you try to shop at your local record store such as Silver Platters (Lynnwood) or Sonic Boom Records (Seattle), supporting these  small businesses will keep their stores that have been selling records for decades alive and thriving. Just be careful, once you start collecting vinyl, you can’t stop!